Читать книгу The Times Improve Your Bridge Game - Andrew Robson - Страница 10

Deal 1

I am an advocate of the Rule of 20, which says that the bidding should be opened when the number of points in the hand added to the number of cards in the two longest suits gets to twenty or more.

What happened

At the table our first deal was actually passed out. Would you have opened any of the four hands?

What should have happened

South was the guilty party. The Rule of 20 opens his hand (11 points and a five-four distribution). In fact South has a more promising hand than many twelve- or thirteen-point hands. He has both majors; he has a powerful 5431 shape with honours in his long suits; he has good intermediate cards; and he has no rebid problems.

Whichever way you look at it, South should have opened the bidding. North-South would have sped to 4.

West leads A, follows with K, then switches to 4. Declarer wins dummy’s A and seeks to establish his spades.

He cashes AK and then trumps a third spade with dummy’s Q (East discarding). He returns to 9 and trumps a fourth spade with dummy’s A. He returns to his 10, draws East’s last trump, cashes the established fifth spade, and merely concedes a club. 10 tricks and game made.

Tip 1

The Rule of 20: open the bidding when your high-card points added to the number of cards in your two longest suits gets to at least 20.

Deal 2

Our second deal addresses the issue of which suit to open. If one suit is longer, then that suit must be opened. Open 1 – even with AKQ9 and 97532. The only way those small diamonds are likely to win tricks is if they are trumps. If opener has two suits of equal length, the rule is: open the higher ranking (the one exception will be covered next deal). By opening high, opener has the option of introducing his other suit more cheaply.

What happened

West led the Q (top of an honour sequence), covered (questionably – East will have A) by K and East’s A. Declarer trumped East’s 3 continuation and correctly led 2. East won J and led another spade (best).

After trumping, declarer cashed A and led a third diamond, trumping in dummy (the opposing 3–3 split revealed). He crossed to K, cashed A, then, correctly leaving the master Q outstanding, he led an established diamond winner. East trumped and led a fourth spade (best). Declarer trumped with his last trump, cashed the fifth diamond, and then gave up to AK.

Eight tricks. Not bad…

What should have happened

…but how South wished he had opened the right suit and thus finished a level lower.

Tip 2

Open the higher-ranking of two equal length suits.

Deal 3

Last deal, we ascertained that it is correct to open the higher ranking of equal length suits. So it is… with one exception. Prefer to open 1 when you have precisely four hearts and four spades. This gives partner a chance to support hearts with four (or more) of those, or respond 1 with four (or more) of those.

What happened

This deal taught North the error of his ways. The heart suit got completely lost.

Against 1NT, West led the 4 to dummy’s Q, East’s K and declarer’s 2. East returned 10 and declarer decided to win A this time. He led 10 at Trick Three, which held the trick, then followed with 4 to West’s A.

West cashed the J9 (East discarding 2 and dummy discarding the 105). West then found the lethal switch to the J.

Declarer ducked in dummy and J scored, but when West continued with 10, he tried dummy’s K. No good – East won A, cashed Q, and then his remaining diamond. Declarer made the remainder but was two down.

What should have happened

Correct bidding sees North-South alight comfortably in 2. Any lead from East is helpful for declarer (North). At worst he should lose three diamonds, a club and the ace of trumps. Contract made.

Tip 3

Open 1 with precisely four hearts and four spades (when not opening 1NT).

Deal 4

Auctions that begin with a 1NT opener are radically different from all other auctions. They are not conversations, rather: ‘This is what I’ve got: now you choose!’ A 1NT opener rarely bids again whereas a one-of-a-suit opener must bid again if his partner changes the suit. You must not forget/neglect to open 1NT when you are supposed to. You will never be able to correct the mistake later. There is no bid that says ‘Sorry partner, I forgot to open 1NT last time!’ A 1NT opener shows 12–14 points and a balanced hand (no void, no singleton, and no more than one doubleton). There are just three balanced shapes – 4432, 4333 and 5332.

What happened

When South forgot (or was dazzled by his diamonds) to open 1NT, there was no recovery. His 2NT rebid theoretically showed a balanced hand with more than 14 points, so his partner went on to game (assuming there to be 25 partnership points).

West led 5 to East’s A. East returned the 9 to West’s J. West cashed K felling Q, then 8. He switched accurately to 5 and declarer played 4 from dummy, East winning Q. East could do no more than cash A at this point, but the contract was two down.

What should have happened

1NT making.

Tip 4

Never forget to open 1NT with a balanced hand and 12–14 points. You can’t recover.

Deal 5

There are Bridge cultures – the USA and France amongst others – that prefer the Strong Notrump (15–17). In Britain the Weak Notrump (12–14) is more commonly played. The pluses and minuses of the Weak Notrump versus the Strong Notrump can be argued ad nauseam. What matters more is that you and partner know which notrump you play, and that you stick to it. Throughout this book I will assume a Weak Notrump. Indeed that is my preference. I like to open 1NT with those oh-so-common flat minimums, describing my hand so well in one go. However, do not open 1NT merely because your hand ‘looks notrumpy’ and you can’t think of an alternative.

What happened

When South opened 1NT, his partner passed, ‘knowing’ that the partnership could not have the 25 points required for game. Declarer won 5 lead with Q and led K at Trick Two. He quickly established three heart tricks to go with three in spades and three in diamonds.

Nine tricks made – underbid.

What should have happened

3NT – game bid and made.

Tip 5

Do not open 1NT with more than 14 points (assuming you play the Weak Notrump).

Deal 6

Last deal we observed that you must stick to your notrump point range (assumed to be 12–14). This deal we stress that your hand must also be balanced. Question: What is a balanced hand?

Answer: The word ‘balanced’ refers not to the location of the honours but to the number of cards in each suit. There are three balanced distributions – 4432, 4333 and 5332. Do not open 1NT unless you have one of these three distributions. Or you may suffer South’s fate…

What happened

Against 1NT, West led the 3 to East’s J and declarer’s A. At Trick Two declarer led a diamond to dummy’s K and East won the A. East returned 2 to West’s 10 and West cashed the K, then led back 6 to East’s Q (declarer and dummy discarding clubs). East then switched to the 2. Declarer tried the K but West won the A, cashed Q, then led to East’s J9. The defence took four spades, three hearts and a diamond. Down two.

What should have happened

Declaring 2, South wins the likely 3 lead (the unbid suit) with A and plays to A, back to K, and leads a third club (establishing his fourth club). On retaining the lead he forces out A and emerges with eight tricks: a heart, four trumps and three clubs. Contract made.

Tip 6

Do not open 1NT with an unbalanced hand.

Deal 7

It’s time to move on from opening 1NT to responding to it. The basic principle is for responder to decide on the best contract available, and simply to bid it! Note that responder does not need six points to bid, as he would if partner had opened in a suit. The 1NT opener is not going to bid again unless responder makes a strong bid. Bidding two-of-a-suit is a rescue operation – consistent with no points at all – and will always be passed. Are you listening North? Incorrectly leaving South to stew in 1NT, he saw the following carnage take place:

What happened

West led 4 to East’s Q, East cashed K, then led 6. Declarer played 9, but West won 10, cashed A (East discarding 2) and then led 8 (East discarding 2).

Discarding a low card in a suit is a signal of disinterest so at Trick Six West switched to 7. East won the Q and, rather than cash his AK, astutely switched to 9. Declarer tried J, but West won Q and led 5. East won K, cashed A (West discarding 3) then led 6. West beat declarer’s K with A, cashed 10, then 4. Declarer finally won a trick, the very last, with a club, but the contract was six down!

What should have happened

North should remove 1NT to 2. His partner would read it as a terminal bid, a so-called ‘Weakness Take-out’. Declarer would probably end up scoring two trump tricks and four clubs – that’s five more tricks than in a notrump contract!

Tip 7

The responder to a 1NT opener can usually place the final contract immediately.

Deal 8

Last deal we noted that the responder to a 1NT opener can generally place the final contract immediately. Bids which invite or force the 1NT opener to speak again are 2NT (invitational) or jumps to three of a suit (forcing). Other bids are terminal.

The 2NT response is an invitation for the 1NT opener to bid 3NT with a maximum. Jumps to 3/3 show game-going hands with five cards in the major, the 1NT opener raising to 4/ with three(+) cards and bidding 3NT with just two. What about jumps to 3/? Because five-of-a-minor is such a hard game to make, responder should only jump to 3/ when he is very distributional and is genuinely interested in playing five (or six) of that minor. There is no point in jumping to 3/ if he is merely hoping his partner will bid 3NT. He should simply bid 3NT himself!

What happened

5 (by North) stood little chance. The defence were bound to score a spade, a heart and a club. Down one.

What should have happened

How would 3NT have fared? With eight top tricks, declarer needs to establish a spade trick. West leads 5 and declarer ducks East’s K and ducks his J continuation (key play). He wins his ace on the third round, runs five diamond tricks, then leads a spade towards his queen. East cannot gain by playing the ace – he has no hearts left to lead because declarer delayed winning his ace. The Q and AK bring his total to nine. Game made.

Tip 8

Do not respond 3/ to partner’s 1NT opener without extreme shape (or strength).

Deal 9

This deal we look at the understandable temptation to raise a 1NT opener to 2NT with a flat hand and a smattering of points, say, eight, nine or ten. The key point here is that you do not bid to improve the size of the part-score in any form of Bridge. All raises of partner show genuine game-interest. Take a raise of 1NT to 2NT: this should be a genuine invitation to game; given that he is facing 12–14 points, responder must have 11–12 points for this bid (with more he simply jumps to 3NT).

What happened

Declarer had no hope. He won 5 lead with Q and played ace and another club in the vain hope that an opponent held king-queen doubleton. West discarded on the second club so he ducked in dummy. East won the nine and played a second spade. Declarer won dummy’s king and, abandoning clubs, led a heart to his king. West won the ace and led a third spade. Winning in dummy, declarer could make no more than two more hearts and the ace of diamonds. Three spades, two hearts and the minor-suit aces made seven tricks. Down two.

What should have happened

Left to declare a peaceful 1NT declarer would not even bother to broach clubs. With five top tricks, flushing out the A is certain to give him two extra. Again, seven tricks, but this time contract made.

Tip 9

Do not bid to increase the size of the part-score.

Deal 10

We now turn to responding to a one-of-a-suit opener. The golden rule is that you must respond with six or more points. This is because opener could have up to 19 points, and 19 + 6 = 25 (25 points for game). Pass partner’s opener with six points and you risk missing game.

What happened

North’s hand was unmemorable. But he had too much to pass the 1 bid. Actually the lowly contract only just made.

East won West’s 5 lead with the A and returned his 10. West beat declarer’s J with K and led a third spade for East to trump. East led back a low heart. West beat declarer’s jack with the king, returned the 3 to East’s ace, and East led a third heart for West to trump. The defence had taken the first six tricks but that was the end of the road. Declarer won West’s diamond switch with the queen, crossed to the queen of trumps, returned to the jack, cashed the ace (drawing the opposing trumps), led his K and tabled his last two trumps. Seven tricks.

What should have happened

Against 3NT, West leads the 5 to East’s ace, wins East’s 10 return with the king, and leads a third spade to declarer’s queen. Declarer carefully unblocks the KQ before crossing to dummy’s Q. He cashes the A (discarding a heart), then leads dummy’s second club. He wins AKJ, and tables 5 (a winner by virtue of its length). Nine tricks and game made.

Tip 10

Respond to a one-of-a-suit opener with six(+) points.

Deal 11

Say responder has a choice between supporting opener (with four or more cards) or bidding a suit of his own. Which should he do? Unless opener has bid a minor, and responder has a decent major to bid, the answer is always the same: SUPPORT! After all, that is what the bid opener most wants to hear.

What happened

North might have recovered from his failure to support if the opponents hadn’t entered the bidding. But suddenly he was faced with the decision of whether to bid 4 over 3 (with a hand that hardly justified it) or to go quietly. He should probably have bid 4, but it was less of an error to pass at this point than to have bid 2 last time.

Defending East’s 3, South cashed AK then switched to 3. North won A, cashed A, led 6 to K, but declarer won South’s 2 exit in dummy. He led to his AK, felling North’s Q, and claimed eight tricks. Down one but N–S had better available…

What should have happened

If North had supported immediately, jumping to 3 to show fair strength, East would have been silenced (the three-level being just too high) and South would have carried on to game (just!).

West leads K and the simplest route to success is to win A, cross to AK (noting the 2–2 trump split), then lead to A, back to K, trump 4, and concede 10 to West’s Q. West switches to 9, and East takes his AK, but declarer has the remainder, able to trump 9 in dummy. Ten tricks and game made.

Tip 11

Always support partner when you know there is an eight-card major fit. Think: ‘Fit First’.

Deal 12

As responder, you must immediately support a Major when you have four(+) cards. The more you bid, the better your hand. Say partner opened 1 and you have four-card support. Use the Responder Line (see below) to determine how many to bid based on your point-count. Note that you should be prepared to upgrade with an interesting shape. For example a singleton is worth about as much as an extra king.

Pts: 0----5 6-----9 10---12 13----

Bid: Pass Two Three Four

What happened

West led 10 against 2, and declarer played low in dummy, East winning K and returning 7 to J, Q and A. There was no need to trump hearts in the dummy, as dummy’s diamonds would provide plenty of winners after trumps were drawn.

Declarer crossed to K and then led 2 to Q, noting West discard. Because he had had the foresight to keep his A10 finessing position in case of a bad split, he was able to play 4 to 9 and 10, cash A (felling J), then begin on diamonds. He cashed A, then J, then 4 to Q. He followed with K6, bringing his total to ten tricks. Sadly he was languishing in a part-score.

What should have happened

Though a 3 bid expresses his point-count, North should have upgraded his hand in the light of his singleton heart and gone straight to 4. 10 tricks and game made.

Tip 12

When supporting as responder, use the Responder Line:

Pts: 0----5 6-----9 10---12 13----

Bid: Pass Two Three Four

Deal 13

‘How could you pass? I jumped the bidding’, said a surprised North. ‘If you had wanted me to go on to game, you should have bid it yourself!’ replied South coolly. South was right. All supporting bids are ‘Limit Bids’, showing hands of defined strength. Partner is always allowed to pass. Quite simply, the higher the supporting bid, the better the hand.

What happened

North’s 3 bid actually showed 10–12 points and invited partner to go on to game with an above-minimum hand (which South did not have). South then proceeded (cruelly but impressively) to show the folly of his partner’s ways by making the absolute maximum number of tricks.

He won Q lead with A and immediately trumped 3. He cashed A, led 3 to Q (East discarding), then trumped 6. He crossed to J, trumped 7 (with J), crossed to K, then cashed K (drawing West’s last trump and discarding 2 from hand). Next he led 3 to Q and cashed A discarding 5. He conceded one spade trick, but dummy’s remaining trump took the last trick. 12 tricks!

Usually it is pointless to trump in the hand with the longer trump length (generally declarer’s). But if you can trump enough times to make it into the shorter length (as here) then it becomes worthwhile. It is a technique known as ‘Dummy Reversal’.

What should have happened

4 plus two.

Tip 13

All supporting bids – even jumps – are non-forcing, so if you know the values for game are present, bid it!

Deal 14

When making your initial response to a one-of-a-suit opener, avoid notrumps where possible. Opener has his rebid planned over a suit response, but not necessarily notrumps.

What happened

As soon as South responded 2NT, it was impossible for North-South to reach their optimum contract: a heart part-score. For a 3 bid by North over 2NT would be forcing.

Against 2NT, West led the 7 to East’s K and East’s 10 return was covered by declarer’s J and won by West’s Q. West cashed the A, 9, then 3, and switched to the A and 3 to East’s K. The defence had taken the first seven tricks. Down two.

What should have happened

Against 3, East leads the 7 to West’s A. West returns the 3 to East’s K and East leads a third diamond for West to trump. West cashes the A and leads a second club.

Declarer trumps and plays carefully. He cashes the ace of trumps, crosses to the queen (West discarding a club), cashes the K, crosses to the A, then trumps a low spade with the king of trumps. He crosses back to his jack of trumps (drawing East’s ten), then tables the Q (felling West’s J) and the 6, a length winner. Nine tricks and contract made.

Tip 14

Bid a suit to a suit. Avoid jumping to 2NT over a one-of-a-suit opener.

Deal 15

Think of bidding as a conversation. A stratospheric leap in notrumps by responder at his first turn is premature and often causes headaches for opener.

What happened

Against 3NT West led the 4 to East’s J, and declarer correctly delayed winning his A until the third round, exhausting East of diamonds. With seven top tricks, he needed to establish the long spades without West winning the lead.

He crossed to dummy’s Q and led a low spade to his king, and a second spade to the jack and ace. He led a third spade and hoped that it would be East who held the queen. No good: West won and cashed his two long diamonds. One down, unavoidably.

What should have happened

If South responds 2, North rebids 2. This shows that he has at least five spades (with 4–4 in the majors he would open 1, and in any event 4–4 hands would open or rebid in notrumps). Knowing the partnership holds an eight-card spade fit, South jumps to 4.

On the Q lead, declarer wins the A, cashes the ace-king of trumps, then, leaving the master trump outstanding, plays out his hearts. It does not matter that West can trump the third heart. Dummy’s remaining trump takes care of the fourth heart and ten tricks are made.

Tip 15

Wherever possible, bid a suit to a suit as responder. Do not leap to 3NT in response to a one-of-a-suit opener. It will probably give partner a problem.

Deal 16

Responder to a one-of-a-suit opener should bid a suit to a suit wherever possible, in order to locate a fit. A ‘one-over-one’ response (e.g. 1 – 1) does NOT show more than four cards or more than six points. If you have enough to respond, then you have enough to change the suit at the one-level. There is a common misconception that a 1NT response is weaker than a one-of-a-suit response. Nonsense! The confusion arises because whereas there is no maximum point count for a one-over-one suit response, there is a maximum of nine points for a 1NT response. The 1NT response should only be made when you have a weak hand with no higher ranking four-card suit.

What happened

It is doubtful whether North would have bid even 2 if West had not been able to overcall 2. It was out of the question for him to bid 3 in search of the fit (that theoretically he could not have in the light of South’s failure to respond 1). Against West’s 2 contract, North cashed AK and AK, before switching to 10. Declarer won Q, cashed AK and simply played on clubs, later conceding Q. Eight tricks and contract made.

What should have happened

Against 3 West leads AK and switches to K, winning. He continues with Q and then a third spade. But declarer carefully trumps with dummy’s K, to avoid East overtrumping. He cashes A, crosses to J, then plays his top diamonds. Nine tricks and contract made.

Tip 16

Respond a suit (four(+) cards) at the one-level in preference to 1NT.

Deal 17

Unless he can support – top priority – the basic principle for responder is to bid a suit to a suit. He does this in order to locate a fit. To this end, with two four-card suits, he should bid the cheaper, that is to say the one he reaches first as he works up the bidding ladder. If responder bids four-card suits ‘up the line’, no fit can be missed.

What happened

South made the mistake of responding 1. ‘I was worried about missing a spade fit’, was his excuse. The point is that if opener has four spades, HE will rebid 1 and the fit will be found. At least South did not respond 1NT – a worse mistake (see last deal).

South’s failure to respond 1, the cheaper of his four-card suits, resulted in the suit never being mentioned. It was normal for North to compete to 3 over West’s 2 overcall and then give in.

Defending 3, North led AK and continued with 2 which was trumped by South and overtrumped. Declarer drew trumps and led Q. South won A and switched to 2. North won AQ. Down one but better was available…

What should have happened

Against 5, West leads A and switches to 3. Declarer wins A, crosses to K, back to K, up to A, then cashes AQ, trumps 2, trumps 5, then cashes the established 874. Eleven tricks and game made.

Tip 17

Bid the cheaper of four-card suits as responder.

Deal 18

You may be wondering if it is EVER appropriate for responder to reply notrumps to a suit bid? The answer is yes, but only with a weak hand that has no higher-ranking four-card suit (which can be bid at the one-level). A two-over-one response (e.g. 1 – 2) should not be made with six measly points. Some schools think 10 points must be held; some a good eight. The reality is that the criteria should be a combination of the overall strength of your hand combined with the length of the suit in which you wish to respond. I offer you The Rule of 14: Respond in a new suit at the two-level if the number of high-card points in your hand added to the number of cards in your suit reaches 14. If not, respond 1NT.

What happened

East led the 6 against North’s 2. Declarer won with dummy’s A; he cashed Q, led 6 to K, and cashed A (East discarding 4). He next (questionably) gave West his J. West defended well, cashing A, following with Q and then leading 2 to 9 and East’s 10 then K. Declarer trumped K and claimed (only) eight tricks.

What should have happened

Defending 5, West leads Q and declarer wins A. He cashes Q and crosses to K. He now scores all his eight trumps separately: he trumps 3, trumps 2, trumps 5, trumps 3, trumps A(!), trumps 7, and later scores QJ. All eight trumps, AK and A make eleven tricks. Game made.

Tip 18

The Rule of 14. Make a two-over-one response only if your high-card points added to the number of cards in your suit reaches 14.

Deal 19

The Rule of 14 tells the responder to a one-of-a-suit opener whether he has enough to make a two-over-one response (e.g. 1 – 2). The crux is this: only respond in a new suit at the two-level if the number of high-card points in your hand added to the number of cards in your suit reaches 14. Otherwise, assuming you have no higher-ranking four-card suit which can be bid at the one-level, a responding hand that fails the Rule of 14 bids 1NT (or a single raise with three-card support). The 1NT response is not a genuine notrump bid – the hand may easily be unbalanced; rather it is an expression of weakness, a slowing-down manoeuvre. In practice, you will have six, seven, eight or occasionally nine points.

What happened

East led 2, the unbid suit, against North’s 3NT. Declarer played low from dummy and won A. At Trick Two, he led 4 to J and A. West led 9 to K and dummy won East’s 7 return with Q. Declarer cashed K (discarding 4), and led 3 to J and Q. East switched to 2 to Q and K. Declarer cashed A and led 4 to East’s 10. East led 3 to 10 and A. Declarer led 5 but East won the last three tricks with K and J8. Down three.

What should have happened

Against 2, West leads J to 3 and East’s K. East switches to K to dummy’s A, (anyone for a duck?), and 4 is led to J and A. West leads 9 to J and Q and 10 is trumped with 7 and overtrumped with 9. West leads 10 to Q and declarer cashes K. He ends up with two spades, a heart, three trumps and two clubs. Eight tricks and contract made. Big difference!

Tip 19

Do not make a two-over-one response when you fail the Rule of 14.

Deal 20

Imagine an opponent has opened the bidding. Do you now need opening points to enter? NO! There is only one opening bid in Bridge and it has already been made. If you bid, you do not promise opening points. But you do promise a good suit. What do I mean by ‘good’? I mean at least five cards headed by a couple of honours (remember the ten is an honour). With a lovely five-card suit, I encourage you to enter the bidding (at the one-level) with as little as six or seven points. If you have a five-card suit you would like partner to lead – one that can be introduced at the one-level – then bid it. Partner is not clairvoyant.

What happened

North-South sailed unopposed to 3NT and West naturally led 4. Declarer won J in hand and ran J, losing to K. East continued with 9. Winning in dummy with K, declarer was able to cash five diamonds, AK, and the two major suit aces. 11 tricks.

What should have happened

If East overcalls 1 over 1, West leads 8 (top from two) vs 3NT. Dummy plays 3, East 9 and declarer 4. East continues with K, again ducked. Winning the third spade with A, declarer leads 3 to A. Note this play: he does not mind losing the lead to West should he hold the guarded K (West has no more spades). He leads to A in case East has a singleton K. Not this time!

Declarer next leads 2 but East wins K and tables two winning spades. Down one.

Tip 20

An overcall does not promise opening bid values.

Deal 21

Focussing on overcalling, let us say that you have an opening hand without a decent suit. Is it good tactics to overcall? NO! Just because you were going to open the bidding does not mean you should bid after an opponent has opened. If your suit is poor, and the hand looks like it will ‘blow up in your face’ should partner have a lousy hand, PASS!

What happened

How South wished he had kept quiet. West’s double of his 2 overcall showed a confident expectation of defeating the contract. How right he was!

West led his singleton spade and East won A. At Trick Two East switched to A (dummy’s weakness) and followed with 10. Declarer won with J and led a heart (a trump would work better). West rose sharply with A and led a third diamond which East trumped with 10. East then cashed K and led a second spade. West trumped with 4 and led his fourth diamond. East overtrumped dummy’s 6 with Q and led a third spade.

Declarer, down to just his five trumps, tried 7, but West overtrumped with 8. West exited with a heart and declarer trumped perforce and led another trump. West won J and A. The defence had scored an unbelievable ten tricks, which included all six trumps. Five down and 1100 points to East-West.

What should have happened

Without the overcall, East-West would alight in an uninspiring 2 contract. It would probably make an overtrick.

Tip 21

Just because you would have opened the bidding does not mean you should bid after an opponent has opened.

Deal 22

There is one aspect of overcalling that cannot be stressed enough. An overcall must contain at least FIVE cards. One or two tournament players experiment with the odd four-card overcall. But (1) their success is at best mixed and (2) they are tournament players and more experienced in handling the 4–3 fits that frequently result. My advice is: Don’t overcall on four-card suits.

What happened

South’s four-card spade suit was so chunky that he decided to risk the overcall. Not a good idea! North naturally supported him to 2, expecting his three cards to give a fit of eight. West chanced a penalty double and led 8, to 9, 10 and 3.

At Tricks Two and Three, East cashed AK, West discarding 2, then switched to 9 (dummy’s weakness). Declarer played 2 and West won J. West returned 6 to East’s A and East led 3, to 4, Q and 8. West cashed A and correctly continued with 6. East overtrumped dummy’s 8 with 9 and led a fourth heart. Declarer discarded 10 and West trumped with 10. He exited with 5 and declarer trumped with 3 and led out AKJ, losing Trick 13 to West’s Q. He was down five. +1100 to East-West on a part-score deal!

What should have happened

Left to their own devices, East-West would have an awkward auction. East’s 2 rebid implies five hearts, so West’s ‘false preference’ bid of 2 is the best he can do.

A 2 contract would make easily enough. Big deal – compared to an 1100 penalty.

Tip 22

An overcall should contain at least FIVE cards.

Deal 23

The whole essence of an overcall is the suit, not the hand – a measly six or seven points are OK if the suit is good. The corollary is that the partner of an overcaller should be very keen to support but very cautious about bidding a different suit. And – note – only three cards are required to support an overcall (remember – partner must have at least five cards).

What happened

North tried 2 rather than 2, and neither South (fearing a misfit) or North (the three-level being rather high) saw fit to bid over 3.

South led 7 to A and North returned 5, to 9, Q and 2. South cashed A, then switched to