Blum on Bridge Combatting Interference with Lebensohl
	All too often, after you make a perfectly normal opening bid, the defenders have the gall to interfere by making a call that completely disrupts communication between you and your partner. Although in the past murder has been committed at the bridge table, it remains not legal under the law. However, there are more subtle means to combat these nuisances by our devilish opponents. One of those is the subject of today's column. It is called "Lebensohl," a convention to combat interference over our side opening no-trump. Although there are several conventional bids available to the opposition over 1NT, we will confine our discussion to auctions where 2 spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs mean what they say, that that is the suit where their strength is concentrated. Let us be clear on another point. The Lebensohl convention is only put into use when the opposition bids a major suit. If partner opens 1NT and rho bids 2-clubs, all systems are on because the 2-club bid does little to impede the auction. If you play 2-diamonds, hearts or spades are drop-dead bids, there is no need to change your system. If you play them as transfers, continue to do so over 2-clubs. There is only one small adjustment. For you who use Stayman, double 2-clubs to announce you would have bid 2-clubs asking for the majors had it been available. Should rho bid 2-diamonds over partner's 1NT, transfers are off and all bids are natural. Once again double 2-diamonds to ask partner to bid his 4-card major if he has one. (For experts only, bids at the 3-level can be used as transfers). Now that we've raked the leaves, let's mow the lawn. When the nasties bid 2-hearts or 2-spades over pard's INT, problems occur. How do we show drop-dead bids? If we cue bid the opponent's suit - that is, bid it at the 3-level - how will partner know whether or not we have a stopper in the opponent's suit? If we bid 2 or 3NT, are we telling partner we have a stopper in the opponent's major suit? All of the above situations can be solved rather easily, but you do have to do a little memorizing. To begin, I want you to memorize two words, "direct denies," Once again, "direct denies." This means that any suit bid made over the opponent's major suit overcall denies you hold a stopper in his suit. For example, 1 NT-2spades (rho)-3 of any suit by us denies holding a stopper in spades. In addition, all of the 3-level bids are forcing. A 3-spade cue bid is Stayman showing four hearts, but denies a stopper in spades. Here comes the fun part. 1NT-2 spades or hearts (rho)-2NT by us is not invitational. Only over MAJOR suit interference it becomes a relay commanding partner to bid 3 clubs. He must bid 3 clubs because our next bid can now fully describe our hand. If we hold 42-753-82-QJ10654, we can pass. This is our substitute for the drop-dead bid. Switch clubs and diamonds and we bid 3-diamonds, which partner must pass. If the enemy overcall is 2-spades in the example, switch clubs and hearts and partner must pass our 3-heart bid. We can show a stopper in the enemy suit in two instances. When bidding Stayman, if we go through the 2NT relay and then cue bid their suit it announces a stopper. For example 1NT-2 spades (rho)-2NT (us)-3 clubs (partner)-3 spades (us) shows a spade stopper and four hearts whereas the auction 1NT-2 spades-3 spades denies a stopper because the 3-spade cue bid was bid directly over the opponent's overcall. The second instance we can show a stopper is in the following auction. 1NT-2 spades (rho)-2NT (relay by us)-3 clubs (partner must bid)-3NT (us). Whereas had the auction proceeded 1NT-2 spades-3NT, our 3NT bid denies a stopper as it was bid directly not going through the 2NT relay. Last, but not least, a DOUBLE of the opponent's major suit overcall replaces 2NT as an invitation for the 1NT bidder to bid 3NT. Should the opener have a minimum, he simply bids 2NT to sign-off. Folks, please read and re-read and memorize the above. Not only does Lebensohl make a great deal of sense, once you have been confronted with this extremely common situation, but it is one of the few bids in the game of bridge where you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.