"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" Responding to Overcalls by Marti Ronemus

Often what we THINK we know in bridge is the result of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." Many players end up with a concoction of Granny advice and other random thoughts.

This is partly because there's so much room for different views in bridge... and this is a GOOD thing! And partly bad, because so much of it doesn't make sense or hold up to scrutiny.

Today's quiz is an example of that. We need thoughtful guidelines. SO!! Your Pard overcalls and you do NOT have a fit. What should you do?

There is disagreement whether or not a new suit by you (the advancer) is forcing. We are going to say "yes," for one round. But you need to talk this over with Pard. Needless to say a new suit by a passed hand isn't forcing.

Now, with Gladys Knight and the Pips' 1967 hit echoing in our ears, let's rock.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠
♥ K 9 8
♦ K 10 9 8 7 5
♣ 8 4 3 9

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♠	Pass
?

A: Pass: Listen, you have no responsibility to save your Pard. Yes, we know, you hate to leave him in this horrid spot. You don't have the cash to name a new suit at the two-level and without a stopper in their suit, you can't bid No-trump. Just be quiet and hope the opponents get back in the auction.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A J 10 9 4
♥ 9
♦ A Q 4 3 2
♣ 3 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	Pass
?

A: 1♠: A new suit by Advancer (that's us!) promises a nice five-card suit and 10 plus points. This is what it looks like! You heard it here.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q J 4
♥ 9 4
♦ A J 10 5 2
♣ A Q 9

Q: 3 -

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	Pass
?

A: 2 No-trump: We have game-going values IF IF IF Pard has a better than minimum overcall. At the one-level though, he could have as few as 7-ish points. We're going to invite. If we bid 1 No-trump, we'd be showing 8-ish to 11-ish points. Advancer points need to be a little stronger than responder points.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ A Q J 10 8 4
♥ J 5
♦ A 9
♣ A 8 4

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♥	Pass
?

A: 1♠: The better your hand, the slower you tippy-toe up the bidding ladder until you find the perfect spot. Our 1♠ bid is forcing, and that's all we need for now. Pard's rebid will show us more about his point count and we'll know what to do.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K J 8 2
♥ 9
♦ J 10 8 7
♣ K 5 4 3

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	Pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: Perfect. We've got the 8 points we should to Advance with a 1 No-trump bid, and we've got stoppers in their suit. Life is good.

And now, let's listen to a chorus of Gladys Knight as we prepare for our hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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