Andrew:

Tip: DO pass if you can’t make your planned rebid

Say you open 1 ♣ holding:

♠ 10 8 6
♥ A Q 3
♦ A J 6
♣ A Q 9 7

With a balanced 17-point hand, your planned rebid is a jump in notrumps over partner’s new suit response. Say he bids 1 ♠. You are just about to bid 2 NT when right-hand opponent steps in with a bid of 2 ♦. No big deal – you can go ahead and make your planned rebid: 2 NT.

Now cut to another scenario. This time you hold:

♠ 10 8 6
♥ A 5 3
♦ A J 6
♣ A Q 9 7

With this balanced 15-point hand you open 1 ♣ and plan to rebid notrumps at the lowest level over partner’s new suit response. Partner responds 1 ♠ and you are just about to rebid 1 NT when right-hand opponent steps in with 2 ♦.

If I was given one pound for every player who thinks it is correct to bid 2 NT at this point I would be... [think of amusing analogy conveying wealth]. It is not – for a bid of 2 NT – being a jump over partner’s response – shows 17-18 points, just as it would if there had been no overcall. With this 15-point hand you must grit your teeth and pass – after all partner is still there.

Play this deal - click here

North Deals
None Vul

♠	K Q 4
♥	A 4
♦	7 4
♣	A K 10 9 5 2

♠	9 2
♥	K J 9
♦	A Q J 10 5 2
♣	Q 4

N
W		E
S

♠	10 8 7 5 3
♥	10 7 6
♦	9 8
♣	J 8 3

♠	A J 6
♥	Q 8 5 3 2
♦	K 6 3
♣	7 6

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	Pass	1 ♥
2 ♦	3 ♣1	Pass	3 N2
Pass	Pass	Pass

By being a jump over partner’s 1 ♥ response, North’s 3 ♣ shows 16+ points.
Trusting his partner not to bid 3 ♣ with a hand that was planning to rebid 2 ♣, South looks at his positional diamond stopper and takes a pot at the notrump game.

3 NT by South

Lead: ♦ Q

On our 3 NT deal, West led ♦ Q. If declarer had taken his ♦ K, both opponents would be danger hands and given that he cannot establish clubs without losing the lead to one or other, he would fail. Instead declarer made the key play of letting ♦ Q win.

Now West had to decide whether or not to continue diamonds giving declarer his ♦ K, making only him the danger hand (East would now be out of diamonds) or (his actual choice) to switch suits, in which case only his partner would be the danger hand (able to lead a second diamond through ♦ K).

Declarer won ♠ 9 with ♠ J and led ♣ 6. If West had played ♣ Q, declarer would have ducked in dummy. West played ♣ 4 so declarer won ♣ K, overtook ♠ Q with ♠ A and led ♣ 7, letting West’s ♣ Q win the trick. He won ♥ 9 with ♥ A (no need for risks) cashed ♣ A felling ♣ J and followed with ♣ 10 9 5. Game made.

Note that if West had persevered with diamonds at trick two, declarer would have lost the club trick to East’s ♣ J.

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Andrew:

Tip: DO pass if you can’t make your planned rebid