How others might've

bidandmade

it

• Question 1
  
  Should West overcall with his 5-card suit? It's only at the one level.
  
  

• Question 1
  
  Should West overcall with his 5-card suit? It's only at the one level.
  
  Answer
  
  Yes, your honour! He's got the magically disruptive Spades;plus secondly, the Spades are good and would make a very nice opening lead from partner for killing other royalty, which we imperialists like very much.
  
  Turns out that a Spade lead is the only lead that will get a 3NT contract down. So well overcalled!
   

• Question 2
  
  After your overcall, North then bids 2 clubs. What is his minimum point count?
  
  

• Question 2
  
  After your overcall, North then bids 2 clubs. What is his minimum point count?
  
  Answer
  
  If his longest suit, presumably clubs, is only 4 cards long, then his minimum HCP count is 10. But he could have as few as 8 HCP, provided his club suit is very long. Have you heard of the handy guideline called "rule of 14" ?
  
  By the way, it might be wisest for North NOT to use the "Dustbin 1NT" bid here. That's normally only for use if he finds himself with 6+ HCP but have nothing else to describe his little bit of power to his potentially rich and powerful partner (who might have 19HCP). Here North has a long Club suit, and enough strength to change suit at the 2-level, all well-described with a 2 club response.
   

• Question 3
  
  Have a peep at your partner's hand at East. Should he raise your overcall to 2 Spades? He's only got 3 cards, and 7 HCP.
  
  

• Question 3
  
  Have a peep at your partner's hand at East. Should he raise your overcall to 2 Spades? He's only got 3 cards, and 7 HCP.
  
  Answer
  
  Yes he should. You need to know he's got 3 of them, in case you've got more than 5. He should raise to the limit of the fit, even with no points at all.
  
  I realise the vulnerability is unfavourable, so his 7 points gives you a nice buffer against being doubled, vulnerable, and going down lots.
   

• Question 4
  
  Now have a sneaky peep at South's cards. With 10 points promised from his partner, and with his own 18 HCP, he'll be thinking about all the gold at the end of the game-rainbow in 3NT. But should he be worried about your Spades overcall, given his shortage?
  
  

• Question 4
  
  Now have a sneaky peep at South's cards. With 10 points promised from his partner, and with his own 18 HCP, he'll be thinking about all the gold at the end of the game-rainbow in 3NT. But should he be worried about your Spades overcall, given his shortage?
  
  Answer
  
  Yes, he should be worried.
  
  Difficult. One option could be to bid 3NT on the simple basis of probable strength: these 28 points have to be somewhere! The other is to ask himself if 5 clubs might be safer. But that would be unreliable if his partnerat North only has 4 clubs. A tricky one. There are many different ways of bidding this deal....
   

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