Answers: (Material that might be beyond a beginner's knowledge is in blue.)
1.
Hint: Do you have a five card suit?
Answer: This problem set came up as a result of another post. A player held this hand and overcalled 1H. This is terrible for describing your hand in an attempt to buy the contract as partner will expect either a decent five card suit or a significantly better hand with five hearts, and if West ends up declaring, you definitely do not want a heart lead.
This hand has the right shape for a takeout double but is a couple points shy. However, a takeout double is a lot better than any overcall. The recommended action is Pass.
2.
Hint: Do you have any call that describes what you have?
Answer: While you would have opened 1C, you need five cards to overcall (
no exceptions at the two level!) and your doubleton heart precludes a takeout double (partner will bend over backwards to bid a four-card heart suit.) You are too weak to overcall 1NT which shows the equivalent of a 1NT opening bid (
perhaps a bit stronger) and a stopper in their bid suit (which you have.) The recommended action is Pass.
3.
Hint: Do you have a good suit? Do you have extra values?
Answer: Certainly not double - if you double and partner bids hearts, bidding a new suit or notrump now will show 19+ points.
What about 2C? Your strength is minimum for 2C so your suit needs to be good. A lot of bad things can happen by bidding 2C here.
Partner might lead a club against their heart or notrump contract thinking you have good clubs.
You may go down a lot in 2C if your left hand opponent has a decent hand with clubs (either by a penalty double,
or a penalty pass (playing negative doubles) and the opener reopening with a double.)
You may go down a lot in 2C if West makes a negative double and East passes with good clubs.
Partner might raise clubs exposing you to a penalty double at a higher level.
Partner may bid notrump based on you having good clubs that will take tricks.
The recommended call is Pass.
4.
Hint: If the final contract is spades, would you rather declare or defend?
Answer: Many pairs will play an overcall of 2S as a convention and these players will not have a problem with this hand. However, if you are a beginner, I will assume no conventions and you might feel the need to show your strength and suit by overcalling 2S.
Your right hand opponent has at least five spades so playing with spades as trump isn't going to work so well for you. It's not working so well for your opponent either who is currently in 1S.
Is it easier to get eight tricks with spades trump to make 2S or to get seven tricks with spades as trump to set 1S?
They probably aren't going to stay in spades, but you still don't want to come into this auction. You really shouldn't want to play in spades with a bad fit, nor do you wish to start discussing other possible fits at the three level.
A takeout double is not advisable as you only have 2 card support for clubs, and it's not like you can get lucky and have partner pick your four-card suit because you don't have one.
You don't have the strength to overcall 1NT.
The recommended bid is Pass.
5.
Hint: Do you have extra values? Do you have a heart stopper?
Answer: Here you have a terrible spade suit. However, you do have a decent hand, probably the best hand at the table. You really would like to bid.
Let's look at the alternatives.
Double: Partner's longest suit probably clubs and you only have two. If you have a game, it's likely to be in spades
and if you follow your double by correcting clubs to 2S, you are showing a hand too good to overcall 1S - about 19 points.
1NT: Notrump would be fine except that West is likely to lead hearts, and you'll be in fine shape after they take the first eight or nine heart tricks... 
Seriously, overcalling 1NT shows a stopper in their heart suit. Partner might raise to 3NT without a heart stopper expecting you to have one, and the opponents will take the first five tricks (or worse yet, they lead through partner's ♥Kx or ♥Qxx and take the first five heart tricks when your partner could have stopped them.
That leaves us with 1S. Yes, your suit is awful. However, you do have five, and you do have enough extra values to think you have a decent shot of buying the hand. Are you scared about partner leading spades? You shouldn't be; you're on lead against hearts, and if they end up in notrump, you want to set up your long spades so a spade lead might be fine.
As far as your side declaring goes, if partner has three or more spades, overcalling 1S will get your side to your best fit right away. The recommended call is 1S.
Those who have read more advanced material on overcalling will point out that three small cards in their opened suit is a death holding that should make an overcall less desirable. This is correct; but this hand is good enough to overcome both the bad suit and the "death holding" in hearts. There's a good chance that this is your hand or the points are fairly even, and your side has the spade suit. If you don't bid it, you may allow the opponents to play the hand - or maybe you'll have the option to show spades later. However, wouldn't you rather bid 1S now than stick your neck out and bid 2S later?
6.
Hint: What would you have opened if you were dealer?
Answer: I presume that if you open 2S, it's a weak two bid showing a reasonable 6-card suit and 5-10 HCP. You can't open a weak two bid here but if you make a jump overcall of 2S, it shows the same thing
unless your pair has a different agreement. While many pairs might overcall 1S with this few points, I would assume that as a beginner your methods of bidding after your side overcalls 1S on this won't allow you to stop below game if the advancer (North) has a good hand. 2S shows a weak hand and is the recommended action. Some pairs may jump overcall on some weaker hands than a minimum weak two, but this hand would still be in the range for a 2S overcall. Weak jump overcalls are standard.
Help
Add Reply
MultiQuote
