Evil Acol over 1NT

An Excerpt from the Series ”More Evil”

Dealer N Nil Vul

	JT2 T93 AJT2 962
64 AK72 Q973 AJ7		KQ93 854 85 KT53
	A875 QJ6 K64 Q84

This was Board 1 from Tuesday’s 13-Aug's session. Not one EW pair did anything other than PASS when South opened 1NT. But I don’t think you need to be a Newton or Einstein to be able to implement some vary basic mathematical calculations to realise that to pass 1NT will give you a score strictly based on how well you defend and how badly declarer plays (if 1NT is passed out), as well as what happens at other tables.

If you a) play Evil overcalls over 1NT and b) have any appreciation of the possible loss to gain ratio if you pass 1NT, you will surely compete if you possibly can. The Evil overcalls have been introduced into our system for the very reason that overcalling on suitable hands will often produce very good results. A minimum of two four card suits if one of them is hearts is what we need to have, but we also do take note of the vulnerability factor and a bit of maths.

Board 1 would have been pretty well an automatic ‘compete’ for the Evil players. South opens 1NT after two passes. What should West do? The normal recommendation is that you should double if you have 15+ HCP. That is sensible and the rationale is that you have a BETTER hand than the 1NT opener. Is a 14 count close enough to double? I suggest that after two passes and 1NT, it is if you have nothing better to do.

But let’s look at the high card point situation. South has, say 13, West has 14. North and East have both passed, so will have, on average, 6 or 7 each. That means that EW will probably have a very slight ‘balance of power’. Playing the hand if there is a fit of at least eight cars should result in making eight tricks, but even a seven card fit should make seven tricks. In the worst case scenario, when West has two four card suits, East will have three card support in one of the suits. You might ask but what if we can’t make anything and give NS a plus score when all the NS pairs in 1NT are going down? That just does not happen, believe me.