EW Vul E Dealer	♠ A J 5 4 ♥ A J 8 ♦ Q 3 ♣ J 9 8 3
♠ 9 7 2 ♥ 10 9 5 ♦ J 8 7 5 4 ♣ 10 7		♠ K 10 8 6 ♥ K 7 3 ♦ 2 ♣ A K Q 5 4
	♠ Q 3 ♥ Q 6 4 2 ♦ A K 10 9 6 ♣ 6 2

What is the correct bid as North?

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil,

I would bid 1♠ as North. This should show 4+♠ and forcing for 1 round, even though its a response to an overcall, it is a bit similar to responding to an opening bid. Over 1♠, no doubt South has a slight problem since 2♥ rebid is a bit of an overbid (similar to a reverse), so I think South would rebid 2♦ which shouldn’t guarantee 6+♦ as South was forced to bid (let’s assume East passes).

Over 2♦, North can now rebid 2NT (tends to show 12-13 since South’s 2♦ rebid doesn’t show a great hand for the overcall), and South has a medium hand and should probably decline the invite (but if South has 13 points, he will then raise to 3NT).

Kind regards
Andy