Responding to 1NT After Intervention

Responding to 1NT after your Opponents Overcall

Another way in which the opponents can get in the way of your auction, but fortunately this is quite easy to deal with. Watch the video to find out how, then try the quiz.

Try some hands

Hand 1

After your opponents overcall partner’s 1NT, you need to decide the right bid. You should play hearts carefully to try and stop yourself losing a trick.

Hand 2

After your opponents overcall, you want to find a way to show a game forcing hand with exactly five spades.

Hand 3

After your opponents overcall, you want to find a way to show your strength and very long major.

Hand 4

This time, you open 1NT, and must pick the best game after partner responds. There are two different ways to play the club suit – does the bidding give away any clues?

Back

Responding to 1NT after your Opponents Overcall

See how we can still reach the right contracts even when the opponents mess up our system.

Question 1/7

Penelope has opened 1NT and Bothersome Boris has overcalled 2♦. What should Walter bid here?

Walter has a nice six card heart suit. Although he doesn't have many points, he knows that he and his partner have at least half the points between them and the hand should play quite nicely in 2♥. Bidding at the two level shows a weak hand so he does not need to worry about Penelope bidding on.

Here, Walter has the same hand, but this time Boris has overcalled 2♠. What should Walter bid now?

Because the overcall is in spades, Walter would have to go to the three level to show his heart suit. That would promise a good hand, and Penelope would be forced to bid again. Whilst he was fine to show his suit at the 2 level, indicating a weak hand, Walter cannot do so at the three level with so few points.

Back to the 2♦ overcall, but this time Walter has a better hand. What should he bid?

Although he has room to bid hearts at the 2 level, doing so would show at least a five card suit, and Walter doesn't have that. Even though he has more points than in question 1, he must pass because he has no suit that he can bid and double would show at least 9 points.

Another 2♦ overcall, another different hand. What is Walter’s best option with this hand?

Walter has 11 points, clearly a game forcing hand opposite Penelope's 15-17. He also has a nice five card heart suit that he should tell partner about. If he were to bid 2♥, that would show a weak hand and Penelope would pass. He must bid his suit at the three level to show his game forcing hand.

A 2♠ overcall this time. What is Walter’s best bet here?

With 9 points, Walter should be looking for game. With his balanced hand and his robust spade stops, but only two hearts, he can see that the most likely game is 3NT, so he should bid that right away and tell Penelope that he is not worried about spades. If he doubles, Penelope might bid hearts, which he is not interested in, or more inconveniently, she might bid 4♣ or 4♦, taking them beyond that nice 3NT contract.

Same hand, different overcall. What should Walter bid here?

Again, with 9 points, Walter should be looking for a game contract. He has only two small cards in hearts so he can't bid NT, as that would say he has that suit covered. Bidding 3♥ does show a good hand, and asks Penelope to bid 3NT if she has a heart stop, but he can see that the partnership might have a nice 8 card spade fit. Double shows his good hand and asks partner for more information. She will show a four card spade suit if she has one, but she can also still bid 3NT if she doesn't have four spades and she does have a heart stop.

Finally, another 2♥ overcall, and Walter has a balanced hand with 10 points. What should he bid?

Again, Walter has only two small hearts so 3NT is out of the question for him to bid. He has only three spades this time, and his hand is much more about the minors, so he would like to play in 3NT if they can. His best hope is to bid the opponents' suit, showing a good hand and asking partner to bid 3NT if she has stops in that suit.

The links will take you to the Bridge Training website, where you can have a go at responding. You will then be able to play the hands and see if you can make your contract. Have as many goes as you like if you don’t succeed the first time.