Over the Countermeasures

 

       For decades is has been a tenet of duplicate pairs that declarers left to play in 1NT undoubled invariably “get a good result whether they make it or not”. [Terence Reese, 1972 or earlier].  A plethora of well developed devices have emerged to compete, including: “natural”, ANTI, Aspro, Astro, Becker, Bergen, Brozel, Cansino, Cappelletti, Crash, Crowhurst, DONT, Goren, Landy, Ripstra, Sharples, and Texas. This latter, regaining popularity, uses a transfer convention to the suit above. They are all effective on suitable hands, particularly if the opponents are unfamiliar with the particular convention and have not had time to discuss countermeasures.  First below is a simple scheme adaptable against those of the above that emphasise one suit.

  You must ask yourself: “Do I want us to play the hand?”  Clearly if you are happy to defend, even relieved that you haven’t had to leave partner in the lurch, then pass is a simple solution. 

       It may be, however, that you have hopes of defeating the eventual overcalled contract, but are not certain whether that would give your side as good a score as, say, making game in NTs, or elsewhere.  Typically you would hold a hand worth a natural 2NT response, or thereabouts.  One way to convey this situation to partner is to double with a stop (or more) in opponent’s primary suit, but to bid 2NT, with no stop!   I say “primary” suit because overcalls after a 1NT opening bid may show a suit, or two (or more) suits with an emphasis on one of them, neither of which are the suit bid.

       Partner now has the option of passing your double, if it happened to be over a natural overcall, if that were judged to produce a better score, or of doubling any rescue by an opponent.  This would usually be when a minimum opening hand is held, so that game is unlikely.  The options of 2NT or 3NT are still there (as are cue bids, see below).

 Should you have responded 2NT, denying a stop in opponent’s primary suit, then opener, also with no stop, can seek a 4-card fit by bidding suits upwards.  With a stop, however, the choice is to pass with minimum or bid 3NT to play with a maximum, or even to cue bid opponent’s primary suit at the 3 level, to indicate that although a stop is held, there may be a safer major-suit game contract if a 4-4 fit could be found.  Thus the sequence:

         N                     W                              S                                E        

       1NT                  2S(natural)               2NT(no stop)             pass  

       3S

would indicate that North holds a maximum NT hand with Spades stopped, but is also holding 4 Hearts.

       The option of cue bidding the opponent’s primary suit is of course also open to responder.  Over a natural intervention this is perforce at the 3 level.  This reinstates a “Staymanic” concept, when holding a game-going hand.  You are game worthy, but seeking a 4 – 4 fit suit contract, probably because you have no stop in opponent’s primary suit, although that may emerge later if your hoped for fit does not materialise.  Over an artificial overcall indicating a different suit, a primary suit, you may cue bid that implied suit, at the 2 level, to give you bidding space to manoeuvre, even with a hand of less than game value.  Again this is Staymanic for a missing major.

                   There are, of course, overcalls that are specifically two suited.  The popular overcall, the Landy 2C, is two-suited in the majors, ideally 5 – 5, but never 4 - 4.  If the practitioners are adhering to it strictly, then both majors are good suits.  It is unlikely therefore that you would wish to compete in either major. Nothing daunted, should you wish to compete, countermeasures may use the remaining bids at the two or three level to describe your hand.  For example:

       Double: willing to compete in NTs, or defend, with both majors stopped;

       2D: willing to compete in NTs but only one Major stopped;

                   It is likely that, either a Major will be selected by Landy’s partner, or a pass, which will say “partner, you choose”.  In either case, openers may bid their single Major stop if available, 2NT (or 3NT) with both, or explore minor suits with neither.   Over a Heart bid, double will show stop only in that suit, 2S only a Spade stop.  Over a Spade bid double with only a Spade stop, pass with only a Heart stop.  It is hard to cover every situation, but remember the advice of the Italian World Champions: “In a competitive situation, strive to get the best result possible, not necessarily the best possible result”    

       2H: 5-card diamonds, 4-card clubs, no major stop;

       2S: 5-card clubs, 4-card diamonds; no major stop;

       2NT:  equal minors, 5-5, or strong 4-4s; no major stop;

       3C/3D: single suited, usually 6-cards, no major stop, not forcing;

       3H: game values, but only Hearts stopped, forcing;

       3S: game values, but only Spades stopped, forcing;

       3NT: game values with both majors stopped.

As implied above, if either partner realises that at least one major suit is wide open, some minor suit contract can still be suggested at the 3 or 4 level as appropriate.

       Discuss with your favourite partner.  You may wish to develop for yourselves countermeasures against other 2-suited conventions, a versatile version of which is Brozel:

                   2C:  Clubs and Hearts

                   2D:  Diamonds and Hearts

                   2H:  Hearts and Spades

                   2S:  Spades and a Minor (2NT then asks which minor)

                   2NT: Both Minors.

One scheme is to adapt the method first described above assuming that Hearts is the “primary” suit , unless the overcall were 2S, then it would be assumed to be Spades.  Alternatively one may prefer to modify the second approach.   Double could mean “both of the two implied suits stopped”, whereas bidding one of them, just a stop in one.  2NT (if available) could suggest willingness to compete in the other two suits.  3C/3D over 2NT could offer both Majors, the Major of that colour being 5 cards.

Then there are the mixed 1- and 3-suited conventions, typically Cansino:

                   2C: Clubs and two other suits

                   2D: Hearts & Spades, tolerance for Diamonds.

                   2H/S: Natural, 6-card suits.

The first method will be appropriate for the natural bids in the Majors, over 2D the second scheme suitably adapted may work.  Over 2C one could assume the primary suit is Clubs for simplicity. It is up to you.  You may meet these defences to 1NT increasingly commonly, and forewarned is forearmed.  If you are about to play a long team-of-four match, it would be as well to discover what defence to 1NT the opponents play, in time to determine your countermeasures.

       There remain, of course, your “natural” competitive responses. The introduction of a new suit of your own, at the minimum level, is simply an attempt to wrest the contract from opponents, with a hand of fewer than game-going values, and a 6-card or good 5-card suit.  A jump bid in a major, below game, would be game forcing with a 5-card suit.  Jump to game would imply 6 cards.