1club-enemy-compete

Competitive Auctions After We Open 1Club

Immediately over 1

1 double

Responder's first call	Meaning
Pass	0-6 HCP
Redbl	Balanced hand of 7-12 HCP or 15+
1	7+ HCP 5+ game force. In other words what a 2 bid would have been if the double had not occurred.
1N	Balanced hand of 13-14 HCP
1/2	As if no double, no matter what the opponents say that the double means
1	Natural game forcing
2	Not defined (with a positive in s, the first response is 1)
2/2	Natural and weak
2N	Not defined
3 through 4	Not changed

The development is similar to the auctions that would have occurred without the double. The 1N rebid over 1 (remember this is a positive now) 1 and 1 bids asks for controls. Step 1 is 0-2 step 2 is 3 and so on. The 1N bid over the redouble shows 17-20 HCP just as it would over the 1Spade response in an uncontested auction and the development is the same as 1Club - P - 1Spade would have been.

1 1//

The idea here is that responder makes a major suit bid at the level of one if he would have with no overcall. If he cannot, then responder shows his control strength and in the case of ~~3 or 4~~ 2 or 3 controls, shows whether he has a stopper in the suit actually bid by the opponent. By the way, it has been our experience that opponents frequently deviate from – or forget– their announced agreements regarding their defense to a strong Club. As a result we treat all bids at the 1 level as showng the suit actually bid (as opposed to the suit theoretically shown).

A bid of 1/1 shows 5+ cards in the suit and is a game force. Responder neither promises nor denies a specific number of controls.
A bid of 1N is artificial showing ~~3 or 4~~ 2 or 3 controls and a (No Trump) stopper. The responder denies having a 5 card major he could bid at the one level. The auction develops with no asking bids.
A double shows 6+ HCP, ~~fewer than 3 controls~~ might have as many as 3 controls, denies holding a major suit of 5+ cards that could be bid at the one level and is forcing to game (unless opener rebids 1N in which case the auction can end at 2N).
2 shows ~~3 or 4~~ 2 or 3 controls and denies a (No Trump) stopper. 2 shows 5 4 controls and 2N shows 6 5 or more controls. The auction is forcing to game and develops with no asking bids. These bids deny having a 5 card major, showing the major has a priority over showing controls.
Jump bids of 2 and 2 are natural and weak (just as a jump to 2/2 would have been without the intervention). A 2 or 2 bid that is not a jump is natural and game forcing (even if it happens to be a “cue” bid).
A 3 or 3 bid which is a “cue” bid is to be taken as a natural bid. Do not depend upon the opponents to know what they are doing!

1 1N

This is rarely a serious effort to play the hand in 1N. We respond as follows:

Pass	negative
dbl	6+ HCP, ~~fewer than~~ could have as many as 3 controls
2	~~3 or 4~~ 2 or 3 controls with enough Queens and Jacks to force to game, no 5 card M
2	54 controls, no 5 card M
2/2	natural and ~~weak~~forcing (can have any number of controls)
2N	6+5⁺ controls
3/3	natural and weak
<html><span style=color:blue>If 1N bidder retreats into a suit after responder's double:</span></html>
pass	nothing more to say
dbl	penalties
new suit	natural, forcing

1 2 suit

pass	nothing to say
dbl	shows no long suit, expecting openers to take out
2N	artificial, 3-4 controls
cue	5+ controls
new suit	natural, forcing and does not deny 3 or more controls

1 2N or higher

pass	nothing to say
dbl	7+ HCP optional
new suit	natural forcing

After 1 P 1 ?

If they bid a suit at the one level, pass by opener shows a minimum balanced hand. 1N shows 19-20 balanced and 2N shows 21-22 balanced. Double is a three suit takeout of the overcalled suit and a “cue” bid is natural. If the overcall is artificial (e.g. CRASH), then all bids remain the same.

If they bid a suit at the two level, pass is usually a balanced hand.

When opener passes (the one or two level overcall), then a reopening double by responder is an “action” double, showing values.

One final note: If we open 1, the opponents are not allowed to play in game unless that contract is doubled. This results in some forcing pass auctions.

<html><a name=c-enemy-positive> <strong>Interference after a positive response</strong></a></html>

In general, the Alpha and control asking bids are unaffected by opponents interference as long as the suit bid as an ask in the case of Alpha or 1N in the case of a control ask is at a level no higher than it would have been if responder had made the most space consuming response. And if there is interference after an asking bid, then responder give a normal response using D0P1 as the first two steps. If more than two steps are used by the interference between the Alpha or control ask, then the asking bid is “called off”. Examples:

1	P	1	2
?

Pass	minimum balanced hand
X	natural (penalty)
2	is Alpha ask
2	is Alpha ask
2N	is natural (showing extra values since pass is available to show a balanced hand too)
3	is Alpha ask (because it would have been if responder had bid 2).

1	1	1	P
?

All bids are the same as they would have been had there been no interference except that now 1N is a control ask. Gamma asking bid is on here because apparently the opponents are not going to bounce the auction.

Interference after opener bids expecting Gamma response

D0P1 applies as long as the enemy takes up no more than 2 steps. If 3 steps or more, then gamma is cancelled. Agreed — John Kinn 2017/05/18 15:40

1	P	1	X
2	2	?
<html><span style=color:blue>D0P1 responses apply:</span></html>
Double	Minimum hand with a misfit (i.e. < 4 controls and < 3 to an honor and <xxxx)
Pass	Maximum hand (i.e. second step) with a misfit
2N	Minimum hand with a fit
etc.

We will not use Gamma asking bids when there is interference between responder's natural suit positive and opener's second bid. The rationale is that this is the situation where “bouncing” is most likely to occur. So it is more important to show the fit and forego the Gamma ask.