Friday, November 18, 2005 5:03 PM

Hand Evaluation - Shape before Strength ( Overcall )

PITBULLS:

Playing D.S.I.P. competitive double theory determines your bidding style with respect to T/O doubles vrs overcalls. The old style is to determine if a hand is “too strong to overcall” with single suited hands. This is the strength before shape philosophy. By playing D.S.I.P. competitive double theory , it is easier to buy into the “shape before strength” philosophy for these one suited hands. A recent hand in a sectional brings this home. Maurice & Susan , vocal critics of D.S.I.P. theory , play strength before shape with respect to their decisions whether to overcall or double with a single suited hand. Maurice held ♠AKQxxx ♥x ♦Axx ♣Kxx , RHO opens 1♣ so what do you bid ? You have the boss suit so Maurice felt he could not lose by doubling as he can pull anything partner bids to spades. The only danger of this approach is introducing ambiguity. Partner may play you for even a better hand as you did not choose an overcall initially. In today’s game , a double followed by describing a single suited hand means you are afraid of missing game if partner can not respond. Doubling for T/O with a one suited hand is virtually extinct.

Doubling with these single suited hands in general means you cannot play equal level conversion. Bidding a suit at the same level or at another level after doubling initially implies another suit. There is a case to be made that spades should never be part of equal level conversion. However , lately I have been leaning towards this doubling sequence showing spades & clubs with longer clubs after a 1♥ opening. Over a minor opening , even at the two level , bidding spades would show a single suited spade hand too strong to overcall. You must have both majors to double a minor playing the equal level conversion style . Playing an equal level conversion style means you still could get away with a double but why as you have a nice single suited overcall ? Susan held ♠J ♥xxx ♦KQxxxx ♣xxx so with zero duplication of value in hearts & the club Ace where it should be in the openers hand , they reached an excellent 5♦ contract. This hand won the match for our side after Maurice doubled with the one suited hand above. .

This above auction won IMPS for our side as the other side choose to overcall but do not play D.S.I.P. theory as a follow up . If you are going to overcall with hands of this strength , you must have a D.S.I.P. double later in the auction to describe the strength of your overcall. Witness what happened at our table with Barry Pritchard & Harold Brend. Tom opened 1♣ , Barry overcalled 1♠ ( as I would ) . I made a negative double , pass & Tom bids 2♥. Here is where Barry fell from grace. The ugly penalty double confusion reared its head. Would Harold interpret the double to show hearts ? Barry felt given our bidding , Harold held absolutely nothing so just bid 2♠. They played it there for +200 as they made five.

OK a D.S.I.P. double to the rescue for clarifying the strength of the above hand. You double 2♥ to show your heart shortness with a very good overcall. The double is descriptive saying I have a rock overcall , so do something intelligent partner. If that means converting 2♥ doubled for penalty this is fine. Partner now evaluates her hand on the basis of heart duplication of value. She leaps to 4♦ & passes 4♠ if that is bid along the way to 5♦ as a choice of contracts. I do not think you can play strong overcalls ( shape before strength) without a subsequent double just to show your power. The two concepts go hand in hand. Why not jump to 3♠ to show a good overcall later on in the auction ? This is not a good bid as it may rescue the opponents. A jump bid should deny defense & show a good suit or lots of distribution . What if partner has ♠x ♥KQJ10 ♦xxxx ♣xxxx and you just missed out on +800 in 2♥X against +140 in spades or worse going down one. The double is the most flexible bid in Bridge. Use a double to describe your hand & not to punish the opponents in competition.