Your right-hand opponent opens 2C (strong and artificial). Do you enter the auction holding ♠53 ♥6 ♦J1073 ♣KQJ1064 ? Does the vulnerability affect your decision?
You might choose to double to show clubs. That’s relatively safe at any vulnerability, but rates to be futile. It doesn’t obstruct the opponents’ auction and since it’s likely that the 2C opener will be declarer, it probably doesn’t even have value as a lead-director.
A better strategy would be to use up auction space by bidding your suit, which describes not just club values, but a “real” (long) suit. Not vulnerable, most experts would consider it automatic to overcall 3C with this 7-loser hand and might deem it worth the risk even if vulnerable. White vs. red opponents, some would overcall 4C.
This is the modern approach to competing over a strong opening bid: Check the vulnerability, look for an excuse to interfere, then bid at the highest level you deem safe. An overcall might help you find a fit and a sacrifice, but the more immediate benefit is that it takes away LHO’s 2D response and the 2C opener’s low-level rebid. That’s why there’s little value in using a double just to show one suit.
Without advance discussion, you should still assume that a double of 2C or any other artificial bid shows values in the suit and asks partner for that lead. This is the standard meaning, but not the best one for low-level auctions where you don’t have enough information to know who will be on opening lead or even which side will be declaring. That’s the case with many artificial opening bids, so it’s a good idea to agree on other uses for doubles.
The best meaning will depend in part on how much strength the opening bid shows. Over strong artificial openings -- 2C and Precision-style 1C (16+ high-card points) – the most practical approach is to use doubles and overcalls to show relatively weak, distributional hands. It’s possible that your side has the balance of power after their strong 1C opener, but not likely, so don’t worry about trying to show constructive values.
Popular methods for interfering
To compete successfully against these strong openings, you need a system that allows you to make natural, one-suited overcalls and use artificial calls – including doubles -- to describe two-suiters. You’ll find numerous conventions with complex schemes and creative names (Darth Vader, Martian Standard and Inverted Psycho Suction, to name a few). Some are quite memory-intensive, but any will work as long as you and partner are clear on the meanings.
Here are two of the more widely played conventions – one very simple, one complex. Both can be used over strong 1C or 2C openers.
Mathe isn’t the most robust defense, but it shows two types of
two-suited hands and it’s easy to remember.
Double = Both majors
Notrump overcall = Both minors
All bids of suits are natural. The same meanings apply after the opponents bid
1C-Pass-1D (or 2C-Pass-2D).
CRASH shows more types of two-suited hands and is popular among more experienced pairs. Because it doesn’t immediately identify which suits you have, it can be more difficult for the opponents – and sometimes your partner – to handle.
CRASH uses three artificial calls to describe all possible two-suiters,
matched by Color, Rank and Shape. Over
a strong 1C or 2C opener:
Double = Two suits of the same color (reds or blacks)
Diamond overcall = Two suits of the same rank (majors or minors)
Notrump overcall = Two suits of the same shape (rounded or pointed).
This scheme changes slightly if you're in fourth seat (after 1C-Pass-1D or 2C-Pass-2D).
After these auctions, the three calls that show
color, rank and shape are Double, notrump and clubs.
After partner’s CRASH overcall, all of your bids are pass-or-correct. You have to choose the suit and the level that safely caters to all four of his possible suits. These follow-ups can be tricky, but if you judge carefully, CRASH can be one of the most effective defenses to strong 1C and 2C openings.
You’ll have different considerations over other types of artificial opening bids. More about these in the next issue.
© 2026 Karen Walker