What happened at your table?

There could be a lot of different bidding on this board, some of it right, some of it clearly wrong, and some of it debatable. Which category would you have fitted in? Let’s take a look.

Board 4 from 8/05/2019
Dealer W All Vul

A32
A63
K9
AT987
K6
QT842
QT84
Q2
J987
K9
AJ65
KJ5
QT54
J75
732
643

If playing standard Acol, North will open 1C. Most Easts would pass, because they do not have the right cards for a takeout double. But some people have been taught that ‘if you yourself have an opening bid, double’. Since I totally disagree with that, let’s pursue another line of discussion.

East passes North’s 1C opening and so does South. What should West do? Passing the hand out in 1C is somewhat unadventurous and West does have the values for a normal overcall, so should now do just that. Another consideration is that West has already passed as dealer, so there is no danger of East expecting West to have more. When West bids 1H, what should North do? Having been taught that a 1NT rebid shows 15-16 (or 15-17) HCP, should North now bid 1NT? Whoa! The 1NT rebid is only for when partner responds, not when you know partner has fewer than six points, and possibly none! To bid 1NT now is asking for trouble, so North should pass, bidding 1NT is clearly wrong.

So, let us now consider what East should do when West ‘backs in’ with an overcall of 1H. Absolutely nothing. Knowing West has something like 8-11 HCP and a five card heart suit should be enough to allow West to play in a comfortable 1H! And if North does err by rebidding 1NT, East should now wield the axe and double and punish North for not knowing what, and when, to bid.

It looks like many Easts overcalled with 1D when North opened 1C. Perhaps a 1D overcall is better on a four card suit than a takeout double with only two hearts, so I would say it is debatable rather than wrong, What happened at your table?

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