Suction Convention

This conventional defense method is ascribed and credited to Mr. Harold Feldheim of Hamden, Connecticut, United States. The Suction conventional defense method is employed after the opponents open the auction with No Trump. The guidelines of this convention are neither involved nor complicated, but the partner must first make an assumption, and then bid as cheaply as possible to discover the actual meaning behind the overcall.

Note: The guidelines of the Suction conventional defense method is somewhat dependent on the bidding system employed and can be altered or varied to meet the requirements of the particular bidding system.

Note: Some partnerships have agreed that the distribution of the holding, when overcalling could / may be reduced to 4-4 in both Major suits regardless of the state of vulnerability, otherwise the distribution is generally 5-4, 4-5, or 5-5 depending on the state of vulnerability. This is entirely a partnership agreement in all employed variations of the concept.

The overcall of any suit shows the next-higher suit, or the other two suits. This is known as a transfer overcall since the overcaller is actually transferring his partner to the desired suit. The objective and advantage of this transfer overcall is that the No Trump bidder is then forced to lead the first card as opposed to being in third seat.

• 2 Clubs: Shows a one-suiter in Diamonds, or a two-suited holding with Spades and Hearts or both Major suits.
• 2 Diamonds: Shows a one-suiter in Hearts, or a two-suited holding with Spades and Clubs, or both Black suits.
• 2 Hearts: Shows a one-suiter in Spades, or a two-suited holding with Clubs and Diamonds, or both Minor suits.
• 2 Spades: Shows a one-suiter in Clubs, or a two-suited holding with Diamonds and Hearts, or both Red suits.
• 2 NT: Shows non-touching Rounded suits, Clubs and Hearts.
• Double: Shows non-touching Pointed suits, Diamonds and Spades.

The partner of the overcaller, or Suction bidder, assumes the next-higher suit, until the bidding auction indicates otherwise. Therefore, the advancer (partner of the intervenor) will use a relay bid, or the cheapest bid possible, as a waiting bid to find out more about the holding of the overcaller. The advantage of having the No Trump bidder being in third seat can sometimes be lost since the Suction bidder may sometimes become by default the declarer by having to correct to the intended suit.