Lesson 14 - REVIEW

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Lesson 14 - Lesson 14 QUIZ - Links page

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R-BR 14.1 - Simple Overcalls

When the Opponents open the bidding your side becomes the ". . . . . . . . . . . .", and you should follow the principles of . . . . . . . . . . . . bidding. You can make two types of bids : . . . . . . . . . . . . and . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When the Opponents open the bidding it means that they hold probably at least . . . . . points, and the chances of making a . . . . . . . . contract yourself have reduced considerably. Therefore the objectives of an Overcall, in order of their priorities, are :

  1. To give Partner a signal for a good . . . . . . . . . . . .

  2. To . . . . . . . . . . . . the Opponents' bidding

  3. To . . . . . . . . . . . . for a part score or, less likely, Game contract for your side.

Overcalls are usually made at the . . . . . or . . . . level, but occasionally also at the . . . . level, when an Opponent made a pre-emptive opening bid.
The requirements for making an Overcall are :

  1. at the 1 level : . . . . . - . . . . . points plus a quality . . . . card suit (value . . . . )

  2. at the 2 level : . . . . . - . . . . . points plus a quality . . . . card suit (value . . . . )

  3. at the 3 level : . . . . . - . . . . . points plus a quality . . . . card suit (value . . . )

The Suit Quality test
For an overcall the qulity of the suit you bid is more important than the strength of the hand. To determine the quality of your long suit

. . . . . . . . . . + . . . . . . . . . . = Value

Count the Jack or 10 only if they are supported by a . . . . . . . or higher.
If the Quality value of your suit is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the number of tricks you bid, make the overcall. If it is less Pass. (Be especially vigilant about your suit's quality value when your side is . . . . . . . . . . . .)

Answer

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Hand 1
You hold Hand 1 below.
The strength is . . . . . . . . . points.
The quality value of the Heart suit is . . . . + . . . . = . . . .

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If the Opponents open with :
  1. 1D   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .

  2. 1S   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 2
You hold Hand 2 below.
The strength is . . . . . . . . . points.
The quality value of the Heart suit is . . . . + . . . . = . . . .

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If the Opponents open with :
  1. 1D   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .

  2. 1S   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 3
You hold Hand 3 below.
The strength is . . . . . . . . . points.
The quality value of the Heart suit is . . . . + . . . . = . . . .

br1403.gif
If the Opponents open with :
  1. 1D   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .

  2. 1S   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 4
You hold Hand 4 below.
The strength is . . . . . . . . . points.
The quality value of the Heart suit is . . . . + . . . . = . . . .

br1404.gif
If the Opponents open with :
  1. 1D   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .

  2. 1S   >   > Your bid ? . . . . . . . . .
Answer

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R-BR 14.2 - Responses to Overcalls at the 1 or 2 level

An overcall is a . . . . . . . bid, showing . . . . . points or less. As responder you may therefore . . . . . . . . . . . . .. With . . . . . points or less . . . . . . . , unless you have an unusual hand with a very long . . . . . card suit.

With . . . . points or more you should find a suitable response (at least after an overcall at the 1 level)
In order of their priority

  1. Raise Partner's suit with . . . . card support

  2. Bid NT when balanced plus a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  3. Or bid your own . . . . . card suit (hereby denying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .)
After Partner's overcall at the 1 level
  • with . . . . - . . . points - make a single raise of Partner's suit, or bid 1 NT

  • with . . . . - . . . . points - make a jump raise of Partner's suit, or bid 2 NT

  • with . . . . - . . . . points - and unable to raise Partner or bid NT, bid your own . . . . . .card suit

  • with . . . . . . points - raise to Game in Partner's suit, bid 3 NT, or make a jump shift in your own . . . . . card suit
After Partner's overcall at the 2 level
  • with . . . . - . . . . points - invite to Game by bidding 3 in Partner's suit or bid 2 NT

  • with . . . . . . points raise to Game in Partner's suit, bid 3 NT, or make a jump shift in your own 5+ card suit

  • with . . . . - . . . . points and unable to raise Partner or bid NT bid your own good 5+ card suit

The original overcaller may . . . . . . with a weak hand when he sees no opportunity to a Game contract. Otherwise he may . . . . . . . . . . . . . or bid . . . . . . . himself.

Answer

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Hand 5
You hold Hand 5 below.

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What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1C) - 1H - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  2. (1H) - 1S - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  3. (1S) - 2H - (Pass) -You bid . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 6
You hold Hand 6 below.
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What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1C) - 1H - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  2. (1H) - 1S - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  3. (1S) - 2H - (Pass) -You bid . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 7
You hold Hand 7 below.

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What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1C) - 1H - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  2. (1H) - 1S - (Pass) - You bid . . . . . .

  3. (1S) - 2H - (Pass) -You bid . . . . . .
Answer

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R-BR 14.3 - Takeout Doubles

When the Opponents have opened the bidding while you hold a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hand of. . . . . points or less you should normally . . . . . . . . .

With a weak opening hand make a bid only when you are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . In such a case you make a . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Double is for Takeout (rather than penalty) when it is a double at the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . level and Partner has not . . . . . (except perhaps . . . . . . . .).

A Takeout Double shows :

  1. a hand of . . . . - . . . . points with a . . . . . . . . . . . or less in the enemy suit and strength in the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . With both . . . . . . . . unbid you should hold a . . . . - . . . . distribution in them or better.

  2. or a hand of . . . . . . points, too . . . . . . . . for an overcall.
For example with Hand 8 below
. . . . . . when they open with 1D. You are in a strong position to . . . . . . . . .
Also if your Partner makes an overcal in Clubs or Spades you can . . . . . . . . . . . ., and if he overcalls in Hearts you can bid . . . . . . . . showing your . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and (most importantly) that you have the . . . . . . suit covered.

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If on the other hand Opponents open with 1H, you . . . . . . . . showing a . . . . card . . . . . . . suit and . . . . points or more.

Answer

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R-BR 14.4 - Responses to Takeout Doubles

When your Partner makes a . . . . . . . . . . . you may not leave him in that bid but . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , even with . . . . points. However if your right hand Opponents has made a bid over your Partner's double you may pass with . . . . . points or less.
The standard responses after a Takeout Double are :

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Comment on the NT Responses

With a strong . . . . . points hand yourself and no clear choice to bid you may . . . . . . . the enemy suit (bidding the enemy suit at the . . . . . . level). This signals to Partner that a . . . . . . . . contract should be on and asks him to specify his hand.

Answer

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Hand 9
You hold Hand 9 below.

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What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1S) - DBL - (Pass) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .

  2. (1S) - DBL - (2C) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .
Answer

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Hand 10
You hold Hand 10 below.

br1411.gif"
What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1S) - DBL - (Pass) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .

  2. (1H) - DBL - (Pass) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .
Answer

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R-BR 14.5 - The 1 NT Overcall

Overcalls of 1NT are the same as an ordinary 1NT opening bid, except for one thing. You must have . . . . . . . . . . in the . . . . . . . . . . . . suit.

Hand 11
You hold Hand 11 below.

br1412.gif
What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1S) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .

  2. (1H) - (Pass) - You ?   >   > . . . . . . .
Answer

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R-BR 14.6 - Jump Overcalls

Traditionally jump opvercalls used to show a strong 17-18 points hand with a good 5+card suit. But in recent times these hands are expressed by a making a . . . . . . . . . . . . first, followed by a jumpbid at the next turn.

Jump overcalls are therefore free to express . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and follow the same bidding procedures and responses as . . . . . . . . . . openings and weak two opening bids (Lesson 16).
In general follow the Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hand 12
You hold Hand 12 below.

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What is your response after the following bidding sequences (Opening Opponents' bids shown in brackets).
  1. (1S) - You ? (vulnerable)   >   > . . . . . . .

  2. (1S) - You ? (not vulnerable)   >   > . . . . . . .
All responses as per normal pre-emptive and weak 2 opening bids.

Answer

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