Competitive Bidding

Question 1

What are the strength requirements for an overcall?

Answer 1

Distribution - a good 5 card suit or a 6 card or longer suit Strength - 7 to 17 HCPs at the 1 level - 13 to 17 HCPs at the 2 or higher level

Question 2

When advancing an overcall what should the advancer consider when he has support for the overcalled suit?

Answer 2

show support with 3 or more cards in the suit. With support value the hand using dummy points - void 5; singleton 3; doubleton 1.

Question 3

When advancing a one level overcall with support, what level should you advance to?

Answer 3

With 6-9 points 3-card support - raise to the 2 level; 4 card support - raise to the 3 level; 5 card support - raise to game level

Question 4

What should the advancer do with 3+ card support and 10+ points?

Answer 4

Cuebid the opponent’s suit showing interest in reaching game

Question 5

What are the guidelines for advancing in a new suit?

Answer 5

• a good 5 card suit or a 6 card suit suit or longer - 6 or more points at the 1 level - 11 or more points at the 2 level if you were responding a new suit would be forcing; Since you are advancing a new suit is not forcing

Question 6

When advancing an overcall in NT what strength do you need?

Answer 6

6 - 10 points advance to 1NT 11 - 12 points advance to 2NT 13 or more start with a cue bid

Question 7

When the advancer bids, what are the rebid requirements by the overcaller?

Answer 7

If advancer raises the overcalled suit, bids a new suit, or bids NT, it’s not forcing If advancer cue bids, the overcalled must bid again,

Question 8

What is required for a 1 NT overcall?

Answer 8

A balance hand with 15 - 17 points similar to an opening 1 NT bid. Should have some strength in opponents opening suit.

Question 9

What is required for a weak jump overcall?

Answer 9

bidding 1 or more levels than is necessary - it is similar to a preemptive opening bid. It shows a weak hand with a long suit. The advantage is that it takes up bidding room which makes it more challenging for for opponents to find their best contract. The hand should be worth 5 or 6 playing tricks.

Question 10

What is the strength required for a takeout double?

Answer 10

Support for the unbid suits

at least 3 card support

preferably 4 card support

13 or more total points, counting high card points and dummy points

void = 5

singleton = 3

doubleton = 1

Question 11

What is the strength required for advancing a takeout double?

Answer 11

• 0-8 points Bid at the cheapest level
• 9-11 points make an invitational bid by jumping one level
• 12+ points Get the partnership to game

Question 12

What strength is required to advance a takeout double to NT?

Answer 12

• 6-10 points Bid NT at the cheapest level
• 11-12 points Bid NT jumping a level
• 13+ points Bid game in NT

Question 13

What are the takeout doubler’s strength ctegories?

Answer 13

Minimum 13-16 points

Medium 17-18 points

Maximum 19+ points

Question 14

What is sacrificing?

Answer 14

Deliberately overbidding to a contract you do not expect to make

Question 15

What is the Guideline of 500 in regard to Sacrificing

Answer 15

you don’t want to overbid by more than two tricks vulnerable or three tricks non vulnerable

Question 16

What is required for a 3 level preemptive opening bid?

Answer 16

• a long suit - Usually 7 or more cards with 2 of the top 3 honors or 3 of the top 5 honors in the suit
• a weak hand - less than the values for an opening bid at the one level

Question 17

What are the purposes of the preemptive opening bid?

Answer 17

• obstructive - to make it more difficult for the opponents to enter the bidding and find their best contract
• descriptive - helping responder decide how high and where the partnership belongs

Question 18

What does the responder to an opening 3 level preemptive bid focus on?

Answer 18

playing tricks, rather than high card points - usually 5 or 6 playing tricks or the opening 3 level premptive bid

If responder does not have 3 or more trumps, it is usually best to pass unless responder can picture enough tricks for a game contract

Question 19

What are the 2 reasons that responder would raise the preemptive opening bid when the responder has 3 card or longer support?

Answer 19

1. rthe responder may have enough strength that the partnership can likely make a game contract
2. the responder might want to raise to make it more challenging for the opponents to reach their best contract

Question 20

When a responder to a preemptive opening wants to bid a new suit what should the responder know?

Answer 20

responder will have a good 6 card or longer suit

if the new suit bid is below game, it is forcing even in competition. opener must bid again.

responder can make a signoff bid in another suit by bidding game in another suit

Question 21

What are the requirements for a weak 2 level preemptive opening bid?

Answer 21

2D, 2H, 2S

• 6 card suit - usually 2 of top 3 or 3 of top 5 cards in the suit
• 5 - 11 HCP - less than the values for an opening bid at the one level

Question 22

What is the special meaning of a 2 NT response to an opening 2 level preemptive opening bid (a weak 2 bid)

Answer 22

it has a conventional meaning

it is used only when responder can imagine a game if opener has a ‘good’ weak 2 bid

with a minimum weak 2 bid of about 5-8 points opener simply rebids at the 3 level

with more than a minimum, opener can bid a new suit to show a feature in that suit (an ace or king), or bid 3 NT with a solid suit but no outside feature

Question 23

what are the requirements for a 3 level preemptive opening

Answer 23

a good 7 card suit

less than the values for an opening bid at the one level

Question 24

What should you consider when responding to a preempive opening?

Answer 24

focus on trick taking potential of the combined hands instead of the HCPs

pass with no fit for opener’s suit and little prospect of making game contract

Question 25

What are responder’s action after an overcall?

Answer 25

• Make the same that would have been made without the overcall, if that is possible
• Make a suitable alternative response if the overcall has impacted responder’s original choice
• Use the new options available after the overcall

1. make a preemptive jump raise of opener’s suit with 4 card or longer support and a weak hand (6 - 9 points) 4 card support jump to 3 level; 5 car support jump to game level
2. Use the cue bid to show support for opener’s suit (3 cards or more) and at least invitational strength (11+).
3. Use the negative double to show support (4 card) for the 2 unbid suits and enough strength to compete (at 1 or 2 level 6+ points; 3 level 9+ points; 4 level 11+ points)
4. Change suits with 5+ cards and 11+ HCP

Question 26

What are responder’s actions after a takeout double?

Answer 26

• Redouble with 10 or more HCPs
• make a preemptive jump raise of opener’s suit with 4 card or longer support and a weak hand (fewer than 10 points, if he had 10 or more points he would have redoubled)
• Bid a new suit at the 2 level with fewer than 10 points. A new suit response at the 2 level is not forcing after a takeout double.

Question 27

When is a double for penalty?

Answer 27

• a double of an opponent’s opening 1 NT or 2 NT bid
• a double at the game level or higher

Question 28

What is Michaels Cuebid?

Answer 28

1. Over an opponent’s minor opening, a cuebid shows both majors. For example, 1♣ – 2♣ shows hearts and spades.
2. Over an opponent’s major opening, a cuebid shows the other major and a minor suit (at least 5 cards). For example, 1♠ – 2♠ shows hearts and either clubs or diamonds. Partner can make a 2NT relay bid to request partner to bid his minor suit.

With less than eight points, Michaels is not recommended - the chances of winning the auction are small and gives the opponents too much information. Bidders expecting to make or sacrifice can use basic Michaels at all point ranges with eight or more.

Question 30

how high do you play negative doubles?

Answer 30

through 4 H

Question 31

what determines minimum strength responder needs to make a negative double?

Answer 31

it depends on the level that the opener will be forced to bid. 6 pts at 1 or 2 level; 9 pts. at 3 level; 11 pts. at 4 level

Question 32

what is the right distribution for a negative double?

Answer 32

ideally responder has at least 4 cards in each unbid suit

Question 33

for negative doubles are there exceptions to having at least 4 cards in each unbid suit?

Answer 33

responder can usually get away without support for an unbid minor, it is dangerous to mislead opener about major suit length

Question 34

using negative doubles, what should you bid with 4 Spades and what with 5 or more Spades?

Answer 34

with 4 Spades bid double (negative) and with 5 or more Spades bid 1S

Question 35

what are the 2 situations which you should consider raising the preemptive bidder’s suit to game.

Answer 35

1. when partnership is likely to be able to make a game contract
2. when you have support for opener’s suit but have a weak hand and it is likely the opponents can make at least a game contract

Question 36

What should you consider when responding to a preempive opening bid when you are unsure how high and where the partnership belongs?

Answer 36

• bid a new suit (forcing) to see if opener can support
• bid 2NT after a weak 2 bid to ask for more information

Question 37

When partner opens 1 of a suit and the player on the right of the responder overcalls, the overcall has taken away some of our bidding room, but we have 3 new options. What are they?

Answer 37

1. passing with 6 or more points
2. cuebidding the opponent’s suit
3. doubling (negative)

Question 38

why would we pass with 6 or more points after right hand opponent overcalled

Answer 38

partner is going to get another opportunity to bid even if we pass.

Question 39

what does a responder’s cuebid show?

Answer 39

shows a fit for opener’s suit and invitational (10+) or better values. A cubid replaces the limit raise

Question 40

what is the impact of the cuebid?

Answer 40

After an opponent’s overcall, a jump raise of opener’s suit is weak (preemptive) and a bid of 2NT is natural and invitational (10-12 pts)

Question 41

how do you advance a simple overcall?

Answer 41

1. single raise - similar to responder - 3 card or longer support and 6-9 points
2. preemptive jump raise - fewer than 10 points when partner overcalls at the 1 level - jump to 3 level with 4 card support; jump to 4 level with 5 card support
3. a cuebid is forcing for 1 round - 3 card or longer support and 10 or more points
4. a new suit is non-forcing (invitational)

Question 42

when you are bidding preemptively, what is considered a good suit?

Answer 42

2 of top 3 cards or 3 of top 5 cards

Question 43

when responding to a two-level preemptive opening, how many quick tricks do you expect opener to have? For a three-level preemptive opening?

Answer 43

5 fot two - 6 for 3

Question 44

when responding to a 3 level preemptive bid, what do you need to change suits?

Answer 44

a good 6 card or longer suit