Competitive bidding - overcalls and responding

When the opponents open the bidding, the objectives for your partnership change in the auction. You are now unlikely to be looking for game and you hope to either win the partscore battle, help partner find a good lead, or find a good sacrifice if they sound like they can make game.

This means that you do not need opening points to overcall. In fact, points are less important than distribution and quality of the suit being overcalled. My principal considerations are:

• Quality of the suit I bid: KQJxx is a suit I would overcall at the one-level without any other points.
• High-card points: I will overcall with a weaker suit if I have more points.
• Vulnerability: highly aggressive at love all, aggressive when non-vulnerable, conservative when vulnerable.
• Space taken away: if I take more space away from the opponents then I can be weaker. For example, a one spade overcall of one club can be weaker than a one spade overcall of one heart.
• Shortage in an unbid major: if they have yet to find their fit, I will overcall more aggressively.
• Inconvenience: A weak jump overcall of a short minor opening inconveniences the opponents more than a weak jump overcall of a 5-card major, as they have yet to know a potential fit: so I will be more aggressive over a short minor. Similarly, overcalling 2C over 1D makes it more difficult for them to find a major fit, so you can be more aggressive.

Responding to a simple overcall

When responding it is necessary to balance the desire to find a fit and judge the combined values of the hands when the range of the overcall is so wide. If you have a WEAK hand with no fit, it is often best to pass.

• A new suit is forcing for one round.
• 1NT shows about 8-11 points and a stop in the opponent’s suit.
• A cue bid is used to show a strong raise (see note 14).
• Direct raises are pre-emptive.
• A jump shift shows a good suit AND a fit with partner. This is called a JUMP FIT (see note 14).

It is worth watching some high-level bridge on BBO, such as a Vugraph presentation, to get a feel of what people overcall on and how they respond.