So far, when the opponents opened, you kept quiet. Good news, that's over.
Imagine the opponent opens 1♣ right before you and you have, in West:
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♣ | ? |
You can now bid 1♥, as long as you have at least 7 or 8 HCP and at least 5 cards in the suit.
This allows you to:
- find a good contract (sometimes you make 4♥)
- give your partner a good opening lead if needed
- disrupt the opponents in the sequence
The opponent to your right opens 1♦. With this hand, which natural intervention at the 1-level do you choose?
Section quizYes, disrupt them! Because across from you, your partner will be able to support based on the law of trumps. Do you remember that one? You can play safely at a level that depends on your number of trumps (so if our side goes down, we lose fewer points than they would have scored by playing a contract themselves).
This gives:
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♣ | 1♥ | …1 | |
| Possible responses — choose one line only | |||
| 2♥2 | |||
| 3♥3 | |||
| 4♥4 | |||
- North ...
- East 2♥ 3 trumps
- East 3♥ 4 trumps
- East 4♥ 5 trumps
And the points? Normal for 2♥ (6-10 HCP) but for the rest, it's really weak and to preempt, like 7 HCP maximum. And don't be afraid, look what we can do:
East's hand
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♣ | 1♥ | 1♠ | 3♥1 |
- East 3♥ !
South opens 1♦, West intervenes with 1♠, North bids 2♦. In East, you have five Spades and 4 HCP in a distributed hand. Which preemptive support describes the ten known trumps?
Section quiz| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♦ | 1♠ | 2♦ |
Here's a summary and while I'm at it, some info on the other interventions.
On the opponent's 1♥ opening, you consider 1NT. You have the strength and suitable distribution, but only two small Hearts. What is missing to choose this intervention?
Section quizIn No Trump, North has AKQ5 and South has J2. South is on lead. How to cash the four honors without using another suit?
Reactivating knowledgeNo Trump, South on lead; no outside entries.
Go ahead. Intervene properly and make sure to annoy the opponents as much as possible.