Game Auctions (4) by David Bird

A: 3♥. By showing your values in hearts, you will allow partner to bid 3NT with a sound diamond stopper.

Don't be afraid that partner will think you have four hearts and will then raise them. He has shown intermediate values with his 3♣ rebid. If he had four hearts, longer clubs and intermediate values, he would have reversed into 2♥ on the previous round.

Your result so far:

A: 2♣. When you are strong enough to make two bids, you should respond in your longer suit.

If instead you mistakenly respond 1♥ and partner says 2♦, a continuation of 3♣ would not tell partner about the exact lengths in your suits.

Your result so far:

A: 2♥. Correctly, you bid your longer suit on the first round. Now you want to show your second suit.

2♥ is forcing. There is no need to jump to 3♥. Indeed, such a rebid would be a mini-splinter, agreeing diamonds and showing at most one heart.

Your result so far:

A: 3♠. West has raised clubs, to take away bidding space from your side. He has prevented you from rebidding just 2♠, showing fair spades and a weakish hand.

Your three cards in the club suit suggest that partner will be short there. He may have some spade support. You should not be afraid of bidding 3♠. That's better than letting the opponents buy the contract in a club fit.

Partner will not put you with a strong hand because you were unable to bid 2♠ in the first place. If you do go down in 3♠, the opponents would often have made 3♣.

Your result so far:

A: 3♠. You have a minimum hand, but it will give partner a better picture of it to raise to 3♠ rather than to pass. Partner will allow for the fact that East's bid may have pushed you up a level.

The general rule in such situations is that you allow yourself to be pushed up one level, but not two levels.

Your result so far:

A: 2♣. Your partner has opened 1♠ in the third seat. He may have a normal 1♠ opening, or he may have opened light, to make life awkward for East. You are not strong enough to bid 3♠.

You could bid 2♠, but a more descriptive response is a Drury 2♣. This shows spade support and a maximum passed hand. When you have this bid in your armory, you can avoid going down in 3♠ when partner has opened light in the third seat.

Your result so far: