November 2015 - 49

Newer Players

Play & Learn
BY PAT HARRINGTON

ppharrr@gmail.com

Advancing overcalls without a fit
When partner overcalls at the two
level, he is showing a hand worth
opening - probably in the 13-18 point
range. With only 6 or 7 points, game is
unlikely and advancer can pass. With
an opening hand, however, advancer
wants to reach game. With the inbetween hands, advancer would like to
move toward game.
We've already seen how to show
support for overcaller's suit in previous
articles. Without support, advancer
has two options: bid a new suit or bid
notrump.
Let's deal with notrump bids first.
After a two-level overcall, advancer
can bid either 2NT or 3NT. Introducing notrump in a competitive auction
always shows at least one stopper in
any suit bid by the opponents. Suggested ranges for notrump responses
to two-level overcalls are:
⦁

2NT = 8-11 points.

⦁

3NT = 12 or more points.

These notrump ranges are fairly
standard. There is less agreement
on other advances to an overcall. It's
widely agreed that a new-suit advance
shows a suit at least as long as overcaller's - five cards or more in length.
Other areas involving overcalls have
less agreement. Teachers and experts
can suggest methods, but ultimately
partnership agreement rules.
I've suggested that a cuebid advance guarantees a fit for overcaller's

suit, but not all pairs agree on that.
Some just use the cuebid as a forcing
bid. There are differing opinions on
whether advancer's new suit should be
forcing, non-forcing but constructive
or weak and non-forcing. If you have
an agreement that you like, stick with
it. If not, pick one that makes the most
sense to you and partner.
Because a player making a two-level
overcall is guaranteed to have a decent
hand, I prefer treating a new-suit advance to a two-level overcall as forcing,
showing at least 9 or 10 points, unless
advancer is a passed hand. (A player
who could have opened the bidding but
chose to pass has limited his strength
and seldom has reason to make a forcing bid.)
One-level overcalls can be made
with as few as 8 points, so advancer
has to take more care not to get too
high. Again, your partnership has to
decide whether advancer's new-suit
bids are forcing or not. While you can
use different agreements depending on the level of your overcall, it's
easier to remember if your methods
are the same. You might agree to treat
advancer's new suit as forcing after
a one-level overcall if that's what you
agreed on over two-level overcalls. If
your partnership chooses one of the
non-forcing options, you can agree that
a jump advance in a new suit is forcing,
showing enough for game opposite a
minimum overcall.
After a one-level overcall, advancer

might be facing only 8 points across the
table while opener's partner is facing
an opening hand. It makes sense that
advancer's notrump bids should be
stronger than responder's. Of course,
your notrump call shows a stopper in
the opponent's suit(s). Suggested point
ranges for notrump advances to onelevel overcalls are approximately:
⦁
⦁
⦁

1NT = 8 to 11 points.
2NT = 12 to 14 points.
3NT = 15 or more points.

Did I hear you screaming, "Enough
already!" This all seems like a lot to
remember, but it's the price you pay for
making light one-level overcalls. If you
don't think you're ready to handle it
and want advancer's point ranges to be
similar to a responder's point ranges,
you can make the lower limit of your
one-level overcalls closer to the lower
limit of an opening bid. Even then,
there will be some differences, most
notably this: Unlike responder, advancer's new-suit bid shows five cards,
not four.
There's a downside to raising the
strength requirements for overcalls
and new-suit advances or notrump
advances. Today's duplicate players are
highly competitive, and you won't be
in there fighting on hands where many
are making light overcalls and either
winning the bidding or giving their opponents problems that your opponents
won't encounter.
◾

November 2015 Bridge Bulletin

49
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2015
