Both vulnerable, your right-hand opponent opens 1H. What’s your call holding ♠AQ105 ♥J8743 ♦AJ10 ♣J ?
There are two issues that might make you nervous about overcalling 1S. One is that partner will assume you have a 5-card suit. The other is that length in an opponent’s suit is often a sign of a misfit and a warning that you should be cautious about entering the auction.
Still, many experienced players would be willing, even happy, to bid with this hand. A 1S overcall obstructs the auction somewhat and may make it difficult for the opponents to find their best fit. The main advantages, though, are evident if you look ahead to the play of the hand.
Our previous discussions have focused on how to analyze play possibilities based on what you know about partner’s hand. When the opponents are bidding, too, you have more information to consider. Even a one-bid auction like this one can provide good clues about potential contracts and how they will play.
It is, of course, impossible to determine what the final contract will be, but if it’s declared by your LHO, you know how you want the play to begin. Getting partner off to a good lead can justify making a slightly flawed overcall. Your real hope, however, is that partner can raise spades and you’ll buy the contract. If you declare, you expect to find helpful tricks in dummy, even if it has just three trumps and minimum high-card strength.
The possibility of a 3-card raise shouldn’t be a big concern. The best time to overcall a 4-card suit is when you believe a fit is likely, and the best layout for playing a 4-3 fit is when the 3-card hand has a ruffing value. You have reason to expect both here. Partner is surely short in hearts, which improves the chances he has spade support. Your LHO will have heart shortness, too, but partner’s trumps are positioned over his.
One way to assess your trick-taking prospects is to try picturing a typical hand for partner. For a raise to 2S, he might hold ♠J86 ♥5 ♦Q742 ♣A9654 . Assuming a heart lead, you can see taking at least two ruffs in dummy, three or four trumps in your hand and three or four minor-suit tricks. The heart ruffs and the ♣A give you entries to take diamond finesses through the opening bidder.
Pessimists may make different predictions about the final contract and the play. After their 1S overcall, they’ll imagine the auction proceeding Pass-Pass-Double-All Pass and dummy coming down with a singleton spade and no useful high cards. Against perfect defense, it’s conceivable that 1S could be set 1400 points, but it’s not practical to base bidding decisions on such remote chances.
When you’re analyzing how the play might develop in various contracts, keep your focus on likely layouts. At low levels, assume normal distributions until the auction tells you otherwise. When constructing possible hands for partner, play him for a suitable minimum, not a perfect maximum.
A 4-card overcall carries some risk, so most players like to have a near-perfect hand to make one. The hand above is a classic because it has a strong major, good high-card values and an unbalanced pattern. That playing strength and the likelihood of support in partner’s hand make a 1S overcall relatively safe at any form of scoring.
You may have success in making 4-card overcalls with other, not-so-classic hands, but you need to judge carefully and have good declaring skills. It’s also important to agree on a bidding style with your partner. Some players dislike “short” overcalls because they interfere with “Law of Total Tricks” calculations. If your partner is one of them, you’ll want to discuss which types of hands and suits, if any, constitute exceptions.
In the next issue: Weighing safety
in other competitive auctions
© 2015 Karen Walker