For the next few weeks we will be looking at overcalling.
This means making a bid when an opponent has already opened the bidding.
Remember that all the guidelines now change, because somebody has already opened the bidding. You cannot follow the rules for opening the bidding, because you are not opening the bidding; you are overcalling: |
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| Overcalling 1NT |
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This is a hand (slightly doctored) that was played at the club on Thursday night.
Had you been dealer, you would have opened 1NT. You have a balanced hand, with 13 HCP. Perfect!
But you aren't dealer, and Right Hand Opponent (RHO) opens 1♠, before you get the opportunity to open. Why shouldn't you bid 1NT anyway?
The answer is twofold:
1. Points!
When you open the bidding, you just need a 'better than average hand' in terms of High Card Points. If the remaining points are evenly divided between the other three hands, you will have the majority. Even if partner has a little less than his fair share, you are unlikely to land in too much trouble.
However, when an opponent opens the bidding, you know that the points are stacked against you! Maybe RHO only has 12 HCP, but he could have a lot more! It is far more likely that your opponents have the majority of points.
2. Spades!
RHO opened 1♠. If you are left to be declarer in 1NT, your Left Hand Opponent (LHO) should lead a spade.
(It's almost always right to lead a suit that your partner has bid - you have to have a very good reason not to: the only generally accepted excuse is that you haven't got any!)
Click on 'Show all Hands' above, and see what would happen if North leads a spade against 1NT: South will take 6 spade tricks before you even get the chance to play another suit. And then there are another two aces, and perhaps a heart trick or two to come for the defence!
So that's why you shouldn't bid 1NT (even though you have 12-14 HCP) if the opposition has opened the bidding already.
Furthermore, you're not really good enough to start bidding suits at the 2-level, so the best you can do is Pass, and hope that the opposition bid too high! |
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| So when can you overcall 1NT? |
1. To overcall 1NT, you need more points than you would to open 1NT.
You Need 16-18 HCP
2. You need to have high cards in your opponent's suit, to stop them taking the first umpteen tricks in the suit. In these circumstances, these high cards are called 'stoppers' or 'guards'.
3. Oh, and of course your hand should be balanced overall!
The hand below is the same hand, but doctored a little more! Now West has a balanced hand with 16 HCP, and sufficient stoppers in spades that even if North leads a spade, you can ensure that they won't be able to cash lots of tricks in that suit. |
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| Responding to a 1NT Overcall |
It's probably worth revising how to respond to a 1NT Opening Bid at this point. There is a separate page on this, but in summary:
When partner opens 1NT, &
a) you have a balanced hand:
- 0 - 10 HCP Pass
- 11-12 HCP Bid 2NT
- 13 + HCP Bid 3NT
b) you have an unbalanced hand:
- 0 - 10 HCP: Bid your long suit at the 2-level. Opener must pass now.
- 11+ HCP & a 5-card major: Bid suit at the 3-level. Opener must not pass.
- 11+ HCP & a 6-card major: Bid suit at the 4-level. There's no point bidding anything else!
- 11+ HCP & a long minor: It's usually best to play in No Trumps, so pretend your hand is balanced, and bid accordingly
When partner overcalls 1NT, the responses should be almost exactly the same. The only difference is that you don't need so many points in order to explore a game contract. Because partner is showing 16-18 HCP, you only need 9 HCP to be certain that you have enough points between you. And 7 HCP is enough for the possibility. Therefore...
When partner overcalls 1NT, &
a) you have a balanced hand:
- 0 - 6 HCP Pass
- 7 - 8 HCP Bid 2NT
- 9 + HCP Bid 3NT
b) you have an unbalanced hand:
- 0 - 6 HCP: Bid your long suit at the 2-level.
- 7+ HCP & a 5-card major: Bid suit at the 3-level.
- 7+ HCP & a 6-card major: Bid suit at the 4-level.
- 7+ HCP & a long minor: pretend your hand is balanced.
On the hand above, East has 9 HCP and a balanced hand. When West overcalls 1NT after South's opening bid, East knows that West has 16-18 HCP, and therefore knows that they have 25 HCP between them. East should just bid 3NT straightaway. |
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