Strong Raises 1 by Paul Bowyer

A: 2♥. With a minimum hand you should make a minimum raise. You have a bare 12 points and four-card Heart support, so should be content to raise partner to 2♥.

What happens next is up to North as you have accurately defined your hand with what essentially is a limit bid.

The ball is now very definitely in his court.

Your result so far:

A: 3♥. Now, by contrast with Q1, you have 15 good points and an attractive 5·4·3·1 pattern to boot.

2♥ would be an underbid with this hand – partner could well Pass and leave you hanging short of a makeable game.

3♥ invites partner to bid the Heart game if he has anything to spare for his response, although he could Pass if his response were a on a minimum hand.

Your result so far:

A: 4♥. With a near-maximum hand for a one-level opening bid you have to take the strain off partner by raising him all the way to game.

Everything seems right about this – you have the points (at least 25 between the North-South hands), a good, eight-card trump fit and you have a lovely 5·4·3·1 pattern.

Even opposite the most miserable of "courtesy" responses, game must have a play.

Your result so far:

A: 3♥. With a minimum hand (and here you have 12 points) you must make a minimum raise in Hearts.

True, this bid hoists the partnership to the three-level, but that's not so bad. Partner is known to have 10 points with at least five Hearts, so you do have a nine-card trump fit.

Being at the three-level is a bad thing if you don't have a trump fit, perfectly safe if you do.

Note that North should Pass 3♥ with a minimum 10-11 points.


Your result so far:

A: 4♥. With at least 25 points between the North-South hands and a good Heart fit you easily have enough to bid game.

Partner's 2♥ reply, remember, promises a minimum of 10 points and at least five Hearts. A 3♥ raise on these cards would put too much strain on partner, who might think you have a minimum opening bid.

Don't ask partner to do what you should be doing yourself!

Your result so far: