2♥.

Your partner has rebid in a suit higher than his first suit at the two-level: this constitutes a reverse and is a strong bid showing 16+ HCP. You are forced to make a response. You have the strength for game, but cannot be sure which game, so you should make a strong bid which keeps the conversation going. Use a bid in the fourth suit: fourth suit forcing. A bid in the fourth suit is useful as an artificial bid – promising nothing in the suit bid asking partner if he has anything more to show. One of the most common uses for the bid is to find a stop in the fourth suit. Had you held strength in hearts you could have bid no-trumps yourself, instead you bid 2♥ and East bids 2NT as he has a stop, then you raise to game.

East Hand ♠ 43 ♥ A2 ♦ AK62 ♣ KQJ82

2♥ .

Your partner has rebid in a suit higher than his first suit at the two-level: this constitutes a reverse and is a strong bid showing 16+ HCP. You are forced to make a response. You have a great hand with primary club support – had clubs been a major you would have started your search for a slam in the major by now, but minors are less easy to deal with. You prefer to play in 3NT when you can make only 5♣, it is only when you have a little more strength that you will forgo the safety of 3NT. How can you show your interest in clubs, but at the same time keep the bidding low enough to allow 3NT still to be an option? Once again, the solution is to use the fourth suit forcing. Bid 2♥  and then follow up with club support: this is an important use of the fourth suit forcing convention and shows a strong supporting hand that would like to know if your partner has any interest in exploring for a slam in clubs. 1♣-1♠-2♦ -2♥ -2NT-3♣… Your partner shows a heart stop with 2NT and you rebid 3♣. East should now bid 3♦ to express interest and a few rounds of cue bidding will lead to 4NT and the partnership will settle for 6

3♥.

You opened 1♥, North overcalled 1♠ and then your respective partners supported, creating a very competitive auction. What are your ambitions on the board? With only 12 HCP and your partner suggesting just 6-9 points, you should have no aspirations towards making game. However, that does not mean you should not be bidding on because you might have aspirations for a magical -50, for going down in your contract rather than letting the opponents make theirs. A bid of 3♥  in this auction is competitive, it does not suggest game at all – it is simply an attempt to push the opponents up and make their life more difficult – your hand is ideal for this call. You can use any other bid to show a stronger hand which has aspirations for game (2NT, 3♣ or 3♦).

East Hand ♠ 875 ♥ A932 ♦ A65 ♣ 842

3♥.

South opens 1NT and it is your turn to call. A 2♥ overcall shows a near opening hand, generally with a six-card suit or better. However, a 3♥ overcall is available as a pre-emptive style bid, although it is only a single jump. The reason for this is that any strong hands would make a penalty double, so a strong jump overcall is unnecessary over a 1NT opening. Clearly your hand fits perfectly with the description of a 3♥ bid – the equivalent of a pre-emptive 3♥ opening. By jumping to 3♥ you put the pressure on your opponents – making it much more difficult for them to find the best contract.

East Hand ♠ A873 ♥ 92 ♦ A632 ♣ QJ8