Hamstrung vs short diamond

[aguahombre]

Versus a 1♦ "0+" opening style which might have 6 clubs (yes some people do not use 2♣ as a natural bid in their forcing club system), we are frequently blocked out.

 

Righty opens one of those 1♦ bids. What is an effective way to handle, say, a 2-3-5-3 hand with not quite enough to stretch a 1NT overcall? The field will be getting to overcall 1♦/1♣.

 

Our answer, thus far, has been to pass and live with it, since opener might easily have a natural opening in diamonds. Is Double showing virtually any opening bid without a five-card major workable, or is that too much strain on advancer? Frequent 4-cd major overcalls?

 

(Question was given to me, but I personalized it because I don't have a good answer and would probably be hamstrung, too.)

[straube]

I think if I had a 2353 pattern, I would most likely overcall 2D with a hand that was good enough to overcall a 1H opening.

 

I'd use dbl to only promise support for the majors (3-3, 3-4, 4-3, 4-4) or a very big hand. If my partner responded 2C, he'd be on his own because I might have 4-4-4-1 for instance. If he responded 2D, I would take that as a cue bid...not because it's impossible for him to have diamonds, but because we need a cue bid and partner has pass and 1N as other options.

[spotlight7]

Hi:

 

They mentioned(during a recent Vugraph) that a number of players used 1D-2D natural over a Precision style 1D bid. They also used 1D-2H as Michaels for the majors.

 

The hand that I watched 'only' had a five card suit, but it was AKQ10x :)

 

Regards,

Robert

[kayin801]

My partner and I play 2♦ as nat here, but it shows a great 5-bagger or a good 6, and a better-than-min opening hand at least. So with OPs example shape we might overcall with Ax, Qxx, AKJxx, xxx but not with Ax, AQx, Q10xxx, Qxx. We definitely prefer some more shape than that though, but AKJxx is AKJxx.

[dake50]

Look at the overcall structure. Most of the weak interfering bids immediately seem effective.

Untangle a few strong cases:. I'm thinking 1H as no space used can have strong cases. Dbl has other strong cases. Q-bid then some rebids are strong (2-suiters). 2NT as big H+2nd seems to fit.

[nigel_k]

You need to be able to overcall 2♦ natural. If you mean that you are hamstrung when the diamonds are too weak to overcall 2♦ and the hand is too weak to overcall 1NT then, yes, I am definitely willing to live with it.

 

If you want to change something, allow a 1NT overcall a point or so lighter. But don't double offshape.

[the hog]

We played that a 2D bid was natural. Mind you, it had to show a pretty good suit. We also played frequent 4 card major openings.

[aguahombre]

We also played frequent 4 card major openings.

I assume you mean overcalls, since that would be on topic.

 

Where the people who asked me had the problems was with the not-great five card diamond suit. My original advice to just live with it seems to hold up.

 

I did tell them that perhaps stretching the 1NT overcall down a notch would pick up some of the slack.

[Mbodell]

Yeah, I think a natural 2♦ is pretty standard. Also worth considering that 2♦ as a cue advancing a suit overcall probably shouldn't be natural. So 1♦* - 1♠ - P - 2♦ can be a strong raise cue (or transfer advance or whatever).

 

Another approach when there is a balanced nt range as well as the unbalanced hands is to treat the 1♦ opening like nt and play your nt system at the 2 level (just figure out which hands that are balanced go in the 1♦).

[Free]

I wonder how you can ever overcall 1♣ :angry:

 

My advice: play the 2♦ overcall natural. If you really want a michael's cuebid, use 2♥ for that.

[PrecisionL]

See David Stevenson's Defence to Short Minors:

 

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.b...123?dmode=print

 

He claims that ACBL's Mike Flader says it is legal.

[pooltuna]

I wonder how you can ever overcall 1♣ ;)

 

My advice: play the 2♦ overcall natural. If you really want a michael's cuebid, use 2♥ for that.

Second question would be is the double of an overcalled 1♣ call for penalties :)

[Zelandakh]

Another possibility...

 

1M = natural

1N = overcall in either minor

2C = (15)16-18 (semi-)bal

2D = wjo in H or S; or S + minor, strong

2H = H and S weak

2S = S + minor, weak

2N = H + minor, weak/strong

3C = wjo

3D = H and S, strong

 

You do have to play a natural 1NT overcall at the 2 level of course...