Chilli: simple universal bridge bidding: disturbed shunts

In a disturbed auction where the bidding is below 2NT, all three-level suit bids are shunts – two-step transfers showing an invitational-plus hand. 3 transfers to hearts, 3 to spades, 3 to clubs and 3 to diamonds.

A shunt to partner's suit is a fit bid.

	West	North	East	South
			1	2
	3

Primary support for hearts; the auction continues as fit.

	West	North	East	South
			2	pass
	3

Primary support for spades; the auction continues as fit.

In response to any other type of shunt you can

over-break: bid above the anchor suit, natural/systemic and forcing to game;
complete: bid the anchor suit, the weakest option; or
under-break: bid the suit between the shunt and the anchor suit.

A shunt to a new suit shows at least five cards. In response, the under-break is a fit bid agreeing the anchor suit, while completion shows a minimum and badly fitting hand; shunter may pass this, but any other continuation is game-forcing.

	West	North	East	South
	1	2	3	pass
	3

Responder shows at least invitational values and a five-card heart suit. Opener under-breaks to agree hearts and the auction becomes fit.

	West	North	East	South
	1	2	3	pass
	3

Opener over-breaks, denying fit but forcing to game. Here the over-break is a cue bid, so initially asks for a stop for 3NT.

	West	North	East	South
	1	2	3	pass
	3	pass	4	pass

This time opener completes to show complete dislike of the whole affair. But responder is strong enough to force to game, and shows his second suit, clubs.

	West	North	East	South
	1	2	3	4
	?

The beauty of shunts: had responder been forced to make a takeout double, then opener would have been guessing at a high level with little idea about strength or distribution.

West	North	East	South
1	pass	1	pass
1	pass	2	pass
?

Here responder has disturbed our own auction, but shunts give strong opener plenty of tools to continue constructively.

A shunt to one of their suits acts like a cue bid, and is forcing to game. It can be used for several reasons: looking for a guard for 3NT, looking for a four-four fit in a major or simply having nothing better to say.

Opposite a cue shunt to a major, the under-break shows four cards in the other major; otherwise bid 3NT with a guard. Opposite a cue shunt to a minor, it's the other way round: bid 3NT with a guard; otherwise under-break to show four cards in at least one major. In both cases, with neither a guard nor a four-card major, over-break to show a five-card suit; otherwise complete to deny all other possibilities.

West	North	East	South
		1	2
3	pass	3	pass
3	pass	4	pass
5	pass	pass	pass

Responder was looking for 3NT, and was not interested when opener showed four hearts with the under-break response 3

to his cue shunt, so he repeats the cue bid. Opener can't oblige, so we scramble to a diamond game.

NEXT: disturbed high suit bids

Disturbed shunts

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