Bidding is most accurate when one partner limits their hand, making their partner the “Captain of the Auction.” The Captain of the Auction is responsible for guiding the auction to right contract. Since there are more than 635 billion bridge hands and only 7 bidding levels with 5 strains each, natural bidding isn’t sufficient. Conventions are needed to bid accurately. A bridge convention is an agreement to take a natural bid and apply a different meaning to the bid. This makes the conventional bid artificial.
Because conventions give up a natural bid and are a memory burden, it is wise to be selective about which conventions you play. Every convention you play should solve a specific problem and be easy to remember in the context of the problem they solve. Here are our recommendations about which conventions to play based on your experience level. Descriptions of these conventions are available at LoebBridge.com. Conventions for all levels of experience include:
|
Responding to a 1NT, or 2NT opening, or a 2♣ opening followed by 2NT. |
Helps find 4-4 major suit fits |
Responder’s cheapest club bid is artificial, asking for a 4-card major |
|
|
Responding to a 1NT, or 2NT opening, or a 2♣ opening followed by 2NT. |
Insufficient bidding space for responder to show a 5-card major and describe their strength. Helps right-side contracts. |
Responder’s cheapest diamond bid shows 5+ hearts. Responder’s cheapest heart bid shows 5+ spades. |
|
|
A competitive auction when you want to compete in multiple suits |
Avoid needing to overcall a 4-card suit. Allows you to compete in the unbid suits. |
A Takeout Double shows the values to compete and support for the unbid suits. |
|
|
Responding after your partner opens and your LHO overcalls. |
Helps differentiate between 4-card suits and 5+ card suits. Allows you to compete with 2 places to play. |
Responder’s Negative Double is similar to a takeout double, typically focuses on unbid majors. |
|
|
Used by Advancer after their partner doubles or overcalls and their LHO bids |
In a competitive auction, you may have the values and desire to compete, but have more than 1 place to play. |
Advancer’s Responsive Double shows the desire to compete, the values to compete, and more than one place to play. |
|
|
Used by Responder in an uncontested auction after their partner opens 1♣/♦. |
There aren’t enough natural bids available for responder to show a game forcing raise and an invitational raise. |
Responder’s raise to 2♣/♦ is forcing and shows an invitational or better raise for opener’s minor. |
|
|
Used by opener after responder bids a suit and LHO overcalls below 2 of responder’s suit |
Responder often needs to know whether opener’s raise shows 3-card or 4+ support for their suit. |
Opener’s double (or redouble) of their LHO’s bid shows exactly 3-card support for responder’s suit. |
|
|
Responder (or Advancer) wants to show an invitational or better raise for partner’s suit. |
Advancer/Responder need to be able to show a 6-10 raise, invitational or better raise, and a weak raise. |
Responder (or Advancer) bid the opponent’s suit to show an invitational or better raise. A jump raise is weak. |
|
|
Reverse Drury |
A passed hand wants to show an invitational raise for opener’s major. |
Opening light in 3rd seat is a common winning strategy. You don’t want to get too high after a light opening. |
Responder bids an artificial 2♣ as a passed hand to show an invitational raise of opener’s 3rd or 4th seat 1♥/♠ opening bid. |
|
You and your partner have agreed on a suit and you want to invite game. |
Need to learn if your partner is a maximum and where they have help for you. |
A bid of the cheapest suit is artificial, asking if partner would accept a game and where they have help. |
|
|
2NT Asking Bid over a Weak 2 |
Partner opens a Weak 2 and you have game interest. |
Responder needs to know whether the opener is a maximum and has a good suit. |
An artificial 2NT bid is used to ask if opener has a good suit and has an outside Ace or King. |
Conventions to add as you gain experience.
|
Convention |
Context |
Problem Solved |
Description |
|
Partner bids a suit and you have 4+ card support, game forcing values, and a singleton or a void. |
Can be difficult to determine whether a slam is available when you have 4+ card support and a singleton or void. |
A double jump shift is used to show 4+ card support for partner’s suit and a singleton or void in the suit bid. |
|
|
You have agreed on a suit and want to make a slam try. |
You don’t want to bid a slam when the opponents can cash 2 tricks in a side suit. |
A bid of a suit above 3 of your suit shows slam interest and 1st or 2nd round control of the suit. |
|
|
Partner opens a major and you have 4+ card support and game forcing values. |
Don’t want to jump to 4♥/♠ to show a game forcing raise of opener’s major. Need the bidding space to look for a slam. |
An artificial 2NT bid is used to show 4+ card support for opener’s major and game forcing values. |
|
|
Roman Key Card Blackwood |
You have agreed on a suit and want to check Aces. |
Don’t want to bid a slam without sufficient Aces. |
4NT asks for Aces. The King of trump is treated as an Ace. |
|
Suit agreed, no room for a game try. |
Clarify whether a bid at the 3-level is competitive or invitational. |
Use a double to invite game. |
|
|
Your RHO opens in a suit and you have a 2-suited hand with both majors or the unbid major + a minor |
You have a 2-suited hand and want to compete and show both suits. |
After your LHO opens 1♣/♦, you bid their suit to show 5+ in both majors. After your LHO opens 1♥/♠, you bid their suit to show 5+ in the other major and 5+ in a minor. |
|
|
Unusual 2NT Overcall |
Your opponents open at the 1-level and you have 5+ in the lower unbid suit. |
You have a 2-suited hand and want to compete and show both suits. |
After the opponents open at the 1-level, your 2NT bid is artificial showing 5+ in both lower suits. |
More experienced players will want to add the following conventions to help categorize their strength when there aren’t enough natural bids to clarify whether you are looking to play in a partial, invite game, force to game, or look for slam. The conventions are listed in order of their frequency. The 1st two are recommended for all.
|
Convention |
Context |
Problem Solved |
Description |
|
Opener & responder have bid 3 suits, and are not already in a game force. |
Responder’s strength isn’t clear when they bid the 4th suit. Need to categorize responder’s strength. |
Responder’s bid of the 4th suit is artificial and game forcing. Other bids are not game forcing. |
|
|
Opener & responder have bid 2 suits at the 1-level. Opener rebids 1NT. |
Insufficient bidding space for responder to categorize their strength and find the right contract. |
After opener’s rebids 1NT, responder uses an artificial 2♣ rebid to invite game, and an artificial 2♦ bid to establish a game force. |
|
|
A competitive auction where your side has bid and the opponents bid 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠. |
Not clear whether your 3-level non-jump bid is competitive or shows extra values. |
A direct bid at the 3-level shows extra values. Use an artificial 2NT bid when you want to compete somewhere. |
|
|
Lebensohl over 1NT interference |
Opener bids 1NT and your RHO overcalls 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠. |
Not enough bidding room for responder to compete and to force to game. Not clear if responder has a stopper. |
An artificial 2NT bid is used to clarify whether responder wants to force or to compete and whether responder has a stopper. |
|
Lebensohl over a Takeout Double of a Weak 2 |
Your LHO opens a Weak 2 and your partner doubles for takeout. |
Not enough bidding room for responder to differentiate weak hands from decent hands. |
An artificial 2NT bid is used with weak hands. Decent hands bid at the 3-level. |
|
Blackout over Opener’s Reverse |
Opener bids a suit & then reverses. |
Clarify whether responder’s bid is game forcing. |
Use cheapest of 4th suit or 2NT to show weakness. |
