[bravejason]

LHO deals and opens 1 club. Partner overalls with 1 spade. RHO passes. Holding 4 spades and opening points, what do I bid to describe my hand? I ask because on BBO in solitaire bridge, all jumps in spades in this auction show 5+ spades. A cue bid shows a few as 10 points, which I interpret to mean that a cue bid is a limit raise. Bids of NT showed 2 or fewer spades. So I was at a loss to find a bid that showed opening points plus support. All I could think of to do was bid 4 spades.

In general, how do you show opening points plus support in a competitive auction?

[1eyedjack]

Normally start with a cue of oppo suit.

As you observe, this does not promise a GF, but neither does it deny. You say it shows "as few as 10 points", but as the bid is forcing there is no upper limit. You can then bid 4S next time.

I am surprised that "all jumps in Spades show 5+ spades", mind.

[Stephen Tu]

bravejason, on 2015-August-01, 11:39, said:

LHO deals and opens 1 club. Partner overalls with 1 spade. RHO passes. Holding 4 spades and opening points, what do I bid to describe my hand? I ask because on BBO in solitaire bridge, all jumps in spades in this auction show 5+ spades. A cue bid shows a few as 10 points, which I interpret to mean that a cue bid is a limit raise. Bids of NT showed 2 or fewer spades. So I was at a loss to find a bid that showed opening points plus support. All I could think of to do was bid 4 spades.

In general, how do you show opening points plus support in a competitive auction?

Start with cue bid. Force to game if partner does something encouraging. Maybe bid more if partner bids only a minimum 2♠, but you probably don't want to force to game with just a minimum "opening points" raise, because partner's minimum hand for overcalling, the way most players play, is considerably weaker than their minimum hand for opening the bidding, could be on 7/8 HCP instead of 11/12. People overcall lighter than they open because there is considerable value in getting your side's suit in very often; you compete for the partscore more effectively and more safely, can jam the opp's auction, direct a lead, etc. It makes judging game for your side harder, but priorities change when one opponent has already shown opening strength.

[rmnka447]

Agree with the previous posts that a 2 ♣ cue is your first action. Depending on your agreements it shows AT LEAST 10+ points and can be unlimited.

The onus now falls on partner to define the nature of the overcall. A simply rebid of ♠s usually denotes less than opening values. Any other bid shows an opening hand. Once partner has defined the approximate overcall strength, you can bid game, invite game or make some other forcing bid.

Let's say that partner rebids 2 ♠ (denoting less than an opener). If you hold a pretty solid opener with ♠s, you can invite partner with a 3 ♠ raise. If partner has made the overcall on a good 10-11, partner can accept. With a lighter overcall, partner can pass. If you just bearly have an opener -- something like ♠ Axxx ♥ xxx ♦ AQJx ♣ xx, you can pass and bid 3 ♠ (because of the known 9 card fit) if the opponents compete further.

If partner shows an opener by bidding something besides 2 ♠, you can rise to game or make some other forcing bid. In this auction, the only non forcing rebid by you would be a minimum rebid in ♠s. That would show the 10-11 limit raise in ♠s. Otherwise, with opener opposite opener, you should be in a game force situation.

[echo25]

Unless you play Drury, bid opponent's suit/splinter/2NT(?).

[1eyedjack]

echo25, on 2015-August-02, 01:44, said:

Unless you play Drury, bid opponent's suit/splinter/2NT(?).

You score 1.5 out of 4

bravejason, on 2015-August-01, 11:39, said:

LHO deals and opens 1 club. Partner overalls with 1 spade. RHO passes.

Drury does not apply here. Score zero

2NT would be natural and deny a good major fit. Score zero

Splinter may be a possibility. Score 0.5.

Cue bid. yup. Score 1. (Charitably, no deduction for repetition.)

[Trump Echo]

There are so many different ways to attack this. I think a conversation with your regular partner regarding this situation is a good idea.

Some people play that a cue bid is forcing to game, some play it's invitational. Clear that up with your partner.

The problem with a cue bid, even if it's forcing to game, is you can't be sure your partner's overcall is showing an opening hand.

Personally, with a superfit and a better than game-going hand, I'd jump to 4 Spades and hope for the best.

Talk to your partner.

[1eyedjack]

Learning the game is certainly made easier if you understand the reason behind the advice. Applies to all walks of life, not just Bridge.

There are three problems that you need to recognise:
1) The range of the overcall is very wide. Although not identical to the range of an opening bid the breadth of the range is very similar. At the top end of a 1-suit opener strength, you may favour a double rather than overcall, but at the bottom end you can overcall (at the 1 level at least) on somewhat less than a minimum 1-suit opening bid. Partnerships differ on the absolute upper strength, but a lot of strong partnerships would still overcall 1M with say 17 HCP if the hand does not otherwise look right for double.
2) With an adequate trump fit, the range for raising is also very wide. With 5 card support you need virtually nothing in order to justify a pre-emptive raise to 4M, assured of a 10 card trump fit, purely as a pre-emptive measure. You don't expect to make (although you may make if partner is top end), but the sacrifice will be profitable.
3) It being a 4-handed game, the opponents cannot be relied upon to shut up. If they do not shut up, then as a partnership you will need to decide whether to defend or declare, and whether to defend doubled. That decision can only be made on an informed basis if at least one of your side has partner's hand down to a slightly narrower limit (both in values and size of fit) than the maximum range expressed in 1 and 2 above. Even if they do shut up, you could well be in the slam zone if both hands are top whack in context.

For this reason, direct raises tend to be pre-emptive, and the size of the jump raise tends to just increase the size of the promised fit, in a hand that is otherwise very similar in strength. Then raises via the cue bid show high card raises with an expectation of making, at the level indicated by advancer's follow-up raise. But as mentioned earlier, the values required to GF need to be adjusted to account for the reduced lower limit for the overcall. Overcaller's response to the cue bid will to some extent clarify the overcall range.

[iandayre]

Trump Echo, on 2015-August-03, 05:10, said:

There are so many different ways to attack this. I think a conversation with your regular partner regarding this situation is a good idea.

Some people play that a cue bid is forcing to game, some play it's invitational. Clear that up with your partner.

The problem with a cue bid, even if it's forcing to game, is you can't be sure your partner's overcall is showing an opening hand.

Personally, with a superfit and a better than game-going hand, I'd jump to 4 Spades and hope for the best.

Talk to your partner.

Nonsense. A cue bid advance to partner's overcall hasn't been a GF for 50 years, if it was then. If you are sure you want to be in game opposite a minimum overcall, just bid it. If you are inviting, cue bid, then decide whether to raise to 3 if partner makes the minimum rebid of 2 of the suit.