BB What’s Standard? by David Lindop This series is based on Grant Good Suit or Good Hand? Standard, a set of conventions and At one time, the main criteria for agreements that are in popular use The Simple overcalling was a ‘good’ five-card or today, such a 15-17 1NT openings, Overcall longer suit. The longer and stronger five-card majors, and weak two- the suit, the less likely the opponents bids. A summary chart of Grant will double for penalty. The better Standard and the corresponding the suit, the more ‘lead directing’ convention card can be found at with the opponents’ auction may cause them to bid too much or value if the opponents win the auction. www.AudreyGrant.com. The site The modern style, however, is to also has Grant Basic, a simpler set too little or to reach the wrong contract. The more room we take overcall with either a good suit or a of agreements. good hand, or both. For example, Earlier articles in this series away the better. If the opening bid is 1♦, an overcall of 1♥ doesn’t suppose we are South and East appeared in the Bridge Bulletin and opens the bidding 1♦. can also be found under ‘Articles’at take away much room, but an ♣ WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH www.AudreyGrant.com. overcall of 2 takes away responder’s opportunity to bid 1♦ ? 1♥, 1♠, or 1NT. This hand has only hen the opponents have ♠ AQJ 9 5 4) We may help our side defend. If 7 high-card points ♥ 8 3 opened the bidding, we but a good suit. Most have two ways to come we don’t win the auction, the more ♦ 9 2 W partner knows about our hand, players would over- ♣ into the auction: an overcall or a 7 6 5 4 the easier it will be to defend. call 1♠. It’s only a double. Each of these comes in a one-level overcall and we would variety of forms, so let’s start with Our overcall might get partner off to the best opening lead. certainly like to suggest that partner one of the most straightforward, the lead a spade if partner ends up as simple overcall. By ‘simple’ we Reasons Not to Overcall the opening leader. Our overcall mean a natural, non jump overcall. There’s also a downside to entering may prevent the opponents from The Grant Standard guideline for the auction. bidding and making a 3NT contract. overcalls is quite brief: 1) We may get penalized. When we With this hand, we overcall, responder is well-placed don’t have a good suit ♠ J 9 6 5 3 SIMPLE OVERCALL ♥ to decide what to do, having but we do have a good 8 3 7-17 (usually) heard partner’s opening bid. We ♦ AQ hand. Most players ♣ may become trapped between the would overcall 1♠ to A Q 5 4 That gives us quite a bit of leeway, two opponents and be doubled get the partnership into the auction. so let’s take a deeper look. for penalty. Even undoubled, we There’s more to gain than to lose. may simply go down instead of Reasons for Overcalling Here we have both letting the opponents go down. a good hand and a ♠ A Q J 7 6 3 There a several reasons for getting 2) We give the opponents more good suit. We’d ♥ 8 3 into the auction whenever possible. options. If we overcall, responder still make a simple ♦ KQ ♣ 1) The contract may belong to our can now pass, double, or cuebid. overcall of 1♠. The K 10 4 side. Even though the opponents This may allow responder to better range for a one-level overcall is have opened, we may still hold describe the hand than if we had quite large, about 7-17 points. the majority of the strength or passed and let responder bid. This hand has 7 better distribution. 3) We give away information. If we high-card points and ♠ 10 4 2) We may push the opponents to don’t win the auction, declarer a five-card suit, but ♥ Q 8 7 6 3 an uncomfortable level. If the may have a better idea how to the suit is poor. Most ♦ Q 9 5 opponents are resting in 2♥ and play the contract. players would not ♣ K 8 3 we bid 2♠, they now have to On balance, the advantages tend risk an overcall with this hand. With choose between defending 2♠ to outweigh the disadvantages. It’s such a poor suit, the opponents may and bidding on to 3♥. 3♥ may difficult for the opponents to double double us for penalty. If we don’t buy prove more challenging to make. for penalty at low levels, for example. the contract, we don’t really want to 3) We take bidding room away Most doubles are for takeout. So suggest that partner lead a heart. If from the opponents. Interfering today’s players tend to be aggressive. we pass, the auction isn’t over. BETTER 14 BRIDGE VOL. 11, NO. 2 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006 BB Five-Card Suit? With this hand, an Suppose the auction begins: ♠ Q 4 overcall of 2♣ would WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH If we overcall, partner will expect a ♥ J 2 be very risky. Our suit 1♥ Pass five-card or longer suit. We are ♦ A J 8 5 suggesting a trump suit. If we wanted isn’t so great and we ♣ 2♥ Pass Pass ? have a borderline Q J 7 6 3 partner to choose the suit, we would We hold this hand. ♠ opening bid at best. Better to pass We didn’t overcall 1♠ 9 8 6 5 3 probably make a takeout double. ♥ 9 2 for now and await developments. with such a poor suit However, we might occasionally ♦ J 5 overcall at the one level with a strong After Both Opponents Bid and not a very good ♣ K Q 10 3 four-card suit. If the hand. It’s relatively ♠ 74 There’s nothing to stop us from bidding is opened 1♣ safe to bid 2♠ now, however. We are ♥ AKJ 10 overcalling after both opponents on our right, we ♦ have bid, but we should consider the in the balancing position—if we 9 2 pass, the auction is over. might choose to ♣ A 9 8 6 3 level, listen to the bidding, and con- overcall 1♥ with this sider the vulnerability. It’s safer to The strength of both opponents is hand. It’s unsuitable for a takeout overcall if the opponents have found limited since they have stopped in double but we would like to get into a fit than if they have not. If they partscore. We can assume partner the bidding, perhaps before the has some of the missing strength. If have found a fit, they are more like- ♠ opponents find a spade fit. ly to bid higher than to double us for we bid 2 , we might make it or we Overcalling a four-card suit is penalty. If they don’t have a fit, we might push the opponents higher. similar to occasionally opening may have just given them the option Too Strong to Overcall with a four-card major in third or of doubling for penalty. At one time, we could make a jump fourth position. Partner and the Suppose we have overcall with a hand too good for a opponents won’t expect it, but it’s ♠ A J 10 8 5 this hand as South. simple overcall. The modern style, good to mix things up a little. ♥ J 2 We’d certainly want ♦ however, is to use jump overcalls to The Two Level or Higher to overcall at the one K 7 3 ♠ ♣ QJ 4 show weak hands with a long suit. Although we can be fairly free with level with 1 if we Instead, with a hand too strong for a our one-level overcalls, partner will have the opportunity, but what if the simple overcall—about 18 or more expect both a good suit and a good auction starts this way: points—start with a takeout double. hand for an overcall at the two level WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Partner will assume we are making ♥ ♣ or higher—the values for an opening 1 Pass 2 ? a normal takeout double, but when bid or better. The danger is increased An overcall of 2♠ would be risky, we then bid our suit, we will be because the opponents will be more especially if our side is vulnerable. showing this type of hand. Suppose willing to defend, perhaps doubled, The opponents likely have the we are South and East opens 1♦. at a higher level, especially if we’ve majority of strength, given West’s WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH backed them into a corner by taking opening bid and East’s new suit 1♦ ? away their bidding room. response at the two level. They This hand has 18 ♠ K 8 Also, since an overcall covers a don’t necessarily have a fit, so they high-card points might be quite happy to double us ♥ A K J 9 7 5 wide range, our partner may have to plus 2 length points ♦ act with some values. That’s okay for penalty. A 5 for the six-card ♣ K 7 2 after a one-level overcall since we Now suppose the auction begins heart suit. That’s may be able to escape at the two level. like this: too much for a simple overcall of 1♥.