Lionel is a contract bridge bidding convention used in defense against an opposing 1NT openings. Using Lionel, over a 1NT opening of the opponents: :* a double is conventional and denotes spades and a lower suit (4-4 or longer), :* a 2/2

overcall In contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A ''direct'' overcall is such a bid made by the player seated immediately to the left of the opener, i.e ...

denotes hearts and the suit bid (4-4 or longer), and :* a 2/2

s is natural. Any of the overcalls denote high-card strength corresponding to 12+ (or good 11)

high card points In contract bridge, various bidding systems have been devised to enable partners to describe their hands to each other so that they may reach the optimum contract. Key to this process is that players evaluate and re-evaluate the trick-taking pote ...

. The convention is named after Lionel Wright from New Zealand who published it in the International Popular Bridge Monthly magazine of May 1993.

Responses

Following the Lionel double, the partner of the double responds as follows: (1NT) - dbl - (pass) - ?? :pass = 10+ hcp, all subsequent doubles for penalty :2 =

pass-or-correct bid In the card game bridge a pass-or-correct bid (or convertible bid), is a non-forcing bid that asks partner to pass or bid differently based on her/his holding. Pass-or-correct bids are generally used as responses to multiway bids. A typical example ...

(doubler to pass or bid second suit) :2 = Non- forcing, diamond length (typically 5+) with heart tolerance. Doubler can bid 2 with hearts as second suit and less than two diamonds. :2 = Natural, non- forcing :2 = Weak Raise :2NT = Invitational spade raise without a singleton side suit :3// = Invitational spade raise with singleton or void in bid suit :3 = preemptive raise After a minor suit Lionel overcall, the responses are straightforward. For instance: (1NT) - 2 - (pass) - ?? :Pass = to play :2 = to play :2 = weak raise :2 = to play :2NT = invitational heart raise :3 = preemptive :3 = preemptive

Advantages/disadvantages

Like using

Brozel Brozel is a contract bridge bidding convention used to intervene after an opposing one notrump (1NT) opening bid. It features the following calls: *Double – shows any single suit; advancer bids 2, after which intervenor corrects to his ac ...

CoCa Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, Al ...

DONT Don't, Dont, or DONT may refer to: Films * ''Don't'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent comedy film * ''Don't'' (1974 film), a 1974 film about the monarch butterfly * ''Don't'', a fake trailer from the film ''Grindhouse'' (2007) Songs * "Don't" (Bill ...

, using Lionel has the consequence of losing the penalty double over opponent's 1NT. Although this is often seen as a loss, Lionel Wright argued that this loss turns into an advantage as it opens the possibility to defend 1NT doubled with split points between you and your partner. As a balanced holding of the majority of points is far more likely to occur than holding the majority of points in an imbalanced way, a conventional non-penalty double over 1NT holds the potential of paying-off on many hands. Also, non-penalty doubles are more difficult to deal with than traditional business doubles.Chris Ryall's page on 1NT defenses
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References

Bridge conventions {{bridge-game-stub

Responses

Advantages/disadvantages

See also

References