Non forcing constructive -what does it mean, what does it look like, how should it be advanced‏

I just came off a disaster playing against the Polish team in one of the finest events in bridge. I want to avoid a subsequent gaffe, so let's work on the above-named topic some. So, have you ever heard a term and not known what it meant, failing to look the word/term up somewhere and 'hoping' you would eventually get it from context. Yeah, me too, and the word 'constructive' was one of those terms in bridge.

Trouble is, I never figured it out and finally I got so tired of deciphering it from the pros in all its versions that I asked one of them. 'OK! So tell me what this word represents in bridge lingo: constructive'. As described by them it means 'not junk, below invitational'.

So one application you'll hear often is this: A bid in a new suit is 'non forcing constructive' in this position/sequence. This 'non forcing constructive' term means your hand looks like a weak two. Yep, memorize it --'non forcing constructive' means 'weak two'. For our purposes, our non forcing constructive example hand will be: 87,932,J4,KQJT54. There, a 6322 weak two hand in clubs.

This type of hand is shown in three important sequences: 1) As a response to an opening bid over a TOX. Example: I open a spade, lho makes a TOX and you make a two level club bid. Your hand looks like 87,932,J4,KQJT54.2)

As an advance of an overcall bid: Example: Lefty opens 1H, my partner overcalls 1S. Rho passes and I bid 2C. My hand looks like87,932,J4,KQJT54.3)

As a response to an opening bid over a 1N interference call: Example: Partner opens 1S and rho overcalls 1N. I bid 2C. My hand looks like 87,932,J4,KQJT54. The follow-ups here are very important to examine also. Note that after your pard opens a weak two, one does not usually have a 2N bid 'to play'. 2N bids are usually feature-asking or Ogust asking for forging on to nt games, or suit games, in the preempted suit. Tell me I'm wrong.

By a passed hand 2N should be a relay to a seven card suit hand you didn't preempt in a previous position through a 3c relay. Same situation in all of the above example cases. Don't use 2N 'oh it might play better here'. It rarely does, the strong hand should defer to the weak hand for suit play. 2N should be used to acknowledge the preempt type hand and invite to three if appropriate. Given this advice (and to emphasize it one more time). If you're all red in the Spingold and Polish player rho opens 1H and you hold AQTxx,Axxx,Kxx,9 and dare to overcall 1S. Lho passes and pard bids 2C, Pass. I don't see any reason to further the auction here. Opposite 87,932,J4,KQJT54 the place to play is 2C. If one wants to bid 2N which invites 3N, one should have hearts stopped solidly and a fit with pard. There, -1400 vs 110 avoided and teammates much happier!