Vil on 33WED

The topic this week is “Jump Overcalls”. Some terrible things have been perpetrated in the name of jump overcalls and even if you don't play jump overcalls at all, this deal provides evidence that it is important that you think about how far you bid and what might happen if you go too far.

Board 15 Dealer S NS Vul

QJ8742
KT
J63
A5
K
J6542
AQT
KT83
AT3
A3
K975
7642
965
Q987
842
QJ9

West should opens 1H counting points for the singleton instead of viewing as three potentially wasted HCP. What does North do? Most Wednesday players probably overcalled with just 1S. A simple overcall at the one level seldom does much damage, and JUMP overcalls with six card suit can be far more effective.

Some people play what are known as “intermediate” jump overcalls, specifically a six (possibly seven) card suit and 11-15 points. Others play 'weak' jump overcalls, and some play “variable” jump overcalls, which are based more on tricks and vulnerability than any particular point count. That is my personal preference but we won't go into that now. Let's just talk about weak and intermediate jump overcalls because the North hand, in fact, answers both descriptions. It is good enough for an intermediate jump overcall as per the definition, and also not too strong to not qualify for a 'weak' jump, do you not agree?

But whatever the case, when North jumps to 2S, East has an easy bid of 2NT, a bid that would have been made if North had not bid at all. An ACOL bid of 2NT in response to a one level suit opening should show a balanced hand with 11-12 HCP and little support for opener, especially when opener has opened in a major suit. The only stipulation after an overcall, be it a one level or jump overcall, is that the 2NT bidder MUST have a stopper in opponents' suit. East therefore has the perfect bid of 2NT under all circumstances.

West, with good cards in the minor suits PLUS the king of spades (singleton maybe but East has shown a stopper which is probably the ace but could be Q10x), could consider going to 3NT but should settle for 2NT and let partner play there. There is absolutely NO need to rebid hearts OR clubs.

The bidding SHOULD be simple enough, but what did we see? TWO pairs in 4H (not successful!) and TWO Easts in 3D (was this intended as a 'free bid' passed by West?) and only one East in 2NT, making four. That should have been a top or near top but two Norths were in 3S, one down three and one down one only. BOTH should have been doubled irrespective of how the bidding went, but there is no 'double' in the Wednesday repertoire, it seems. Once opponents compete to the THREE level you should be able to double for penalties without any confusion, at least on a Wednesday anyway. That is what the Norths who pushed too far deserved. Both of them, as it turns out, were punished anyway because even down one was a poor result as only one EW pair knew how to bid properly to end up in No Trumps. The others floundered round in unprofitable 4H and 3D contracts (the 3D ones SHOULD have made but clearly neither bidding nor declarer play was their combined forte).

Which version of jump overcalls will YOU be playing in future? I definitely recommend “Intermediate” jumps at all times, which makes life much easier for later bidding should any ensue.