People frequently get confused about whether a bid is forcing or not, particularly when the auction is competitive. Does my partner have a strong hand or do they just want to compete? There is one important rule, if you remember this, everything else will fall into place
"Responder's first bid is forcing (assuming it is a change of suit. A simple raise by responder is not forcing)."
That is one of the key times where bids are forcing, most other situations are not. Let's explore that rule
Example 1
Here you cannot pass, partner (responder) has changed suit, for the first time. Let's leave our hand as it is, but change the auction slightly to show an important contrast
Example 2
Here you may pass. Partner's bid was forcing, however now the opponents have bid. You are allowed to pass (conveying the message - "I have a minimum hand and not much to say"). The critical difference is that partner will get another bid, whereas if you compare it to the previous example, if you passed that could be the end of the bidding without giving partner another turn!
Let's look at why this rule is so useful - its about when it does NOT apply.
Example 3
Is Partner's 3♣ forcing?? Let's look back at the rule "Only responder's FIRST bid is forcing". The second one is not forcing, partner just has 8 points with 5+ clubs and wants to compete, rather than letting the opponents declare. You can confidently pass this, knowing that it is not forcing.
By adopting this rule, which is what most of the experienced partnerships around the world use, you and partner can compete a lot more without worrying about whether it is forcing or not, since there is only one main forcing bid!
Yes - you can compete also, for example
Example 4
Is your 3♦ forcing? (You only have 11 points, you don't want to force). No, it is not forcing, because ONLY responder's first bid is forcing, all other bids by both sides are what they look like - just bidding their suits.
There are some natural exceptions that are beyond the scope of this article, mainly reverses - see Reverse Bids in Bridge: Showing Extra Strength.
What do I do if I want to force the bidding?
Lets end on an example, say you are responder and you want to force the bidding.
Example 5
Are you about to bid 2♦, your second suit? That will likely be followed by 3 passes, which you do not want since you have 14 points opposite an opening hand. You know what you CANNOT bid (2♦, because its not forcing), so you have to find a different bid. The two common bids you make when you want to force are
- Bid the opponents suit. Here that would be 3♣ - game forcing to partner, they can describe their hand further (make sure you have a club stopper etc).
- Double (for takeout) - forces partner to bid and then you can keep going from there.
Main takeaway: You know that you can't simply bid 2♦, because it is not forcing, "Only responder's first bid is forcing" (not their second change of suit).
Read next: Bidding No Trump - Show a stopper · 2 over 1: Game forcing · Reverse Bids in Bridge: Showing Extra Strength