Players have different views on what a simple overcall requires. Some believe in climbing into the auction with skimpy values; others want a sound hand.
The key question is what you expect an overcall to accomplish (other than confirming your presence at the table). If your opponent opens one club, a one-diamond overcall should be sound since it has limited competitive and constructive value; but a one-spade overcall, which consumes a level of bidding and may obstruct the opponents’ auction, might be light.
In today’s deal, East’s overcall of two clubs — on a ragged five-card suit — was risky, but it did have preemptive value. South’s double was “negative.” When North took out to two hearts, South tried 3NT.
As it happened, East’s bid got West off to the best opening lead of the deuce of clubs. East took the ace and returned the nine. West took his king and led his last club, and East played the eight. South won and ran off five diamond tricks.
Discarding correctly when declarer cashes a long suit can tax even a world-class partnership, and East-West might have gone wrong here. But East’s nine and eight of clubs had a suit-preference implication: high club spots to suggest an entry in spades, the high-ranking suit.
East had to find three discards; he threw a spade and then two hearts, clinging to his club winners. West trusted his partner and pitched spades, keeping his 10-5-4 of hearts. And then South could only take dummy’s A-K of hearts for eight tricks and fold.
North dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S Q 8 6
H A K 2
D K J 10 7 4
C 10 4
WEST
S 10 9 4 3
H 10 5 4
D 9 8 2
C K 7 2
EAST
S A 2
H Q J 8 3
D 5 3
C A 9 8 5 3
SOUTH
S K J 7 5
H 9 7 6
D A Q 6
C Q J 6
North East South West
1 D 2 C(!) Dbl Pass
2 H Pass 2 NT Pass
3 NT All Pass
Opening lead — C 2
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