Not so long ago, a strong 1NT opening bid was essentially a preempt. Competing over it was rare because opponents were wary about walking in at the two-level when opener had so much strength (16-18 points back then). The standard advice was to pass unless you had two 5-card suits or a 6-card suit with three of the top five honors, along with some outside strength.
All of that has changed in the modern game. Today, it seems that players look for excuses to overcall when their opponent opens 1NT.
This trend toward more active competition was spurred by the widespread acceptance of 15-17 as a more practical range than 16-18. The difference of one high-card point wasn’t enough by itself to embolden opponents, but the frequency of 1NT openers did.
Compared to 16-18, the 15-17 range allows almost 40 percent more hands to be opened 1NT. That’s often a good contract for opener because it’s difficult to defend. It also offers other advantages, including the availability of accurate bidding tools to find fits.
Forced to deal with an increasing number of 1NT openers, opponents started finding more and more reasons to challenge them. They loosened their overcall requirements and developed new conventions to describe more types of hands. The emphasis now is more toward “safe obstruction” -- if you have some playing strength and like your chances of finding a reasonable trump suit, don’t be afraid to bid.
This approach is evident in these hands from a recent NABC Life Master Pairs. After a strong 1NT on their right, players in this event chose to make non-vulnerable overcalls with:
♠2 ♥QJ10832
♦94
♣9752
♠Q1076
♥765
♦K1092
♣AJ
♠K ♥J6
♦K9765
♣Q8762
♠Q3 ♥9643
♦KQJ105
♣Q2
♠Q9743
♥AJ5
♦4
♣KJ107
Most, perhaps all, of these overcalls should come with a warning -- “Professional bidder: Do not attempt” – but they give you an idea of the risks some experts are willing to take to get into their opponents’ notrump auctions.
With the right hands, however, stretching a bit can be a good strategy,
especially at matchpoints. Many pairs have found that good things tend to happen
when they compete aggressively. Among them, an overcall can:
1 - Force the opponents out of an ostensibly comfortable 1NT contract.
2 – Interfere with their system for finding a better spot than 1NT.
3 – Help you find a making partscore.
4 - Help you find a safe partscore that doesn’t make, but results in a smaller
minus than the score you would have received for defending their contract.
There are also many reasons to be conservative. You’re at a disadvantage in
direct seat over 1NT because you're making a solo decision. Your left-hand
opponent is not. He knows enough about his partner’s hand to make an intelligent
choice about how to proceed. An overcall, even one that you believe is fairly
sound, can be:
1 – Doubled for a big penalty.
2 – Passed and go down, resulting in a bigger minus score than the minus for
defending their contract.
3 – Passed and make, but for a lower plus score than the plus you would have
earned for defeating their contract.
4 - Ignored, but reveal information about your hand to their declarer.
The best overcalling strategy is one that finds a middle ground between too aggressive and too timid. Your approach should fit your partnership’s bidding style, but much of your success depends on individual judgment. In future issues, we’ll discuss how to evaluate potential overcalls, choose and use conventions, handle follow-up auctions and deal with weak notrump openings.
Back in the 1970s, the late Terence Reese became a vocal critic of the trend toward more aggressive competitive bidding. Light overcalls, overused conventions and even weak jump overcalls were all what he called "careless talk".
Reese would no doubt be disappointed by how often his advice is ignored today. Modern bidders freely enter auctions that were once considered dangerous, including those that start with a strong notrump. Stretching to compete over 1NT can be costly, but on many deals, passing can be a poor result, too.
Players rely on a number of evaluation methods to decide which hands are worth the risk. One guideline is Mel Colchamiro's “Rule of 8” (or “Rule of 2 + 6”). To compute the “2", count the cards in your two longest suits. Then count your losers in all four suits (a loser is each missing ace, king and queen in suits of 3+ cards; aces and kings in doubletons, aces in singletons). Subtract your total losers from the length number. If the result is 1 or below, stop thinking and pass.
If the result is 2 or higher, move on to the "6" part of the rule, which refers to the minimum number of “quality” high-card points needed for an overcall. Ideally, the 6 points will be in your long suits, but you can also consider outside quick tricks (aces, protected kings, KQ and AQ combinations).
As with other “Rule of" guidelines, the principle is sound but shouldn't be followed blindly. Technically, ♠KQ ♥63 ♦K7642 ♣QJ43 satisfies the Rule of 8 -- 9 cards in your suits minus 7 losers (1 + 2 + 2 + 2) = 2, plus 6 points in your suits. Even with the outside trick, though, the weak suits should talk you out of bidding.
Last month’s article included five examples of overcalls from a Life Master Pairs event. All were non-vulnerable, made in direct seat over a strong 1NT. Try the Rule of 8 with each and see if you would have outbid the experts:
(1)
♠2 ♥QJ10832
♦94
♣9752
(2) ♠Q1076 ♥765
♦K1082
♣A8
(3) ♠K
♥J6
♦K9765
♣Q8762
(4) ♠Q3
♥9643
♦KQJ105
♣Q2
(5) ♠Q9853 ♥AJ8
♦4
♣KJ103
(1) This meets the “2” part of the Rule of 8 (10 cards in two suits minus 8 losers), but is far short of the 6-point requirement. The player who held this hand overcalled 2H. His partner, who had a heart void and 18 points, bid 2S and went down one. If both defenders had passed 1NT (not unreasonable, as opener was vulnerable), they would have scored +200.
(2) A 4-4 hand is not a “two-suiter” and this one fails both parts of the Rule of 8. The bidder, however, had just the right convention to show it, thought he needed a board and hoped to get lucky. He did. His partner had four spades and helpful red-suit honors, allowing him to score +110 and most of the matchpoints. No rule works 100 percent of the time.
(3) This is only one high-card point shy of the 2 + 6 rule (♠K and ♥J6 are not quality points). To be worth an upgrade, though, the hand needs an outside trick, stronger spot cards and perhaps different suits. One or both majors would offer a better chance of outbidding or outscoring the opponents.
(4) Although the primary suit is strong, overcalling with 8 losers and such a poor second suit would be “careless talk”. If you can’t bear to pass, there’s a good case for describing it as a one-suiter.
(5) This is the only hand that passes the 2 + 6 test (9 cards, 7 losers, 6 points in your suits), but the weak spades are a danger sign. Although ♠Q9853 is counted as two losers, unsupported queens should be valued down. The bidder overcalled 2S (spades and a minor) and played there. He found some help in dummy (♠J4), but still went down two for –100. The best the opponents could have done in 1NT was +90.
The Rule of 8 can help you
make an initial evaluation, but you’ll have more success with these decisions if
you weigh other factors, too. More about this in the next issue.
Last month, we looked at Mel Colchamiro’s Rule of 8 guideline for overcalls of your opponent’s strong 1NT opener. To use it, add the cards in your two longest suits, then subtract the number of top losers in all four suits. If the result is two or more – and if you have at least 6 “quality” high-card points -- you should consider competing.
This is a good start to evaluating your hand, but there are exceptions. To identify them, you need to go beyond the arithmetic and use your judgment. Here are other factors that should guide your decision:
Distribution. You need a 6+-card suit or at least 9 cards in two suits. Pass with balanced hands and "two-suiters" that are 4-4, even if they exceed the Rule of 8. A 4-4 hand such as ♠KQJ7 ♥KQ106 ♦10943 ♣2 might qualify as an exception. There aren’t many others.
The “right" suits. When in doubt, pass with minors and bid with majors. When you hold minors, it’s easier for the opponents to outbid you and, depending on which convention you're using, you may have to go to the 3-level to find a playable spot. If you play a convention that uses a 2C overcall to show an unspecified one-suiter, you'll need extra length and strength when your suit is clubs.
Suit quality. With a one-suiter, your suit and hand should look like a good weak two-bid or better. On average, partner will have two-card support. If your suit is playable opposite a small doubleton -- and if your hand has no more than seven losers – it’s probably worth a two-level overcall.
With a two-suiter, 6 high-card points in your suits is a good minimum guideline, but be conservative if you’re only 5-4 and your second suit is a minor. Suppose you hold ♠AQ974 ♥64 ♦K3 ♣Q643 . Playing Cappelletti, your spades and overall strength are adequate for a non-vulnerable 2S overcall (showing spades and a minor), but that’s a gamble that partner has a spade fit. If he has a singleton, he’ll ask for your minor and you’ll be playing 3C with a very weak trump suit.
Pay special attention to spot cards, which can be just as valuable as honors. The presence of 10s and 9s in your suits can add tricks and may talk the opponents out of making a penalty double, even when it would be profitable for them.
Overall strength. Playing strength is more important than high-card points, but you need more than slow tricks. Mel’s rule of 6 quality points is a bare minimum. You’ll want more if you’re vulnerable or have just average suit quality.
Your opponents’ system. If their notrump system includes negative or "stolen-bid" doubles at the two-level, you may be able to get away with a light overcall. Be aware, though, that just because your LHO can't double for penalty doesn't mean the 1NT opener won't reopen with a double.
Vulnerability. The Rule of 8 applies mainly to non-vulnerable overcalls, which offer the best combination of safety and obstruction. You always hope to find a making contract, but your other goal is to interfere with the opponents’ ability to find their best spot. If neither happens and they allow you to declare, a small, non-vul minus score could still win the board.
Vulnerable overcalls are rarer because you need very strong suits and more playing tricks – 7 to be safe -- to avoid a costly penalty. Even undoubled, down two will be a poor result.
Your side’s vulnerability isn't the only consideration, though. Minus 200 is a bad score for the opponents, too. When the 1NT opener is vulnerable, the stronger and more balanced your hand, the greater the likelihood that you'll get a better score defending than declaring.
Form of scoring. Aggressive overcalls work best in pair events, where even small score differences are important. If you can go minus 50 when they could have made 90 – or you make 110 when they were going to go minus 100 – it can be a big matchpoint gain. If you occasionally hit a buzzsaw and suffer a big minus, it’s only one board.
Team play calls for sounder
overcalls. Small score differences have little or no impact on your IMP result
and aren’t worth fighting for with marginal hands. At IMPs, your opponents may
be more reluctant to double your partscore, but when they do, you rate to go for
a match-deciding number.
Copyright © 2019 Karen Walker