Overcall question

[Shugart23]

The Wife and I had a bad result yesterday...I'm not in the doghouse as we ended up with a 56%, but we are on different pages and would like to hear comemnts :

 

Playing Precision is second seat and we are vulnerable, matchpoints. My RHO opens 1S. I have 16 HCP with A-K-x-x in spades, x-x in Hearts, Q-x-x Diamond, and A-Q-J in Clubs. I passed (our partnership agreement is that if I overcall 1NT, I am showing atleast 5-5 in the two upper unbid suits). LHO bids 2C. My wife bids 2D and I jump to 3NT.

 

There is a heart lead and I crash and burn.

 

******************************

 

My wife thinks I should have doubled the 1S opening and then bid 2NT on my second bid to show balanced 16 point hand.

 

I think take out double send w wrong message since my distribution is bad and I am short in Hearts . I jumped to 3NT on the assumption that her 2 level overcall, vulnerable, showed good suit and 10+ HCP and I gambled on a club or Spade lead assuming she had Hearts protected.

 

Can you comment on the above ? Can you also comment on our unusual 1NT overcall agreement; it seems to me the 1NT overcall showing balanced, 16 HP and suit stopped is pretty rare occurance

 

Thank you

[Shugart23]

The Wife and I had a bad result yesterday...I'm not in the doghouse as we ended up with a 56%, but we are on different pages and would like to hear comemnts :

 

Playing Precision is second seat and we are vulnerable, matchpoints. My RHO opens 1S. I have 16 HCP with A-K-x-x in spades, x-x in Hearts, Q-x-x Diamond, and A-Q-J in Clubs. I passed (our partnership agreement is that if I overcall 1NT, I am showing atleast 5-5 in the two upper unbid suits). LHO bids 2C. My wife bids 2D and I jump to 3NT.

 

There is a heart lead and I crash and burn.

 

******************************

 

My wife thinks I should have doubled the 1S opening and then bid 2NT on my second bid to show balanced 16 point hand.

 

I think take out double send w wrong message since my distribution is bad and I am short in Hearts . I jumped to 3NT on the assumption that her 2 level overcall, vulnerable, showed good suit and 10+ HCP and I gambled on a club or Spade lead assuming she had Hearts protected.

 

Can you comment on the above ? Can you also comment on our unusual 1NT overcall agreement; it seems to me the 1NT overcall showing balanced, 16 HP and suit stopped is pretty rare occurance

 

Thank you

 

 

My wife had A-K-J fifth in Diamonds and nothing else (and was suggesting a lead)

[yunling]

Wrong forum, I think :(

[helene_t]

With 5-5 in the two upper unbid suits you can just bid the opponent's suit. Presumably you use that for something else, though. If you want to use the cuebid with 5-5 in the highest and lowest unbid suit, you can play Equal Level Conversion which means that double can among other things be a minimum opening strength hand with both upper unbid suits. That is,

(1♠)-x-(pass)-2♣

(pass)-2♦

shows 5+ diamonds and 4+ hearts, 12-16 points or so.

 

Anyway, if you want to use the 1NT overcall for something other than the balanced 15-18, you have to pass with some of those hands. There is a trick that allows you do double with at least some of them: agree that partner responds 1NT with any weak balanced hand, even without a stopper in their suit. This is to play opposite the balanced 15-18. The consequence of this is that if partner bids 2♣/♦ in response to the double, she is showing some values (at least unless she has extra length and is happy to play 3♣/♦). At least 8 or maybe 7 points: to play opposite the usual 12-14 hand with classical t/o shape, but at least invitational opposite the balanced 15-18.

 

With a small doubleton in hearts I wouldn't double 1♠ even with that agreement, though.

 

I wouldn't take you wife's 2♦ bid as constructive. Opps have shown the majority of the strength with their 2-level response so she is just asking for a lead. Don't expect her to have a heart stopper. OTOH you might not get a heart lead, and neither opp is likely to have five hearts. So I can understand you want to try for game. I think 2NT is enough, though.

[Cyberyeti]

I'm sure you'll enjoy playing 2N/3♦X when everybody else is a level lower opposite xx, xxxx, xxxx, xxx. The 1N overcall showing the balanced hand is common enough to be useful.

[dake50]

My wife thinks I should have doubled the 1S opening and then bid 2NT on my second bid to show balanced 16 point hand. -- Shugart23

 

*** Would your wife refrain from jumping to 4H with H:KQxx(X) plus a side K?

To avoid this 4H on H:4-2/5-2?

I want my T/O doubles to promise the other Major. At least up to a 17 primes with a good suit.

Do you want your responses constrained when 16 BUT H:xx is possible?

[mycroft]

The reason one plays a conventional NT overcall is to avoid the hands that go 1M-1NT-X-telephone. And that *certainly* includes a balanced 16 with half the points in their suit. I can't imagine the response to that is to bid effectively 1M-2NT.

 

What are the opponents playing that 1♠-p-2♣ can be done on a combined 16 high? When I hear that auction and bid on AKJxx, those are the tricks I'm getting in 2♦x.

[Shugart23]

The reason one plays a conventional NT overcall is to avoid the hands that go 1M-1NT-X-telephone. And that *certainly* includes a balanced 16 with half the points in their suit. I can't imagine the response to that is to bid effectively 1M-2NT.

 

What are the opponents playing that 1♠-p-2♣ can be done on a combined 16 high? When I hear that auction and bid on AKJxx, those are the tricks I'm getting in 2♦x.

 

 

That's a good point on what the h*** were the opponents doing...I can't recall if they were the little old ladies