Bridge Venue

• Question 1
  
  Your partner North opens 1C. You'd like to reply 1H with your 5-card suit, but your right-hand opponent bids 1S. What a pain. If you now bid hearts, your partner will assume you have 10+ points, which you don't have. Is bidding 1NT to show 6-9 HCP a good idea ?

• Answer 1
  
  Your partner North opens 1C. You'd like to reply 1H with your 5-card suit, but your right-hand opponent bids 1S. What a pain. If you now bid hearts, your partner will assume you have 10+ points, which you don't have. Is bidding 1NT to show 6-9 HCP a good idea ?
  
  Answer
  
  Not the best. After the 1S overcall, you know you are threatened in Spades where you are weak. A negative double shows 6+ points and a 4-card Heart suit. That's a better bid.

• Question 2
  
  What if you had passed instead of doubling ? What would have been the likely outcome ?

• Answer 2
  
  What if you had passed instead of doubling ? What would have been the likely outcome ?
  
  Answer
  
  Your partner would have calculated you had 0-7HCP, and passed, giving the 2S contract to the opposition.

• Question 3
  
  In this case, you don't bid to game, only 4 Clubs. Should you have risked a 4 Heart game bid, given your 5 hearts ?

• Answer 3
  
  In this case, you don't bid to game, only 4 Clubs. Should you have risked a 4 Heart game bid, given your 5 hearts ?
  
  Answer
  
  No. For all you knew, your partner might have had nothing in hearts. In fact he was short, even though he had the best 2 cards possible. You might have considered bidding 3 Hearts instead of 3Clubs, and partner would have raised to 4 if he's had 3 cards. 4H probably won't make here.

• Some subjects to follow up on

  1 Bidding Objectives = "8 and 25" 123 Doubles, Negative double 1 Bidding Objectives = "8 and 25" 1 Bidding Objectives = "8 and 25"