Simple Overcalls

SIMPLE OVERCALLS

There is no section on the ACBL Convention card for describing suit overcalls or takeout doublesother than in SIMPLE OVERCALL, shown below.Theyare defined only as 1-level overcalls and responses.NoTrump Overcalls have a unique section: NoTrump Overcalls.

SIMPLE OVERCALL
1 level: __ 8__ to__ 15__ HCP (usually)
□ often 4 cards very light style□
Responses
New Suit: Forcing□ NFConst■NF□
Jump Raise:Forcing□ Inv. □ Weak ■
Cue bid limit raise is the
only forcing response.

Partnership agreements about overcalls are complex: here are some recommended agreementsfor suit overcalls that are followed by many players. There are no“right answers” in this section with all its nuances, even among advanced players.

DIRECT SUIT OVERCALLS [1♣ - ???]

1-Level Overcalls: [1♣ -1♠]. Most play that a 1-level overcall might only have 8 HCP, but must show a decent 5+-card suit. That’s because it is a lead-director on defense. You can open 1♠ holding ♠98765, but you cannot overcall with it. Do you want your partner to lead Spades?

[1♣ - 1♠ …]. 5+ good Spades, 8 to 15 or so HCP. There are no “strong” 1-level overcalls.
[1♣ - 1♦ …]. 4/5+ good Diamonds, 8+ HCP. Negative implication: Where’s the Majors?

2-Level Overcalls. A 2-level overcall in all systems shows a decent to good 5+ card suit and an opening hand. It must be prepared to be the declarer in that suit if all others pass.

[1♠ - 2♣ …]. 5+ decent Clubs, 12+ “points”. Negative implication: Hearts?
[1♦ - 2♣ …]. 5+ decent Clubs, 12+ “points”. Negative implication: Majors?

Since this is an opening hand strength overcall, some cautions below are diminished because the overcaller is approximately as strongas the opener.

Preemptive overcalls. All such bids nowadays are WJO’s(Weak Jump Overcalls, aka Preempts). Formerly,playersmade strong 2-level overcalls of 1-level openings, but not anymore, even though they are still legal.

If a pair does use them, they must be alerted. ASK! [1♠ - 3♣* …]. Alerted if strong; not alerted if preemptive – by far the most common usage nowadays. Ask the bidder’s partner at your turn to bid about HCP and shape.

RESPONSES toDIRECTSUITOVERCALLS withOUT 3rd seat bids

Here’s the tough part. Partner overcalls: [1♣ - 1♠ - P - ??? …]. We know from the guidelines abovethat she could have 8 HCP and nothing else, or she could have 17+ HCP and 7 Spades, just itching to bid her Spade game, or anything in between.

- PASS.Pass is a logical bid becausesuit overcalls are never forcing. Thank goodness!
- NOTRUMP RESPONSES. There’s no mention of NT responses on the ACBL card.

[1♣ - 1♠ - P - 1NT …]. “I have no Spades, butClubs stopped and enough HCP to bid NT.”

[1♣ - 1♠ - P - 2NT …]. “I have no Spades, but Clubs well stopped and enough to invite 3NT”.

[1♣ - 1♠ - P - 3NT …]. “I have no Spades, Clubs well stopped and I can see 3NT in hand.”

- Raise Responses

Jump Raise: Forcing □ Inv. □ Weak ■
. Raises are the only straightforward responses to overcalls. We play all direct raises in competition are or may be weak, so any raise can be just a few HCP and 3+ trumps.
[1♣ - 1♠ - P - 2♠ …]. Easy: you’re done bidding in this auction. A jump raise can be similarly weak, but shows 4 trumps, and again you’redone bidding. [1♣ - 1♠ - P - 3♠ …].

The strongest raise you can make is a Cue Bid Limit Raise (a CBLR), showing 9 to11 points and at least 3 trumps: [1♣ - 1♠ - P - 2♣ …]. (Cue bids are never alerted, remember?). Some play that such Limit Raises do not guarantee trumps, but our CBLRalways shows at least 3 trumps.
Partner is forced to bid by your CBLR. He can bid at the lowest level with his 8 HCP overcall, or go on to game with an opener+ hand, or invite you with a 3-level suit bid or even jump to 4NT RKC Blackwood. [1♣ - 1♠ - P - 2♣ P - (2♠ or 4♠ or 3♠ or 4NT) …]. It’s a matter of level,not of fit, after any raise. Aslam isvery rare, and even a Game is unusual because the opponent opened. But shape always rules: maybe he is void in Clubs with 7 Spades and a red side-suit?

- OTHER RESPONSES

Here’s yourprinted choices about bidding a new suit when you can’t raise or bid NT or Pass:

New Suit: Forcing □ NFConst □ NF□
NFConst□means “Not Forcing but constructive”.
NF□justmeans “Not Forcing”. (Without constructive strengthlength? Kidding, right?)

A New Suit:Forcing □ response to a 1-level suit overcall says that you can force partner to bid againwith just his5-card suit and 8 HCP because you have a suit and enough HCP to force himto bid again,regardless. This was the “standard” response for many years, but has generally gone out of style because 8 HCP 1-level suit overcalls are becoming more common.

A NFConst□response says “Partner, I can’t raiseyou or bid NT, but I have a good suit of my own and enough HCP to continue this auction. You can pass if you need to: it’s sufficient to declare at this level in this auction.” It also denies 2 of overcaller’s suit: with 2+, Pass or raise. This has become the most common choice, although none of these are very comfortable.

A NF□response denies everything: no raise, not forcing or invitational, but a self-sufficient suit. Who knows where this auction goes? Rare.

RESPONSES TODIRECTSUITOVERCALLS WHEN 3rd seat bids

If 3rd seat bids, you will have generally the same choices as shown above, but the level may behigher. And there are always direct or indirect bidding implications to think about.
[1♣ - 1♠ - 2♣ - ???] or [1♥ - 1♠ - 2♥ - ???]. These may be weak, fit-showing raises in competition just like we would make. You can still bid Spades at any level or a CBLR
(3♣ or 3♥) with a good hand, or even bid game. A Double would show decent HCP but neither Spades nor another biddable suit. However, it’s not a penalty double at the 2-level.
2NT would be natural and non-forcing (and rare!).
[1♣ - 1♠ - 3♣ - ???]. That 3♣ bid is irritating! But of course it’s the very reason we play Inverted Minor raisesare always “On”, right? A weak 3-level bid, getting in your face early on.
[1♥ - 1♠ - 2♦ - ???]. This 3rd seat responder has shown a 10+ HCP forcing hand butis not denying Hearts, so you’re probably out of the auction unless you can raise partner’s Spades.

[1♣ - 1♠ - Dbl - ???]. A3rd seat Negative Double,showing 8+ HCP, 4 Hearts & some Diamonds. Now you know about what everyone has and can respond accordingly.

Biding strategy if 3rd seat bids. Determine if the bid is just preemptive and competitive, or shows real values. Remember that at your turn, you can ask opener what the bids means re: shape and HCP.

PASSOUT SEAT OVERCALLS(without 3rd seat bids.)

[1♦ - P - P - Dbl …] This is a normal forcing Takeout Doubleshowingat least 4 – 3 in the majors and opening hand strength, just as though it had been bid in 2nd seat. [1♦ - Dbl …] Implications about 2nd and 3rd seat hands are obvious: Why didn’t either of them bid?

Responder bids accordingly, just as though it was a 2nd seat Takeout Double.
[1♦- P - P - Dbl P - 2♥ …] This responder is showing a 4+ Heart suit and about 8 to 10 HCP: a standard response to a Takeout Double of a minor suit opening.Donot automatically respond at the 1-level to partner’s Takeout Double: it shows 0 to 7 HCP.With 8 to 10, bid 2: with 11 or 12, bid 3 and with 13+, bid gamesomewhere. Lower than Game bids are weak, average or invitational.

[1♦ - P - P - 1♥…] An apparently normal 1-level overcall, but neither 2nd nor 3rd seat has hardly anything. On its face, this is the same as a 2nd seat suit 1♥overcall, but Caution! see the unusual4th seat-only choice below.)

PASSOUTSEAT PASSOUTS

[1♦ - P - P - P …] A passout of a 1-level minor suit opening with no one else bidding: what could that be?

It could very well be a 19 HCP hand just panting to bid 2NT if 3rd seat responded, but he didn’t. If this 4th hand bids anything, opener will probably bid 1NT, getting to her desired NT contract: not a 1♦contract. This passout seat player has elected to let opener make whatever she can in a minor suit contract with a suit that might be just 3 cards long.

Looks like a Top for …. who?

Fun!