The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-08-08

BY VIM. l.. MCKINNEY Secretary American Bridge League

A following bid is one made af- Ter an original bid has. been made by one of the opponents and is of. tea termed a defensive bid. It sh0ws one and one-half to two and one-half quick tricks.
 If your right hand opponent is the dealer and opens the bidding. you should overcall if you hold at least a biddable four card suit and ono and one-half to two and one- half quick tricks. If your suit is a good biddable five-card suit, the total quick trick requirement Of your hand need not be over one and one-half tricks. or If you are able to overcall the opponents original bid with a bid of one you can do so with four-card bidda. ble suit and one and one-half quick tricks. But if you are forced to overcall with two bid and have only a four card suit. your quick trick requirement. is two tricks.
 If partner was the dealer and passed, and then your right hand opponent opened the bidding with q suit, you must remember that your partner has denied holding two and one-half quick tricks and. therefore, You should hold at least two to two and one-half quick tricks to make an overcall. Other- wise you may get doubled and set for large penalty, Or you may force the opponents into a game going declaration. Remember that if you hold only one and one- half quick tricks and partner has passed, there cannot be over three and one-half quick tricks in your two hands and 1t Is quite probable that your opponents have game going declaration.
 When opponents. open with, q suit that you have stopped. twice and you hold two quick tricks and no biddable suit of your own. you should overcall with one no trump. While the writer advocates q no trump oyercall with definite quick trick requirements and strong in- formatory double. this will be ex- plained to you in later articles. At tEe present time we sare dealing strictly with the straight forcing system.
 In supporting partners overcall or following bid, remember that h@ may be bidding on hand great deal weaker than Is required for an OTlRIHdl Dlu. tueieioic you o''N"A' hold one more trick to support partner than Is necessary. to sup port an original bid.
 InfOrmatOry Doubles
 When your right hand opponent makes an original bid of one and your hand contains from three to three and one-half quick tricks you should make an informatorv double even though you nav hoid n biddable suit. This shows part ner a strong hand and even though the hand is trickless. he Is required to take this double out if the left hand opponent passes. However if partner can count on your in- formatory double containing three to three and one-half tricks, he. with a strong hand can pass, thereby turning the informatory double into a business double which may be the means of col lecting large penalties. s,,
 While most authorities agree that all doubles of original no trump or suit bids of one and orig inal suit bids of two are informa- tory. there is some disagreement on doubles of original suit bids of three. But if you use the high tr1ck iTequlrefHent aS outIue' above. partner can easily use his own judgment on doubles of three.
 All doubles or two no trump are business doubles. #.rS..
 Partner shall respond to infor- matory doubles as follows: r'ttr
 Holding one stopper In the suit doubled and at least one quick trick and no biddable suit. the cor rect response is one no trump.
 Holding no stopper in the suit doubled and no biddable four-card major suit. the hest suit in the hand must be bid.
 With two quick tricks and q major suit, containing atSieast king jack 2 jump bid should be made to show partner that your hand does contain some hiRh card. tricks. While this Jump. bid Is not forcing bid on partner. It does show him definite high card tricks in your hand. and he may either show his suit or support yours. 4
 Holding three quick tricks or better and good biddable five card major suit. you may jump to . gaAne-going declaration.