Bridge Workshop. On Competitive Bidding. (Overcalls and the Law of Total Tricks) Last Revised March 28 th, by Warren Watson

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1 Bridge Workshop On Competitive Bidding (Overcalls and the Law of Total Tricks) Last Revised March 28 th, 2018 by Warren Watson March 27, 2018, we did Examples 1 to 6 and 8. 1

2 The Cluttered Auction Principle The opponents should never be given a clean auction if at all possible. Interference with good suits often has good results, and it gets partner, at the very least, off to the correct lead. Interference with bad suits is just dumb as it gets partner off to the wrong lead or the opponents may double. Suit Contracts A One-Level Overcall 8 to 17 A good suit wanting the lead A one-level overcall may not be lead directive with a full opener. Usually an outside King (control) for a minimum overcall I am never upset with a one-level overcall that is just a strong suit with nothing outside. After all, an overcall is not meant to help the opponents find outside Queens. A Two-Level Overcall 12 to 17 A very good six-card suit wanting the lead. Good intermediates help with bad splits. Overcall Cuebid A limit raise or better (with support of course) Or a full opener without support One-level is forcing Two-level when partner overcalled is nonforcing constructive Third Seat Opening Same as a one-level overcall Start the fight for a partscore 2

3 Fits Drive Misfits Halt Listen to the Bidding With a stiff in partner s suit subtract 3 HCPs, void subtract 4 HCPs. Power of Two-Suited Hands A five-five 10 HCPs will make game opposite a four-card limit raise. No Trump Overcalls Rule of Eight Direct Overcall of 1NT If the number of cards in the two longest suits minus the number of losers in the hand is two or more with the six HCPs necessary to make a hand able to declare, a direct overcall of 1NT is made. Rule of Two Balancing Overcall of 1NT If the bidding goes 1N P P, you enter the bidding with two points in distribution and six HCPs The weaker you are the stronger partner is behind the No Trump opener. DONT (Disturb Opponents No Trump) in all seats 1N s + higher suit (up the bidding ladder) s + higher s + higher natural (weaker than going through the double) 2NT 5-5 in minors or better (six-five vulnerable) (5-4 bid ) dbl a long suit asks partner to bid 3

4 If partner bids, asks for his second suit with two or fewer clubs. 2NT by responder is game forcing asking for second suit. Modified DONT (Meckwell) in all seats 1N s + hier s + hier natural natural 2NT 5-5 in minors or better (six-five vulnerable) (5-4 bid ) dbl a long minor or both majors asks partner to bid then pass to show s then bid over to show s then bid over to show the majors then bid 2NT over to show balanced 2NT by responder is game forcing asking for second suit over or. Kit Woolsey s Law In a competitive auction, bid the limit of your hand immediately and give the last guess to the opponents. Law of Total Tricks In a competitive auction, compete to the same level as the fit and that will either make or be a good sacrifice. Eight card fit is the two-level Nine card fit is the three-level Ten card fit is the four-level Eleven card fit is the five-level etc. 4

5 Do it right away or not at all. This restricts the information the opponents can convey. One of my clients makes marginal bids delayed. This is wrong. The bull must be taken by the horns and the marginal bid must be made right away or not at all. Raising Preempts Andersen, Ron and Sabine Zenkel, Preempts from A to Z, USA: Magnus Books, First Edition, Assessment When partner preempts, your length in his suit gives an immediate assessment of your involvement in the auction. Shortness in partner s preempt suit is a warning to tread carefully and stay out of the bidding. Length in partner s preempt dictates at least a raise. When partner preempts, the cards important to him are called the cover cards. The cover cards are all the Aces and Kings and the Queen of the preempt suit. Queens and Jacks in side suits are not important to the preemptive bidder, who is likely short in these suits, on offense but are important to you on defense. Rule of 17 If the HCP s plus the support length of partner s weak two is 17 or more, raise him to the four-level. If the points are quacky, the rule may fail. If partner preempts, it is first determined if game is possible. 15 or more points are usually needed. See rule of 17. If game is out of reach then it is determined whether the preempt can be raised to further the preempt. The law of total tricks is used. It is shape not points that is important. P South is showing the same strength in both cases so we always try to raise partner s preempt when the law is obeyed. 5

6 To Take Action over Opponent s Preempt. Direct Seat Balancing Seat Weak Two Weak Three The less ideal the shape, the more points are needed. Doubles and overcalls are the same strength, just different shapes. Points in the opponent s suit are not that useful if not playing No Trump. To Take Action over Partner s Preempt. To raise partner s preempt. Need three (favourable vulnerability), two (equal vulnerability) or one cover cards (unfavourable vulnerability) for partner to make his preempt depending on vulnerability and then one cover for every level raised. Just use: a vulnerable preempt needs two cover cards to make, and a notvulnerable preempt needs three cover cards to make. Do Not Preempt a Preempt Any action over anybody s preempt (except for a raise of the preempt by partner, RONF) shows strength. A jump shows an Ace above a direct overcall. Raises are the Only NonForcing bids, everything else is forcing. Have you ever done a successful seven level sacrifice? The key is no defense outside a double fit and missing one of the Aces in the double fit. Sacrifices are usually not vulnerable versus vulnerable (not versus hot). Having two Aces makes a seven-level sacrifice a phantom sacrifice. Having no Aces just pushes them to a makeable Grand. 6

7 Review of Takeout Doubles Opening hand with two or fewer cards in the suit doubled and three or more cards in the unbid suits. When there is only two cards in an unbid suit, find another bid. A double is no longer an option, but a Pass may be. A 4333 hand can have three in the suit doubled but is far from ideal. With no four-card major a pass not a double is best with Losers To determine, how many losers a hand has, a player counts: the missing top three honours (the ace, king and queen) in any suit three cards or longer, the missing top two honours (the ace and king) in a two-card suit and the missing top honour (the ace) in a one-card suit. xxx, xxxx, xxxxx, et cetera are all three losers, the maximum one suit can have. xx, Jx, Qx, Axx, Kxx, Qxx, Axxx, Kxxx, Qxxx, Axxxx, et cetera are all two losers. x, Ax, Kx, AKx, AQx, KQx, AKxx, AQxx, KQxx, AKxxx, et cetera are all one loser. void, A, AK, AKQ, AKQx, AKQxx, AKQxxx, et cetera are all zero losers. Using the Losing Trick Count, the losers in both hands are counted, and the total is subtracted from twenty-four to give a rough estimate of the number of tricks possible. It works in trump contracts often with a nine-card fit or better. 7

8 Board 1 OffShape Doubles are the Lowest of the Low *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 North Dealer None Vulnerable Q432 A J87 Q4 95 KQ KJ109 KJ876 AJ AK AQ P 1 1 dbl P P 3 3 all pass South cannot make an offshape double by doubling with two cards or fewer in an unbid suit. 3 is is +170 if declarer only allows two rounds of trump to be drawn. Declarer must setup the cross ruff by losing a club and a heart without cashing the Ace and then drawing two rounds of trump. South loses a spade, a heart and a club. So South overcalled a four-card suit? It is so much better than an offshape double. If three rounds of trump are played or the defenders win a heart and lead the third round of trump, there is Do not be too concerned with a four-card overcall. It is sure easier bidding this hand at the one-level than trying to figure out what to do over 1NT. It should be noted that the lowest card is a nine in a four-card suit. The lowest card being an eight is not good enough. The declarer play and not making a takeout double with two cards or fewer in an unbid suit are the most important parts of this example. We can pass with the wrong shape to double because we know partner will not sell out to the one or two level unless he has four cards or more in the opponent s suit. This is called balancing. P 1 P 1NT P P P?? 8

9 South lost his opportunity to introduce spades and must defend 1NT. West on a heart lead gets nine tricks. If North switches, as he should, the defenders get four spades, one heart, one or more diamonds for -90, +50 or +100 not 170. Board 2 Can North Hear South? *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 East Dealer North South Vulnerable AQJ A A95 Q10954 K1098 A82 QJ10 KJ3 75 KQJ109 K dbl all pass If South overcalls 1, 4 may be very likely, but since the overcall is 1, North must stay out of the bidding. is a clueless bid because he did not listen to the 1 clue. Both 3 and a double work. The double, in fact, works real well. x is and is 110. A takeout double when there is only one unbid suit is penalty. 9

10 Board 3 Interfere with No Trump as Much as Possible *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 South Dealer East West Vulnerable K32 AJ32 AQ3 Q109 J AK8765 AQ1098 KQ KJ10982 J2 P P 1NT dbl P P P 4 P P 5 5 all pass With DONT P P 1NT P s + s 4 P P 5 5 all pass SOuth can pass because he has five hearts. If they bid hearts, he lets them play and if they bid 4, he tries 5. 5 makes for is a good sacrifice for This is a huge reason why Meckwell (Modified DONT) is the best system. South has to wait to see if the opponent has the majors. This is hard to do, but must be done so South can listen to the bidding. 10

11 Here is the bidding with modified DONT. South can transfer, but the auction cannot end there. P P 1NT dbl P P P 3 P 3 P 4 P P 5 5 all pass 11

12 Board 4 Balancing with Two Points in Distribution *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 West Dealer North South Vulnerable Q1098 Q1098 AKQ 54 AJ5 AKJ QJ J654 A32 K K9876 1NT P P P P all pass South has two points in distribution and the six points needed to be a legitimate declarer. North has and asks partner for his second suit by bidding. If East and West were vulnerable, South would let them play 1NT down two or more. Board 5 The Law Works! *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 North Dealer NS Vulnerable A1098 K2 AKQ952 K A AQJ KQJ J1043 QJ all pass 12

13 4 makes makes Therefore, even though 6 is a good sacrifice, there is no defense against 6 so 6 is never bid. 5 takes away Blackwood and makes bidding a slam pure guesswork and only gives up -100 doubled. Over West s 4 not a 5 bid, a slam can be bid. Over 5, a slam is a guess and is not bid. 4NT is bid over 4 asking for keycards. Board 6 Looking For a Double Fit *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 East Dealer East West Vulnerable KQJ1098 AJ87 AK1098 AK10986 A 4 Q76543 QJ J KQ10932 P P P dbl all pass West bids 4 showing the majors. Even those who play top and other must play Michaels for high level cuebids. North promises club support with a 4 bid and shows a desire to play 5. To make a successful seven level sacrifice, there has to be a double fit and only one defensive trick. When South bids 5 either 7 or 7 can be bid since it is assumed the Ace defeats 7. The Ace is held so 7 is played. In 7, there could be a diamond ruff. 7 x is is 1430 and 7 is In 7, declarer does not want it to go small diamond to opponent s Ace and a ruff. This is impossible in 7. 13

14 14

15 Board 7 No Walking Up the Auction-Jump to the Limit South Dealer Both Vulnerable A754 2 Q QJ6 AKJ108 J54 A2 32 Q953 A K K6 KQJ9 1 1 Dbl 3 P P?? East bids the limit of his hand right away and if South bids 3 he is showing a stronger hand than he has. If he passes, North won t know they have a spade fit. If East bids, the hand is easier for North and South. If they ask if 3 is weak, the answer is if he bid he would always bid 3 if the opponents compete so he is bidding the limit of his hand right away. He happens to be following the law of total tricks. Board 8 The Rule of 17 *Kelowna Feb 23 rd, 2018 West Dealer None Vulnerable A AJ1098 KJ10987 Q Q654 KJ109 AK A542 QJ KQ532 P 4 all pass 15

16 East has 13 HCPs and four card support which is 17 or more so he bids 4. Board 9 But I was Going to Preempt North Dealer East West Vulnerable 32 2 QJ1098 KQJ104 Q J7654 AK76 A65 54 AKQ AKJ P P 4 P P 4 dbl all pass What happens if you plan to preempt and an opponent preempts ahead of you? An overcall shows strength and a jump overcall is even stronger (by at least an Ace). You must pass and see if you can come in later. AKJ1098 AQ AKJ1098 AQ10 A AKJ1098 AQ10 A2 A2 4 Doubles and overcalls of a preempt are the same strength just a different shape. With a preempt there is no longer enough time to double and bid a suit. 16

17 Board 10 Watch Out for Deadly Sacrifices East Dealer Both Vulnerable K5 432 KQJ2 J1093 J84 QJ10 A43 AK65 AQ Q87 3 AK P 4 all pass West has three cover cards, two to make up for the preempt and one to raise to four. The rule of 17 tells West to bid game over a weak two so there is an extra trick to make up for the quacky hearts for 650 or +680 if South leads the AK of hearts. If South leads the Ace, he needs to switch to the 9 when he sees dummy. Choosing his longest two suits is best. 5 x It is one thing risking a sacrifice when 5 goes down one but over 5 both a double or 5 work. A double, in fact, works real well. We shy away from sacrifices at equal or unfavourable vulnerability. We also shy away from unilateral sacrifices. Furthermore, North, if given a choice, would refuse a sacrifice with defensive tricks especially an honour in their suit (whether it is working or not). 17

Lead low from the south hand and finesse. Guards against Kx with east, allowing east to win the fourth round with the 9

Lead low from the south hand and finesse. Guards against Kx with east, allowing east to win the fourth round with the 9 Safety Plays (1) The term safety play is applied primarily to situations where declarer plays a combination of cards in a way which aims to achieve sufficient tricks from the suit to achieve the contract