Play of the Hand
Be pessimistic
This deal from Bridge Master, a free, interactive declarer-play program on Bridge Base Online, shows how it can be useful to think about what can go wrong.
North (Dummy)
♠ J 3
♥ A 4
♦ A K 5 4 3
♣ A 7 6 5
South (You)
♠ K Q 10 9 8 7
♥ 3 2
♦ 2
♣ K 4 3 2
| Opener | Responder | Opener | Responder |
| 2♠ | |||
| Pass | 4♠ | All Pass |
After losing the ♠A and a heart, South can win any return, draw trump and discard a club loser on one of dummy’s diamond winners.
The full deal:
Best Bidding
Responding after RHO overcalls
Partner opens the bidding and your right-hand opponent overcalls. What do you do?
Let’s start with overcalls at the one level.
| Opener | RHO | You | |
| 1♣ | 1♦ | ? |
This is the simplest scenario, it’s almost as if you ignore the 1♦ call. Your bids of 1♥ or 1♠ show what they would had there been no overcall: at least a four-card suit and enough values to respond. If you bid 1NT, you deny a four-card major and, in this case, show a diamond stopper. If you have club support, you can raise clubs at the appropriate level.
1) ♠A Q 8 ♥K 9 5 3 ♦6 5 2 ♣J 4 2
Respond 1♥. (With 4–4 in the majors, make a negative double. With four spades and less than four hearts, bid 1♠.)
2) ♠K 9 3 ♥Q J 9 ♦K J 8 3 ♣9 7 6
Respond 1NT, you have no major, can’t raise clubs and have diamonds stopped.
3) ♠A 8 ♥8 5 4 ♦Q 6 4 ♣Q J 8 5 2
Raise partner to 2♣.
4) ♠5 3 ♥K 3 ♦8 3 2 ♣K J 10 7 4 2
Depending on the vulnerability, bidding 3♣ can safely preempt the opponents.
What if RHO overcalls 1♥? When RHO bids hearts, responder has an important distinction to make: showing a four-card or five-card spade suit. Double shows four spades; this is also a negative double (strongly suggesting four cards in the other major), bidding 1♠, however, shows five or more. Responder can also bid notrump with a stopper, support partner or bid a new suit at the two level with a five-card or longer suit and 10+ HCP.
| Opener | RHO | You | |
| 1♦ | 1♥ | ? |
1) ♠A 10 8 5 ♥8 4 3 ♦K J 9 3 ♣3 2
Double. If partner bids 2♣, correct to 2♦.
2) ♠A J 9 7 4 ♥4 2 ♦Q 7 3 ♣4 3 2
Respond 1♠, showing five or more spades.
3) ♠A K 3 ♥K 10 9 ♦J 10 9 ♣10 8 6 3
Respond 1NT, you have a heart stopper and deny four or more spades.
4) ♠Q J 8 ♥9 8 ♦10 8 7 5 ♣A Q J 8
Raise partner to 2♦.
5) ♠A Q ♥9 3 ♦K J 8 5 4 ♣K Q 4
Cuebid 2♥, showing a strong hand, in this case with diamonds. If partner bids 2NT, raise to 3NT. If partner bids 3♦, you can raise to game or consider “control-bidding” 3♠. That also denies a “control” in hearts.
6) ♠9 3 ♥J 8 4 ♦A 3 2 ♣A Q J 9 5
Bid 2♣, denying four or more spades and a heart stopper, showing five or more clubs and 10 or more HCP.
Next month: RHO overcalls 1♠.
