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A couple of summers ago, I reported a hand on this Forum that I played in the Chicago GNT National round of 24 against Meckwell's team. I believe that I held an 0346 hand with about 18 HCP. I cannot locate my post about the hand. My RHO (Warren Spector) opened 1♥ and I chose to double, as I thought the hand was too good to merely overcall my club suit (which was AQJxxx if I remember correctly). My LHO (Mike Seamon) bid 1♠, and my partner (David Treadwell) bid 2♣. RHO raised spades, and I just blasted 6♣. This was doubled, and my partner avoided making an overtrick (which was there for the taking) for +1090.
After the round, David told me how much he disliked my takeout double without spades. I told him that I thought my hand was too good for a mere 2♣ call, and he just said that I cannot make a takeout double of a 1♥ opening without spades unless I have a true monster.
After the round, I spoke with Mike Seamon about the hand. He said he didn't see anything particularly wrong with my double, especially in light of the result. At the other table, David Berkowitz overcalled 2♣ on my cards, and a long, involved, competitive auction developed, resulting in my teammates taking a vulnerable 6♠ sacrifice over 6♣, going down 1 for a 13 IMP pickup for our side.
The point that I am making is that both my partner, David Treadwell (all 96 years of him) and David Berkowitz thought that it was wrong to make a takeout double on my cards without tolerance for the unbid major even though I had a very strong hand (maybe this is a David thing).
Overcalls Overcall with very strong hands
#21
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Posted 2008-September-26, 14:57
#22
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Posted 2008-September-26, 15:45
ArtK78, on Sep 26 2008, 01:57 PM, said:
A couple of summers ago, I reported a hand on this Forum that I played in the Chicago GNT National round of 24 against Meckwell's team. I believe that I held an 0346 hand with about 18 HCP. I cannot locate my post about the hand. My RHO (Warren Spector) opened 1♥ and I chose to double, as I thought the hand was too good to merely overcall my club suit (which was AQJxxx if I remember correctly). My LHO (Mike Seamon) bid 1♠, and my partner (David Treadwell) bid 2♣. RHO raised spades, and I just blasted 6♣. This was doubled, and my partner avoided making an overtrick (which was there for the taking) for +1090.
After the round, David told me how much he disliked my takeout double without spades. I told him that I thought my hand was too good for a mere 2♣ call, and he just said that I cannot make a takeout double of a 1♥ opening without spades unless I have a true monster.
After the round, I spoke with Mike Seamon about the hand. He said he didn't see anything particularly wrong with my double, especially in light of the result. At the other table, David Berkowitz overcalled 2♣ on my cards, and a long, involved, competitive auction developed, resulting in my teammates taking a vulnerable 6♠ sacrifice over 6♣, going down 1 for a 13 IMP pickup for our side.
The point that I am making is that both my partner, David Treadwell (all 96 years of him) and David Berkowitz thought that it was wrong to make a takeout double on my cards without tolerance for the unbid major even though I had a very strong hand (maybe this is a David thing).
After the round, David told me how much he disliked my takeout double without spades. I told him that I thought my hand was too good for a mere 2♣ call, and he just said that I cannot make a takeout double of a 1♥ opening without spades unless I have a true monster.
After the round, I spoke with Mike Seamon about the hand. He said he didn't see anything particularly wrong with my double, especially in light of the result. At the other table, David Berkowitz overcalled 2♣ on my cards, and a long, involved, competitive auction developed, resulting in my teammates taking a vulnerable 6♠ sacrifice over 6♣, going down 1 for a 13 IMP pickup for our side.
The point that I am making is that both my partner, David Treadwell (all 96 years of him) and David Berkowitz thought that it was wrong to make a takeout double on my cards without tolerance for the unbid major even though I had a very strong hand (maybe this is a David thing).
In my opinion, having a void in spades is very different from having one.
#23
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Posted 2008-September-26, 16:35
There are sometimes (obscure!) alternatives that I don't think anyone has mentioned (sorry if I am wrong - I have not read every post carefully):
1) With 6-4 or similar in the appropriate suits and a monstrous hand that is inappropriate for a takeout double, an overcall, or just blasting game, consider bidding Michaels or Unusual 2NT and followup by bidding (or jumping) in your long suit.
I have never actually tried this myself but I have seen some impressive auctions in which strategy was utilized. If I recall correctly, Zia-Rosenberg won some kind of "best bid hand of the year" award for an auction that started this way (and I think I might have written about it in "The Deal of the Week"). Hamman also did this on a hand that got some press (in the Cavendish I think).
2) If you use a jump cuebid of the suit your RHO opened to "ask for a stopper" you can start that way with a truly monstrous 1-suited hand. In the unlikely event that partner happens to bid 3NT and you pull, he will get the picture. If he does not bid 3NT then you might have a hard time getting your message ("very strong - don't really care about a stopper!") across, but it is not like any of the altnernatives come with any guarantees either.
In my regular partnerships I normally play that the direct cuebid of a weak 2-bid shows a game-forcing 1-suiter. The advancer's first priority is to bid 3NT with a stopper (just in case the cuebidder is a little light and is really only looking for a stopper) so to some extent you can have your stopper-asking cake and eat it too.
This seems to work pretty well versus weak-2s so maybe the same principle can be used on some hands over 1-level openings.
Or maybe not.
Hopefully some food for thought in any case...
Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com
1) With 6-4 or similar in the appropriate suits and a monstrous hand that is inappropriate for a takeout double, an overcall, or just blasting game, consider bidding Michaels or Unusual 2NT and followup by bidding (or jumping) in your long suit.
I have never actually tried this myself but I have seen some impressive auctions in which strategy was utilized. If I recall correctly, Zia-Rosenberg won some kind of "best bid hand of the year" award for an auction that started this way (and I think I might have written about it in "The Deal of the Week"). Hamman also did this on a hand that got some press (in the Cavendish I think).
2) If you use a jump cuebid of the suit your RHO opened to "ask for a stopper" you can start that way with a truly monstrous 1-suited hand. In the unlikely event that partner happens to bid 3NT and you pull, he will get the picture. If he does not bid 3NT then you might have a hard time getting your message ("very strong - don't really care about a stopper!") across, but it is not like any of the altnernatives come with any guarantees either.
In my regular partnerships I normally play that the direct cuebid of a weak 2-bid shows a game-forcing 1-suiter. The advancer's first priority is to bid 3NT with a stopper (just in case the cuebidder is a little light and is really only looking for a stopper) so to some extent you can have your stopper-asking cake and eat it too.
This seems to work pretty well versus weak-2s so maybe the same principle can be used on some hands over 1-level openings.
Or maybe not.
Hopefully some food for thought in any case...
Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com