February 2020 - 58

Advanced Players

Bidding Matters
BY KAREN WALKER

kwbridge.com

Contest their notrump? - part 14
Your right-hand opponent opens
1NT (12-14 points). What's your call
holding:
(1) ♠Q J 10 5 4 ♥K Q 10 6 ♦4 ♣10 7 2?
(2) ♠J 6 ♥K J 9 7 5 ♦A 10 4 ♣K Q 3?
(3) ♠6 ♥A K J 9 6 2 ♦K Q J ♣J 7 4?
In previous issues, we looked at the
use of a card-showing double over
your opponent's weak notrump. This
double, which suggests penalizing 1NT,
is usually a semi-balanced hand that's
better than opener's. A double of a
12-14 1NT shows 15+ points or 14 with
a good lead.
With other hand types, an overcall
will be your best entry into the auction. Bidding over a weak 1NT shows
the same type of hand as over a strong
notrump - unbalanced, with at least 9
cards in two suits. An important difference is what you should promise in
overall strength.
When the opponents open a strong
1NT, your goal is to interfere with their
auction and find a safe partscore. You'll
rarely have a game contract available,
so you can bid with a wide range of
strengths and not worry about how
many points you're promising. Not
vulnerable, you might have nothing
more than a good six-card suit or a twosuiter such as Hand 1 above.
A weak notrump opening calls for a
different strategy. In these auctions,
it's more likely your side has game

58 Bridge Bulletin February 2020

values, so your focus should be on
constructive bidding. Even the higher
weak-notrump range of 13-15 will be
13 points more often than 15. If you and
partner have a good fit, you don't need
all the remaining high-card points to
make a game.
To involve partner in these decisions, you need to agree on a higher
minimum for overcalls and forgo those
whose main purpose is disrupting the
opponents' bidding. If it's your deal, the
1NT bid was the real disruption. Like
the old advice "never preempt the preempter," there's no point in trying to
interfere with their auction if they've
already interfered with yours.
It's tempting to show a major twosuiter with Hand 1, and it's true that
you could have a good partscore available. Your best course, though, is to
pass. This is not the constructive hand
partner will expect, so if he has enough
to make 2♥ or 2♠, he'll probably bid
higher. You can't count on partner to
accurately assess game prospects if
you'll make the same bid with 8 points
or 14.
Hand 2 has more than enough
strength for an overcall, but the balanced pattern should talk you into
passing. Although it's 14 points, it has
the same number of losers as the 8
points in Hand 1. It's closer to a double
than a suit overcall, but K-J-9-7-5
isn't a strong enough suit to justify

stretching.
Hand 3 has the points for a double,
but with such good offensive values, an
overcall rates to be better. If you double
and partner is broke, he may run to 2♠
and you'll have to bid an uncomfortable
3♥. If partner has enough to pass the
double, the opponents are likely to run
to a safer spot.
With a hand like No. 3 that has more
playing tricks - a seventh heart, for
example - you can jump to 3♥ to show
a stronger overcall. This should not be
played as preemptive over a weak 1NT.
It's highly invitational and asks partner
to bid on to game if he has a few tricks.
Here's a summary of your actions
over an opponent's weak 1NT opener:
Double = At least 1-2 points more than
opener's range or the top of that range
with a good five-card suit to lead.
Overcall = An unbalanced hand - a
six-plus-card suit or at least 5-4 in two
suits - with a good 10 up to 16 points. A
typical overcall has six losers.
Jump overcall = Long, strong suit and
no more than five losers.
Pass = All other hands, including balanced hands of up to 14 points.
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February 2020

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