View source for Negative free bid

{{Technical|date=August 2022}}
'''Negative free bid''' is a [[contract bridge]] [[Glossary of contract bridge terms#treatment|treatment]] whereby a [[Glossary of contract bridge terms#freebid|free bid]] by responder over an opponent's overcall shows a long suit in a weak hand and is not forcing. This is in contrast with standard treatment, where a free bid can show unlimited values and is unconditionally forcing. The treatment is a relatively recent invention, and has become quite popular, especially in expert circles.

Negative free bids resolve relatively frequent situations where the responder holds a long suit with which he would like to compete for a partscore, but is deprived from bidding it by opponent's overcall.

==Example==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;"
!width="25%"|West||width="25%"|North||width="25%"|East||width="25%"|South
|- align=center
|||1{{diams}}||1{{spades}}||?
|} 
For example, if South holds:&nbsp;{{BridgeHandInline|86|KJ10852|K6|532}}, partner opens 1{{Diams}} and East overcalls 1{{Spades}}, he couldn't bid 2{{Hearts}} in standard methods, as it would show 10+ [[Hand evaluation|high-card points]], and a [[negative double]] would be too off-shape. With NFB treatment in effect though, he can bid 2{{Hearts}} which the partner may pass (unless she has extra values and support, or an excellent suit of her own without tolerance for hearts).
{{clear}}
However, as a [[corollary]], negative free bids affect the scope of negative double; if the hand is suitable for "standard" forcing free bid (10-11+ points), a negative double has to be made first and the suit bid only in the next round. Thus, the negative double can be made with the following types of hand:
*A weakish hand with unbid suits (unbid major)
*A stronger hand with unbid suits
*A strong (opening bid or more) one-suited hand.
This can sometimes allow the opponents to [[preempt]] effectively. 
{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-right:10px;"
!width="25%"|West||width="25%"|North||width="25%"|East||width="25%"|South
|- align=center
|1{{Diams}}||1{{Hearts}}||Dbl||4{{Hearts}}
|- align=center
|?|| || ||
|} 
For example, West, holding: {{BridgeHandInline|KJ103|J8|AKQ104|J2}}, after this auction is in an awkward situation — he doesn't know whether partner has spades or not; whether South was bidding to make or to [[sacrifice (bridge)|sacrifice]] — is it correct to double, bid 4{{Spades}} or pass?
{{clear}}

==See also==
*[[Negative double]]
*[[Support double]]
*[[Takeout double]]

==External links==
*[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E0DA123BF935A15753C1A964948260 Alan Truscott's column in New York Times]
*[http://kwbridge.com/bb/nfb-1.htm 5-part series by Karen Walker that originally appeared in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin, Jan-May 2005]
*[http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/negative-freebids/ Discussion of merits]
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[[Category:Bridge conventions]]