'The most interesting questions from visitors to the Dutch sister site (Bridgevaria.nl)'. 

Dear Peter and Ed,

Partner East opens 1♠. South overcalls 2♥.
I have only 5 points: ♠Q10987x ♥Kxx. I bid 2♠. Wrong, according to my partner.

What is your opinion?

Kind regards,
P. Vermunt

Answer Ed Hoogenkamp (South)

Dear P. Vermunt,

I am very curious why your partner didn't approve of your bid. Did he think your bidding was too low or too high?

The ♥K is favourably placed behind the heart overcaller and since you have as much as five-card support for partner's major (!) suit, it is 100% certain that you should raise his spade suit. The only question is: to what level? A pity you haven't sent in your entire hand. If your distribution in the minors was 3-3, you have limited ruffing value and you'll probably do best by bidding a quiet 2♠, as you did.

If, however, your distribution in the minor suits was 4-2 or even 5-1, then there are more options open. Not vulnerable against vulnerable I would certainly consider jumping to 4♠ — provided you play a natural system. Practically all top pairs play 3♠ here as a weak, pre-emptive rise. They show an invitational strength hand with spade support by bidding 3♥, the opponents' suit. If you have agreed upon this with your partner, I would use such a 3♠ bid.

Let's see what Peter advises. I think he'll pass, as usual. In Norway they prefer to raise partner's suit without a fit.

Regards from Barcelona

Answer Peter van der Linden (North)

Dear P. Vermunt,

Rarely Ed has given me such a chance before an open goal.
Let's recapitulate first. This is your West hand:

- Ed counts five spades in your hand, whereas I'm counting six.
- Furthermore he talks about 3-3, 4-2 or even 5-1 in the minor suits. He goes on with: '...If your distribution in the minors was 3-3, you have limited ruffing value ...' Well, yes: even under the assumption that you have only five spades, that amounts — with 3-3 in the minors — to 14 cards. Not unexpected then, this lack of ruffing value...

Seriously: whether your distribution in the minors is 2-2 or 3-1/1-3, you have two distributional points there. You can count your fifth and sixth spade for an extra point as well — and probably even the fourth one too, since partner almost certainly has a five-card suit. This adds up to 10 points, so your hand is worth an invitational bid: classically 3♠, in modern style 3♥ (read in Ed's reply about this cue bid).
But if you think along such lines — not that you'd really be wrong — you focus too much on points. With such a huge fit and so little honour strength, every bridge player with red blood in his veins should bid 4♠.
Such a jump to four in partner's major shows a weak hand therefore in honour points but a freakish distribution, usually with at least five-card trump support.

Regarding Ed's expectation that I would pass: let's just say it has to do with his... um... less advanced higher mathematics (read: counting).

Regards from Orkanger

Reaction Ed Hoogenkamp (South)

I cannot but bow my head... I just haven't paid enough attention. Let's look upon it from the bright side: you have also received a reply to the question of what you could have bid with five spades and 14 cards...