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Home , Bridge scoring, Overcall, Sacrifice (bridge)

BETTER BIDDING by BERNARD MAGEE North holds an opening hand which fulfils the requirements of Reason 1 and he should be thinking that he has something to say; after all, his hand could be better than opener’s. Moreover, North holds the spade suit which is so useful in competitive auctions. His suit When is perhaps the worst it could be and North will not be proud to have his partner leading it, but this deficiency is far outweighed by the hand’s strength, the to spade suit and the vulnerability (non- vulnerable). Note that when one feature of the hand is very poor (in this case, suit quality) it is very important that there should be enough other factors to out- weigh it in order to make the overcall worthwhile. Contesting the part-score is important he first rule about overcalling is • Suit strength: interior strength can at all forms of bridge; this is especially the most important: you need five be very important; K-J-10-9-4 is a true at Duplicate Pairs, where a score Tor more cards in a suit to overcall. good suit, whereas K-J-6-5-4 is of -50 or -100 can be very good when This is essential to good bidding. somewhat frail. your opponents can make a part-score of I like to play an aggressive style of -110 and above. overcalling – bidding is fun – but it is 1. Competing The deal above is a good example of important to do so for the right reasons; a part-score hand: both sides can scrape do not simply overcall for the sake of Just because your opponents open the together nine tricks. In Auction 1 the bidding. There are a several good reasons bidding does not mean it is their hand; if overcall locates the fit right away: South for entering the auction and if your hand you have high-card-point strength of is assured of North’s five-card spade fits with a number of these then you your own, together with a long suit, you holding, and so can raise spades at his should go ahead and overcall. should consider entering the auction. first turn and subsequently push on over This is perhaps the most common type 3♥. With no defensive tricks, he can be Reasons for of overcall, and involves competing for pretty sure that this is the right course of Overcalling the part-score. action – either because 3♠ might make So many points can change hands on or, more likely, because 3♠ will go one 1 Competing (High-card-point strength) deals like this: off (-50, or even -100 if doubled) and 2 Sacrificing (Long suit in a shapely thus gain a better score than allowing hand) 3♥ to make (-140). 3 Disrupting (Taking up bidding space) Dealer: West. Love All. As it is, North will make 3♠ (+140), 4 Asking for a lead (Good suit) ♠ J 9 5 3 2 280 points more than 3♥ by West, ♥ 7 4 2 making (-140). Note that if East-West When we discuss these reasons we will ♦ AK knew that 3♠ was making, they, in turn, also bear in mind the general bridge ♣ K Q 4 could push on to 4♥ going one off – a background that affects your : ♠ A6 ♠ K 10 4 better score for East-West than allowing ♥ A K 9 5 3 N ♥ Q J 10 8 North to play in 3♠, making! W E • Bidding level: generally, the higher ♦ J 9 4 S ♦ Q 10 8 5 Now consider what happens in Auction the call, the more the strength ♣ J 8 3 ♣ 7 2 2 when North elects to double to show required, since the danger of going ♠ Q 8 7 opening values: when East leaps pre- down is greater. ♥ 6 emptively to 3♥, East wins the auction • Vulnerability: vulnerable overcalls ♦ 7 6 3 2 because South has absolutely no useful need to be stronger because the ♣ A 10 9 6 5 bid to make. penalties are bigger. Remember that it is very important to • Spades: the most powerful suit show a five-card major by overcalling; a because it is the highest-ranking. If Auction 1 take-out double usually implies a four- both sides can make eight tricks, West North East South card major – and of course it should also then the side with the spade suit 1♥ 1♠ 2♥ 2♠ suggest, and be based on, shortage in wins; also, if you hold spades you Pass Pass 3♥ Pass the opponent’s suit. can make bids at lower Pass 3♠ End Many hands pass by unnoticed without levels. Whenever you hold a five- these intriguing bidding battles, but there card spade suit you should seriously Auction 2 are not many part-score hands when consider an overcall. West North East South both sides should not be in the auction! And finally: 1♥ Dbl 3♥ End Continued on page 11 ‹

Page 9 BETTER BIDDING continued from page 9 Auction 2 West North East South 1♣ 1♠ Pass 2♠ 2. Sacrificing hand. If you play weak jump overcalls, . . . this hand would fit the bill, but without With weak but distributional hands, if them a simple overcall suffices. Auction 3 you can find a fit, you may well be able With sacrificing in mind you should West North East South to find contracts that, although destined make an overcall; yes, it is important for 1♣ Pass 1♥ Pass to fail, enable you to give less away than your partner not to get too excited, 2♥ End letting your opponents score game. The unless he has a fit; if he has a fit with only way to know whether a ‘sacrifice’ you, then your hand is a gold mine. On North’s hand is not strong, but in every is possible is to bid in order to locate a this deal North-South will only lose other respect it is perfect for an over- fit. A sacrifice will generally be a worth- four tricks with spades as trumps, which call: good suit, a great lead, the spade while proposition only if your side has a means that, even if doubled, they will suit, and the overcall takes up the whole good fit. lose just 100 points in 4♠, and 300 of the one level – forcing East to bid How can you find out whether you points in 5♠. With East-West able to higher to show his hand. The 1♠ over- have a fit? By making an overcall! make 5♥ for 650, both 4♠ and 5♠ are call blocks the simple 1♥ response. a bargain. East can use the to Big fits (of ten or more cards) are the show four hearts (if he plays the Dealer: West. E/W Vul. most suitable for sacrificing; such hands convention), but is West strong enough ♠ A J 10 5 4 3 can often take a surprising number of to bid over 2♠? ♥ 7 tricks as, with shortages in different This deal is very similar to the first ♦ J 10 3 2 suits, both hands can make full use of one, in that it is a part-score battle, but ♣ 4 2 their trumps. by bidding obstructively you might ♠ 8 ♠ 9 6 manage to stop your opponents finding ♥ A K 8 4 2 N ♥ Q J 9 6 their fit, and by bidding spades up to the W E 3. Disrupting ♦ A8 5 S ♦ K Q 9 7 two level in one round of bidding you ♣ K 9 7 3 ♣ Q J 5 Without opponents’ bids auction are a certainly make it difficult for them. If you ♠ K Q 7 2 lot simpler, rather like talking one-to- do not use the negative double, what ♥ 10 5 3 one. However, try talking to someone would you bid on the East hand after 1♣ ♦ 6 4 across a crowded room with other voices – 1♠? Not easy, is it? All of this trouble ♣ A 10 8 6 and the conversation is a lot more caused by a simple 1♠ overcall! difficult to follow. The same is true in East-West can make nine tricks in bridge: put in a bid at the right time and hearts whilst North-South can make eight West North East South your opponents will have a tough time tricks in spades. Once again if East- 1♥ 1♠ 3♥ 3♠ of it. Over 1♣, 1♠ is very disruptive, West do manage to reach 3♥, North- 4♥ 4♠ End taking up the whole of the one level. In South will do better to finish in 3♠, contrast, a 1♥ bid over 1♦ causes little losing 50, which is better than giving North has a very weak hand, but a lot of disruption: with you holding length in away 140. The intricacies of part-score playing strength in spades; when you hearts, your LHO was unlikely to want hands at Duplicate Pairs are endless; hold a hand that will take very few to bid 1♥ anyway. start winning these types of hand and you tricks playing in the opposition’s suit, will soon see your scores jumping up. but many in your own, you should think Something that becomes apparent very of sacrificing – you have an “attacking” Dealer: West. Love All. quickly when studying overcalls and ♠ A K 5 4 3 part-score hands is that spades are a ♥ J 3 2 very powerful suit – good for barraging HALLMARKED ♦ 8 7 4 and good for sacrificing. ♣ 6 5 PENCILS ♠ 8 7 ♠ 9 6 2 4. Asking for a Lead ♥ K Q 9 4 N ♥ A 10 8 6 W E Boxed set ♦ J 6 S ♦ Q 10 5 Perhaps the most important reason for of four ♣ A Q J 8 2 ♣ K 4 3 overcalling is to tell partner what to in Silver ♠ Q J 10 lead. Suits such as ♠A-K-4-3-2 and ♥ 7 5 ♥K-Q-J-10-9 are crying out to be led, £125 ♦ A K 9 3 2 but if you are not on lead how can you also ♣ 10 9 7 be sure to have them led? By over- available in calling! The first rule we are taught in 9ct or 18ct gold defence is: “Lead your partner’s suit.” Auction 1 This should severely sway you Mail Order Service West North East South against overcalling on weak suits. See centre pages 1♣ 1♠ Dbl 2♠ Generally the stronger your hand, the . . . Continued on page 13 ‹

Page 11 BETTER BIDDING continued from page 11 Bernard Magee’s widely acclaimed weaker the suit can be (as we saw in the to heed your call and lead the four of first example); thus any weak overcall hearts, after which declarer will struggle should be based around a very strong to get home: the spade will still and long suit. lose, but this time the defence will make five tricks because they started with the right suit. Even if declarer aims for some BIDDING Dealer: South. N/S Vul. kind of , West can still foil him ♠ 8 7 with accurate defence. SOFTWARE ♥ A 8 6 2 Notice that because of the solidity of ♦ A5 2 your suit, even if partner only turns up ♣ K Q 9 8 with 5 points and a doubleton heart, you ♠ K 2 ♠ 10 9 5 4 still have a good chance of making 2♥ ♥ K Q J 10 9 N ♥ 4 (perhaps with four hearts, three diamonds W E ♦ 9 8 7 6 S ♦ K Q 10 4 and a spade). Yes, best defence will foil ♣ 7 6 ♣ 5 4 3 2 you, but then the risk of reaching an un- ♠ A Q J 6 3 makeable contract was certainly out- ♥ 7 5 3 weighed by the ability to tell partner what ♦ J 3 to lead. ♣ AJ 10 Beware as Responder

Auction 1 In general I advocate overcalling as West North East South often as possible, but think about the 1♠ reasons why – do not just call for the 2♥ 3NT End sake of calling; remember that your opponents can listen too, and can gain Auction 2 important information with regard the West North East South play of the hand. I have outlined the CONTENTS 1♠ reasons for overcalling rather than giving HANDS EACH Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ strict guidelines; this is because there are (20 ) Pass 3NT End so many different hands on which it can Opening Bids be right to overcall, that you cannot fit and Responses With the vulnerability favourable, 2♥ is them all in one box. not really that dangerous, especially as Notice, however, that since I advocate No- Openings it will almost always help the defence. some very weak overcalls, when respon- Support for Partner We do not know who is going to bid ding to an overcall you do need to be 3NT, but if it is North we must make more wary. What this means is that you Slams and Strong Openings sure our partner knows what to lead. On need to make use of the opponents’ suit Opener’s and Auction 2 above, West will surely lead to show a strong hand, e.g. 1♣ – 1♠ – Responder’s Rebids the king of diamonds; when the spade Pass – 2♣ (the last bid saying: “Partner, I finesse loses, East-West will make their am strong”) rather than leaping to 3NT! Minors and Misfits diamond tricks, but that is not enough: This situation will be cleared up when Pre-empting four tricks and declarer makes his nine. we consider responding to an overcall However, after Auction 1, partner is sure in a future article. Doubles Overcalls Competitive Auctions

SUPERSCORER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Duplicate Program Windows 95 or later CD-ROM for Windows 95 or later Single or multi section/session Any movement scored 95 95 £59 Enter names using initials Prints Master-points £52 A Product Uploads Sim Pairs results Creates HTML files inc p&p Available exclusively from the From the Mail Order Service. See centre pages. Mail Order Service

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