September 2015 - 21

Down three. The trouble began when
East overcalled with a four-card suit
and a hand better suited for defense
than for offense. [Editor's note: Some
would argue that the trouble began
when West failed to open 2♥ with this
textbook construction.] In the replay,
West opened 3♥, North doubled, East
raised to 4♥ and South tried 4♠,
passed out. Declarer picked up the
trumps but still went down one when
the club finesse lost.
From a regional open pairs:
Dlr: East ♠ Q 9 7 6
Vul: None ♥ 7 6 4 2
♦7
♣A942
♠A5
♠432
♥K853
♥Q9
♦ Q 10
♦AKJ85
♣J7653
♣ K 10 8
♠ K J 10 8
♥ A J 10
♦96432
♣Q
West

North

Dbl
Dbl

3♠
All Pass

East
1♦
Pass

South
1♠
Pass

West led the ♠A and another spade,
and South managed seven tricks.
North-South were minus 300 for a
matchpoint zero.
Note South's length in the suit East
bid. Some experts advocate a free-spirited overcall by South on the theory
that North may be short in diamonds
and will therefore have spade support. There are problems with that
approach. One is that partners are
notorious for not having what you want
them to (and I believe I have read that
an analysis has shown the assumption
of shortness in partner's hand to be
unsound).
A more serious issue is that North
cannot safely bid the value of his hand.
How can he know that his four trumps
and singleton are merely values that
South counted on when he overcalled?
In competitive partscore deals, it's of-

ten right to compete to the three level
in your suit - but perhaps not if you
can't be confident of your degree of fit.
The Bulletin column gave this hand:
♠A Q 10 5 ♥J 8 7 4 3 ♦A J 10 ♣3
as a reasonable 1♠ overcall of 1♥, citing the chance of heart shortness with
North, and projected this dummy:
♠J 9 6 ♥6 ♦Q 6 4 2 ♣A 9 7 5 2.
That is quite a nice dummy to buy.
It has the hoped-for singleton heart,
a side ace and a working queen. On
another occasion, dummy may be less
suitable.
The column also focused on visualizing the play after a four-card overcall.
Well, defenders can visualize also.
"Assuming a heart lead," the column
stated, "the play at spades will go well."
That assumption is questionable.
Say you hold:
♠6 5 ♥Q 4 ♦K 9 5 3 ♣K 10 8 5 3.
Your partner opens 1♥, RHO overcalls 1♠, you make a negative double
and LHO's raise to 2♠ is passed out.
You know your side has half the deck
in high cards, and you have both minor
suits well stopped. More than likely,
your opponents are bidding based on
shape. What would your opening lead
be? As in the full deal above, a clearly
indicated trump lead can damage a
contract reached after a four-card
overcall and a raise.
But that's not all. Suppose the deal is:
♠J96
♥6
♦Q642
♣A9752
♠832
♠K74
♥Q5
♥ A K 10 9 2
♦9875
♦K3
♣ K Q 10 6
♣J84
♠ A Q 10 5
♥J8743
♦ A J 10
♣3
The vulnerability and form of scoring weren't specified, but let's assume
both sides are vulnerable at matchpoints. East opens 1♥, South overcalls

1♠, West doubles and North's raise to
2♠ is passed out. West leads a trump,
which holds South to nine tricks. Plus
140.
But at tables where South declines to
overcall, West may respond 1NT, forcing, and East is obliged by system to bid
2♣. Some Wests will pass and others
will return to 2♥, but East will invariably go down at least 200 at either spot.
The favorable lie of the cards that
serves South well at 2♠ is more favorable if he defends. If West's 1NT is not
forcing, he will play there. Even after a
friendly club opening lead, East-West
may well be minus 200 again.
You can find deals to support any
point of view. Here's one more that
comes from a Bermuda Bowl final:
Dlr: East
Vul: N-S
♠ A K 10 6
♥ J 10
♦K74
♣ 10 9 4 3

♠8543
♥K8
♦ 10 8 3
♣QJ86

♠Q7
♥A932
♦AJ52
♣K75

West

North

1♠

Pass

♠J92
♥Q7654
♦Q96
♣A2

East
Pass
2♠

South
1♦
All Pass

This was the auction at both tables.
North led a trump. Both Wests went
down two, though they might have
escaped for down one. If West passes
rather than overcalling 1♠, North will
presumably respond 1♠, and South
will rebid 1NT and play there, down at
least one.
Partnerships who overcall on four
can discuss the ramifications of their
style. Regardless, when you overcall,
your partner will assume you have a
five-card or longer suit and will use his
judgment accordingly, so be wary. Like
any tactical call, a four-card overcall
can be a winning action, and players
are welcome to try their luck. But pick
your spots with care.
◾
September 2015 Bridge Bulletin

21
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2015
