Our 1NT Overcall

 

If RHO opens the bidding with one of a suit, and we have a no-trumpish type of hand, these are our options:

 

            15-18               Overcall 1NT

            19-20               Double and then bid No Trump

            21-23               Double and then jump in No Trump

            24-26               Double and rebid 3NT (or double and cue-bid)

 

Those HCP suggestions are somewhat approximate, as usual you are allowed to upgrade or downgrade by a point or so, depending on how you evaluate your hand.  What do we mean by “no-trumpish”?  Here are two examples, each hand with 17 HCPs, and in the point range for a 1NT overcall … let’s assume that RHO opens 1♦:

 

            ♠ AJ54                        This is not a no-trumpish hand, even though we have a

            ♥ K87                          stopper in their suit and the requisite number of HCPs.

            ♦ A8                            We have tolerance for both the majors and are short in

            ♣ KQ64                      their suit.  This hand is a take-out double.

 

            ♠ AJ54                        But this one is a no-trumpish hand, with that length in

            ♥ K8                            Diamonds and the slow stoppers in the suit.  And,

            ♦ QJ95                        furthermore, Double with this hand is quite wrong

            ♣ AQ76                       because we only have a doubleton Heart.  A clear 1NT

                                                overcall.

 

Follow-Up

 

The suggested (and most common) approach is to play “front-of-card” opposite a 1NT overcall.  In other words, whatever your methods opposite a 1NT opening, use the same methods opposite a 1NT overcall.  Very simple, but how about this auction?

 

            LHO    Pard    RHO    You

             1♥       1NT     Pass    2♦

 

A useful agreement for this auction is that 2♦ requests Partner to bid 2♥, as usual with a transfer.  Maybe 1% of the time it will be passed, but the other 99% of the time, you will take another call, which conventionally shows shortness in their suit.  The purpose of this treatment is to dissuade Partner from 3NT if his holding in their suit is dubious.  Two examples:

            Pard                You

            ♠ A5                ♠ KJ3                          LHO    Pard    RHO    You

            ♥ A654            ♥ 3                               1♥       1NT    Pass    2♦

            ♦ QJ98            ♦ KT732                      Pass    2♥       Pass    3NT

            ♣ A93              ♣ KT62                       Pass    4♦       Pass    5♦

                                                                         Pass   Pass    Pass

 

In the above auction, transferring into Hearts and then bidding 3NT shows shortness in Hearts and suggests that a suit contract might play better.  Partner has a most suitable Heart holding for suit play, so opts for a Diamond contract. 

 

            Pard                You

♠ A5                ♠ KJ3                          LHO    Pard    RHO    You

            ♥ QJ98            ♥ 3                               1♥       1NT     Pass    2♦

            ♦ A654             ♦ KT732                      Pass    2♥       Pass    3NT

            ♣ A93              ♣ KT62                        Pass   Pass    Pass

 

But, in this auction, Partner’s Heart holding is quite perfect for 3NT, and that is where you’ll play it.

 

If They Bid Again

 

Next, consider this auction:

 

LHO    Pard    RHO    You

             1♥       1NT     2♥       ??

 

Our simple suggestion here is that if RHO bids over Partner’s 1NT overcall, then you just use exactly the same methods as if Partner had opened 1NT.  So, for example, if you play Lebensohl, that would also apply here.

 

Sandwich One No Trump Overcall

 

LHO    Pard    RHO    You

             1♣      Pass    1♠       1NT

 

Here you are “sandwiched” between two bidding opponents.  Some partnerships play that this Sandwich 1NT is a takeout bid, showing the unbid suits … typically a weaker and more distributional hand than a takeout double.

 

We prefer to use this bid to show the same 15-18 hand as before, as this is a hand which is difficult to show otherwise.  With the distributional takeout type of hand, at least you have the alternative of jumping to 2NT.

 

Balancing One No Trump

 

LHO    Pard    RHO    You

             1♦       Pass    Pass    1NT

 

In this situation, we reduce our HCP requirements quite considerably, so as to give ourselves an extra way of getting into the auction.  A typical HCP range is something like 10-14 or 10-15, giving rise to these HCP ranges for no trumpish hands:

 

            10-15               Balance with 1NT

            16-18               Balance with a Double, then bid No Trump

            19-20               Balance with 2NT

            21-23               Balance with a Double, then jump in No Trump.

 

Opposite a balancing 1NT, we suggest that you play your standard 1NT system, with one additional little gadget, known as Meckwell.  This convention helps us to better deal with that very wide range 1NT range.  Meckwell is a modification of Stayman and here is how it works:

 

LHO    Pard    RHO    You

             1♦       Pass    Pass    1NT

            Pass      2♣     Pass    2♦                    After the 2♣ Stayman bid, responses of 2♦

                                                         and 2♥ and 2♠ all have their usual meaning

                                                                        except that they also show a hand in the

lower end of the HCP range …

            1♦        Pass    Pass    1NT

            Pass      2♣     Pass    2NT                 … and with all hands at the high end of the

range we answer Stayman with 2NT,

regardless of our major suit holdings.

            1♦        Pass    Pass    1NT

            Pass      2♣     Pass    2NT

            Pass      3♣                                         After the strength-showing 2NT bid, we use

                                                                        3♣ as “Re-Stayman”.

 

The benefit of the Meckwell convention is that we can stay at the two-level on those occasions that the 1NT bidder has a weak 10-12 hand.

 

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