Landy over 1NT

Isn't it annoying when you have an opening hand but the opponents open with a 1NT?

To bid at all, you must start at the 2-level, and yet the enemy has admitted to being weak. However, you should try your best to prevent them from stealing your contract.

But how? Your normal option after 1NT from the enemy is to bid your 5 card suit at the already high 2-level and a good hand. But what if you have an opening hand with only 7 losers and two good Majors? How can you tell your partner about both?

You can with "Landy", an overcall bid of 2.

Overcalling 1NT

If you and your partner use Landy for overcalling two Major suits at once, here first is an overview of what the various possible overcalls mean after an opening bid of 1NT:

• 2// = one natural 5/6-card suit
• 2 = "Landy" = " and  overcall", see below
• 2NT = 5/5 in the minors
• 3 = natural 6-card club
• 3// = good seven card and 5 – 10 HCP providing you are playing weak jump overcalls
• Double always for penalties = 15-18 (If the opening 1NT is strong NT then more HCP are needed)

Landy

Here's what 2 Landy promises to your partner:

• 5-4 in the major, a rare exception can be 4-4
• HCP are ideally in the Majors, you need 9+ HCP

It's best not to "Landy" with only two four-card Majors, because you could end up in a terrible 4-2 six-card fit, with fewer trumps than the enemy. Only do it with 4-4 if:

• they are both good suits, and
• you're not vulnerable, and
• have a 6-loser hand, and
• you have a singleton

Response?

You must reply unless the enemy intervene because your partner (the Landy-overcaller-partner) probably has almost no Clubs at all. In most cases you and partner should end up contracting in one of the Majors, and your main job now is to tell your partner which is your longest Major.

Remember you know your partner is strong, and you are forced to bid.

1. You simply reply with your longest Major.
2. If your Majors are the same length, reply in 2 to force your partner to say which Major he prefers.
3. The only time you can pass if the opponents do not intervene is if you have 7 clubs
4. With 4-card Major support, knowing that you have at least an 8-card fit, you can fully evaluate your hand using point count or better still using the losing trick count and raise to the 3-level or more in a Major. On partner's response you can continue to evaluate on the same basis.

Overcalling the enemy 1NT - from the last hand

If you are sitting in the "last hand" position (the enemy open 1NT, followed by 2 passes) you should be more aggressive. That's because you know the enemy don't have a "Game" on. In this case:

• a single five-card suit can be enough to overcall
• Landy is still a good way of showing two Major suits, if that's what you and partner agree.

In a 1NT contract by the enemy, a good 5-card suit of yours would, unfortunately, be unlikely to be led by your partner. So the enemy has a better than usual chance of making their annoying 1NT. Another good reason to overcall if you have a good 5-card suit in the last seat.