Doubles vs Overcalls

Takeout doubles are something that you and partner will need to learn, understand, and agree about as soon as possible. You have probably been taught different things about when you can double an opening one level bid and when you can make an overcall. I am pretty much fixated on “Major Oriented” takeout doubles, so would have no problem with the hand that South had when East opened the bidding with 1H.

Board 20 from 1/5/19
Dealer W All Vul

	T962 98 AT954 AQ
43 43 KJ863 9762		K87 AKQT62 2 853
	AQJ5 J75 Q7 KJT4

The ‘ideal’ takeout double, as taught to many beginners, would require at least three cards in each of the other suits, guaranteeing support for any suit partner bids. Many of us don’t go by that rule and will double when we have a suitable holding in the majors; in the case of a 1H opening as in this case, we would guarantee exactly FOUR spades with no guarantees about any other suits. An OVERCALL of 1S would be expected to have at least FIVE spades, as with any other normal overcall.

I was therefore very surprised to see that all the NS pairs who played in a spade contract had SOUTH as declarer. That means that the Souths would have overcalled 1S when East opened 1H. There is not much wrong with an overcall in a four card suit when no other suitable bid is available, but here, South has the perfect bid available, DOUBLE. That tells partner that you have four spades and a wish to compete if partner also has spades. When South does double, West has nothing to say, and North bids TWO spades, not diamonds. And a jump to 2S (I might even consider 3S) shows a good raise in spades, just as if South had opened 1S. I was also surprised to see that nearly half the NS pairs allowed East to play in either 2H or 3H.

If South does overcall 1S, the inevitable result should be 4S bid and made, as indeed it was by one pair. Not so by others who stayed in 2S when North just raised to 2S, saying: “oh well, it was just an overcall” and not appreciating the value of what should have been a nine card fit in spades.

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