Did ye know?

That you should not ask about a bid by an opponent during the auction unless your subsequent bid is dependent upon its meaning.

More importantly, if your subsequent bid is pass then you must be very careful to not pass unauthorised information to your partner (for example that you hold cards in a particular suit) e.g. an enquiry about an opposition 2C response to 1NT which is explained as Stayman, to which you then pass, strongly suggests that you have a club suit, regardless of whether this is intentional or not.

For this reason you should always ascertain the main points about the opposition bidding system BEFORE you start play, such as opening 1NT strength and 1C openings.

The best time to ask questions about opposition bidding is at the end of the auction when it is your turn to lead, or when partner has selected his/her lead, or if you are declarer, once the defenders have completed asking their questions.

Never ask questions just for the sake of it and don't badger an opponent into giving an answer, simply because you don't like the first response !