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In the card game
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
, CoCa or Comfy Canapé is a conventional defense against opposing 1NT openings. When playing CoCa, over a 1NT opening of the opponents, both a double as well as a 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 ...
are conventional and establish spades and hearts, respectively as anchor suits. Higher overcalls (2//) can be either natural ( single suiters), or conventional (as explained below). The convention was published in ''Bridge'' Magazine IMP.


CoCa overcalls

dbl = A) 4-card spades plus a longer suit, or B) 6-card spades 2 = A) 4-card hearts plus a longer suit, or B) 6-card hearts 2 = 4-4 majors 2 = 5-card plus minor suit 2 = 5-card plus minor suit The canapé structure of the dbl/2 CoCa bids (with a rebid in another suit denoting a longer suit) is what lends the convention its name.


Responses

Following the CoCa double, the partner of the doubler responds as follows: (1NT) - dbl - (pass) - ?? :pass = hand suitable for defense (usually denies spades) :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 examp ...
, denies 4-card spades (doubler to pass or bid longer suit) :2 = pass-or-correct bid, denies 4-card spades, hand suitable for conversion to 3 (doubler to pass or bid longer suit) :2 = pass-or-correct bid, denies 4-card spades, hand suitable for conversion to 3/ (doubler to pass or bid longer suit) :2 = spade fit Similar responses apply to a 2 overcall: (1NT) - 2 - (pass) - ?? :Pass = to play :2 = pass-or-correct bid, denies 4-card hearts (doubler to pass or bid longer suit) :2 = heart fit :2 = to play


Advantages/disadvantages

CoCa renders all unbalanced hands with a major suit biddable. Claimed advantage of CoCa over other conventional defenses to 1NT openings, is that the first CoCa bid establishes at least one major anchor suit. Obviously, this advantage can turn into a disadvantage in cases knowledge of this anchor suit helps the opponents with a key decision during play. Furthermore, for nine out of the twelve frequently occurring 5-4 two suiters, the structure of the CoCa-overcalls allows the partnership to sign-off in the longer suit at the two level. Moreover, for five of these 5-4 hands, also the 4-card is known to partner before the bidding goes beyond that suit at the two-level. As a result, the treatment minimises the chance of ending up in a Moysian (4-3) fit whilst a better (5-3) fit is available. 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 ...
, Lionel and
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" (Bil ...
, using CoCa carries the consequence of losing the penalty double over opponent's 1NT. Although this is sometimes seen as a loss, the inventor of the Lionel convention, Lionel Wright, argues that this loss turns into an advantage as it opens the possibility to defend 1NT doubled with split points between both defending partners. 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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See also

*
Canapé A canapé () is a type of hors d'oeuvre, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread (sometimes toasted) wrapped or topped with some savoury food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite. Name ...
*
List of defenses to 1NT This is a list of defensive conventions used in the game of contract bridge to compete in the bidding after the opponents have opened with a one notrump (1NT) bid. * ANTI * Aspro * Asptro, a hybrid of Astro and Aspro * Astro, Modified Astro, P ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comfy Canape Bridge conventions