Aspro convention explained

See main article: Contract bridge, Bidding system, Bridge convention and Glossary of contract bridge terms.

Aspro^[1] is a contract bridge bidding convention devised by Terence Reese as a British variant on the Astro convention^[2] to intervene over a 1NT opening bid.

Like Astro, Aspro is initiated by a 2-level overcall in a minor suit when the overcaller or intervenor^[3] holds an unbalanced hand with at least nine cards in two suits (i.e. 5 in one and 4 in the other), at least one of which is a major.

• 2 shows hearts and another suit, and

• 2 shows spades and a minor suit.

Subsequent bidding

The foregoing includes the possibility that the 2 overcaller holds both majors. Using Aspro with five spades and four or five hearts, the 2 bid is followed by 2 over partner's 2 or 2; with four spades and five hearts, one rebids 2 over partner's 2.^[2]

See also

• List of defenses to 1NT

Notes and References

1. The name is borrowed from a popular British brand of aspirin.
2. Book: Crowhurst, Eric . Acol in Competition . Pelham Books . London . 290 . 1980 . 0-7207-1273-4 .
3. In the description of competitive bidding, players are referred to as either the Opener (the first to make a), the Intervenor (the opponent who makes his side’s first bid), the Responder (partner of the Opener) or the Advancer (partner of the Intervenor).