[andych]

Playing strong NT, what is your preferred methods handling opps 2 level interferance?

1. Penalty X
2. Stolen bid
3. Negative X
4. Leb

Mixture of above?

[whereagles]

1. Overcall is 2♣: system on with X = '2♣ was my bid'.
2. Overcall is 2x, natural: Lebenshol over x.
3. Overcall is 2♦, multi: as if opps had opened with multi; X = cards/pen.
4. Overcall is 2x, 2-suiter with anchor suit(s): Lebenshol over the anchor suit(s).
5. Overcall is 2x, 2-suiter with no anchor suit: X = cards/pen, other bids Lebensholish.
6. Overcall is 2x, 3-suiter: X = cards/pen, other bids Lebensholish.

Note 1: bidding a suit that overcaller has shown is only artificial (cue) if overcaller has shown 5+ in that suit. With a 4 card we might still want to play in that suit, especially if it's a major.

Note 2: double = take-out unless otherwise specified.

[mikeh]

Depends on what their bids mean, but if their bids are natural: either showing the suit bid or that suit and another (whether identified or not):

Over 2♣: double is stayman and otherwise system on: if I am playing 2-way stayman, then we can essentially ignore the overcall. If we are playing transfers, we lose the ability to bid a natural non-forcing 2♦, but we did not have that available to us had they passed, so it is not big loss (usually)

I used to play (and still do in some partnerships) lebensohl, but there are better methods available, of which probably the simplest is rubensohl.

Rubensohl uses transfers starting with 2N (3♠ is the last transfer: it is a transfer to 3N, with a stopper, while 3N denies a stopper.. you can reverse these at little cost.

Rubensohl allows for the efficient bidding of 2-suiters, especially good hands with a long minor and a 4 card major. Also, the transfer into their suit is stayman, with or without a stopper, and opener accepts with no stopper, regardless of his major holdings, and otherwise bids a 4 card major with a stopper or 3N with no major and a stopper. After the acceptance of the transfer, denying a stopper, responder can bid his cheapest major or 3N.

[awm]

I like a combination of rubensohl and negative doubles. The version of rubensohl I play is slightly different than what Mikeh described, in that we don't need a bid for "stayman" since the negative double is available. So I use transfer into the opponents suit as a stopper ask with the ability to show half stoppers by accepting the transfer.

[andych]

THANKS for reply.
May I have some more details description of rubensohl?

[Cascade]

I play natural non-forcing new suits

1. Any new suit is not forcing

2. Natural Invitation

3. Cue-bid asks for a stopper

4. Jump new suit (3-level) is natural and forcing (slammish or very distributional)

5. Jump to game is to play

6. Jump to 4minor is "leaping michaels"

7. Double is takeout of natural one or two-suited bids

8. Double is values over artificial bids (around invitational or better). After this double our next double is takeout. The first double basically encourages the NT opener to compete.

[Sigi_BC84]

Question to those playing (2♣)-X as stayman: what if 2♣ showed both majors? Do you still show/ask for majors or is X something else then?

To Andy: I think Mike's explanation of Rubensohl was quite comprehensive already. You can google the web for more. Here's an article by Marc Smith about Rubensohl that is quite good (the suit symbols come out wrong but you'll figure this out). You should also keyword search these forums here for Rubensohl, I'm sure there will be some threads going into quite some detail.

--Sigi

[Free]

Depends on what the opponent's bids mean:

2♣ natural: stolen bid
2♣ showing both M: Dbl/2♦ shows m < inv, 2M asks stop inv+, 2NT inv, 3m inv, 3M nat GF
2♦ natural: Dbl takeout, 2M nat NF, Lebensohl + Rubensohl
2♦ multi: Dbl 44+M, 2M nat NF, Lebensohl + Rubensohl with weak trf, pass followed by 2NT+ nat inv
2♥ natural: Dbl penalty, 2♠ nat NF, Lebensohl + Rubensohl
2♠ natural: Dbl penalty, Lebensohl + Rubensohl

DONT or similar is considered natural. Nobody plays capp over here, so we haven't included defenses for these yet...

We use a combination of Lebensohl and Rubensohl to be able to show inv and GF hands. Using takeout doubles would probably work better, but at the moment we don't want to change a lot of our agreements due to memory load.

[Gerben42]

2♣ interference: System on unless 2♣ showed both majors, then system off, 2M shows stoppers, Dbl = I want to double at least one major.

2♦ interference: Dbl for Stayman / negative, system off, Transfer Lebensohl

2M interference: Negative Dbl, Transfer Lebensohl

Transfer Lebensohl works like this:

2NT is Lebensohl
3♣ transfer to ♦
etc.
Transfer to opps suit asks for stopper and/or 4-card other major.