Methods after Notrump Overcall

[awm]

Suppose that your side makes a natural notrump overcall at the one or two-level. What methods do people play here? While it seems easy to play "systems on" it can't be right to play (for example) transfers into the opponents five or six-card major. For example:

 

(1♥)-1NT-(Pass)-???

 

Do people play 2♦ "transfer to hearts" here?

 

It also seems like you could take advantage of the opponent bid to work out slightly better methods. I'm curious whether any serious partnerships have agreements about these situations which are better/more detailed than "systems on."

[wank]

you want to get the opening bidder on lead - much more important than getting the strong hand playing it imo.

 

so.... 2s = nat, week

2H = spades inv (to accept opener bids 3H)

2C/D = nat, week

2nt = inivtitational, may have 4 spades

 

you might choose to replace 2C with a staymanesque invitational hand with 4 spades so that a hand which would reject a balanced invite might still get to 4S.

[aguahombre]

Some use the xfer to opener's suit as invite or better in notrump + "Do you really have a full stopper?" Accepting the transfer is like fessing up that you don't --otherwise 2 or 3NT.

[jdonn]

I do play transfer into the opponent's suit as natural, and it has come up.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

We used to play system on, it worked.

Now we use transfer in their major suit as inv. strength for the other major,

it would have come up once.

 

The French / German Standard System uses transfer in their suit as stayman,

this also seems to be a sensible idea.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[awm]

One possibility might be something like: everything is a transfer. Transferring to their suit shows an invitational or better hand with four cards in the unbid major. So after (1♥)-1NT:

 

2♣=diamonds, 2♦=4♠ inv+ (stayman), 2♥=spades, 2♠=clubs

 

After (2♠)-2NT:

 

3♣=diamonds, 3♦=hearts, 3♥=4♥ game-going (stayman), 3♠=clubs

 

This seems fairly simple and allows you to sign off in diamonds.

 

Having direct signoffs might be even better (puts opener on lead) but it seems awkward to do this and still find all your major suit fits.

[whereagles]

I play system on, transfer to opps suit as "joker asking bid", as in

 

1♥ 1NT pass 2♦

 

2♦ = are you joking about the stopper? Responses are

 

2♥ = half stopper (that includes ♥xxxx)

2NT = full stopper

else = nat and "yes, that was a joker stopper"

[Ant590]

Pretty sure I used this as a food-asking NT raise at some point...

[Vampyr]

I play weak take-outs. I find the ability to play in any suit at the 2-level important after a 1NT overcall.

[ArtK78]

I play 2-way Stayman after we overcall 1NT. Works quite well.

 

No reason to play transfers as you want the opening bidder on lead.

[LukeG]

If you want a pretty complete but complicated method then check out pages 209-213 of the ETM Gold system notes at Glen Ashton's "Everything That Matters" website. The URL for the notes is: http://www.bridgematters.com/etmgold.pdf.

[aguahombre]

No reason to play transfers as you want the opening bidder on lead.

There are more to transfers than merely engineering who becomes declarer.

[peachy]

Believe it or not, I have never given thought to this. I can barely believe it myself. I play (and like to play) systems on.

 

One thing that could be useful is to use 2D as "bid NT if your have the hearts STUFFED cuz I'm short; if not let's find a suit"

 

I am going to listen and look.

[hanp]

With Arend I played system on and transfer into their major showed a GF 3-suiter short in their suit.

[ArtK78]

No reason to play transfers as you want the opening bidder on lead.

There are more to transfers than merely engineering who becomes declarer.

Yes, but 2-way Stayman can handle everything that you need quite nicely.

[jdonn]

Adam I need to play 2♣ is stayman because against bad players it works too well to show 4 card in opener's suit any time your stopper is bad. Works amazingly well against gib too.

 

Oops I've said too much.

[Flame]

2C always stayman

suits below the opener suits are nat

suits from the opps suit are natural

 

example 1h-1Nt-p

2d is nat

2h/2s transfer

[Codo]

I play transfer it works great.

 

We just have on exception: After (1♣) 1NT (pass) system is on...