Friday, November 18, 2005 5:03 PM
Hand Evaluation - Overcall ( Single Suited Hands )
PITBULLS:
Playing
D.S.I.P. competitive double theory determines your bidding
style with respect to T/O doubles vrs overcalls.
The old style is
to determine if a hand is “too strong to overcall” with single suited hands. This is the strength before shape
philosophy. By playing D.S.I.P. theory , it is easier to buy into the “shape
before strength” philosophy for these one
suited hands. A recent hand in a sectional brings this home. Some people
still play strength before shape with respect to their decisions whether
to overcall or double with a single suited
hand. One of them held ♠AKQxxx
♥x ♦Axx ♣Kxx , RHO opens 1♣ so
what do you bid ? You have the boss
suit so he felt he could
not lose by doubling as he can pull anything partner bids to
spades. The only danger of this approach is introducing
ambiguity. Partner may play you for even a better hand as you did not choose
an overcall initially. In today’s game , a double
followed by describing a single suited hand means you are afraid
of missing game when partner can not
respond. Due to increased pre-emptive
or jam bidding in today’s game , it is best to introduce
your suit at the lowest level
possible.
Doubling
with these single suited hands in general means you cannot play equal
level conversion. Bidding a suit at the same level after doubling initially implies another
suit playing equal
level conversion. There is a
case to be made that spades should never be part of equal
level conversion. However , lately I have been
leaning towards this doubling sequence showing spades & clubs with
longer clubs after a 1♥ opening. Over a minor opening , even at the two level , bidding spades would show
a single suited spade hand too strong to overcall. You must have both
majors to double a minor playing equal level conversion. Playing an equal level conversion style means
you still could get away with a double but why as you have a nice single
suited overcall ? Susan held ♠J ♥xxx ♦KQxxxx ♣xxx so with zero duplication of value in hearts
& the club Ace where it should be in the openers hand ,
they reached an excellent 5♦ contract.
This hand won the match for our side.
This
above auction won IMPS for our side as the other side choose to overcall
but do not play D.S.I.P. theory as a follow up . If you are
going to overcall with hands of this strength , you must have a D.S.I.P. double later in
the auction to describe the strength of your overcall. Witness what
happened at our table with Barry Pritchard & Harold Brend.
Tom opened 1♣ , Barry overcalled 1♠ ( as I would ) . I made a negative double
, pass & Tom bids 2♥. Here is where Barry fell from grace. The ugly penalty
double confusion reared its head. Would Harold interpret the
double to show hearts ? Barry felt given our bidding , Harold held absolutely nothing so just bid
2♠. They played
it there for +200 as they made five.
OK a D.S.I.P.
double to the rescue for clarifying the strength
of the above hand & single suited overcalls in general. You double 2♥ to show your heart shortness with a very good
overcall. The double is descriptive saying I have a rock overcall , so do
something intelligent partner. It does not mean I forgot to make a T/O double
so I am just waking up now. If doing something intelligent means converting 2♥ doubled for penalty this is fine. Partner now
evaluates her hand on the basis of heart duplication of value. She leaps to 4♦ & passes 4♠ if that is bid along the way to 5♦ as a choice of contracts. I do not think you
can play strong overcalls ( shape before
strength) without a subsequent double just to show your power. The two
concepts go hand in hand. Why not jump to 3♠ to
show a good suited overcall later on in the auction ?
This is not a good bid as it may rescue the opponents. A jump bid
should deny defense & show a good suit or
lots of distribution . What if
partner has ♠x ♥KQJ10 ♦xxxx ♣xxxx and you just missed out on +800 in 2♥X against +140
in spades or worse going down one. The double is the most flexible bid in
Bridge. Use a double to describe your hand & not to punish
the opponents in competition like penalty doubles in a bygone era.