Continuing on our bidding saga using the 2/1 system, enter the world of competitive bidding.  Yes, mother told us that Bridge bidding and play would not always be easy.  Sure enough, after partner opens 1 Heart and our Right Hand Opponent overcalls 1 Spade, our hopes of using the 2/1 system has vanished!  So our 2 level bid in a new suit is no longer game forcing.  Ditto with our 1 Notrump response, suddenly changing from a forcing call to simply showing 8-10ish points, “to play” and a few stoppers in nasty RHOs suit – drat.

And should RHO make a takeout double call, like the Standard American bidding system, enter a NEW set of calls to deal with interference.  As with other systems, a redouble shows 10+ points and implies no fit, a new lower suit bid at the 2 level is “to play” (non-forcing).  And now a 2 Notrump response becomes an artificial bid showing 3+ card trump suit (4+ for some) and invitational+ values.  Wow, so much for our beloved 2/1 system in competition!

But wait, there’s more… When the opponents compete and we do not have a fit, we need methods to explore 3 Notrump contracts with stoppers, right?  And we also need methods to efficiently explore slam auctions when the opponents compete (cuebids).  And of course we will need efficient methods to explore major suit slams with 5+4 suit fits and no competition, i.e., the Jacoby 2 Notrump convention.

So with almost 100 minutes of instructional video material, you won’t want to miss this lesson and consider our BridgeHands recommendations.  Of course, bidding is only half the game and we will have lots to ponder when it comes to declarer and defender play.  So whether you play the 2/1 system or not, over the course of 12 hands as always you will definitely get your money’s worth.  And as always, we have a plethora of  additional Bridge hands here at BridgeHands – we welcome you to view our online archive with hundreds of hours of Bridge videos are always available here:

“Index to Videos” on the navigation above or simply click this link.

All audiences – Part 1, lesson and 2 hands – 27 minutes

Free, Premium an ULTRA audiences – Part 1b, Bid and play 2 hands – 15 minutes

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 2, 2/1 competition – 35 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – Part 3, 2/1 with more competition – 31 minute video

Premium and ULTRA Members – download PowerPoint slides

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Happy Trails,

BridgeHands