Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - March 18, 2024 - Overcall


 Vic:

Answer: It depends.

 Many partners agree that Weak Two bids should be "disciplined" which is the approach I prefer. Basically, "disciplined" means that, although the hand is weak, the Weak Two suit should have some punch to it. A common standard (Vul) is two of top three or three of top five honors. Many partners agree to relax that standard a bit (NonVul), but the East hand is not one I would consider disciplined. 

 Other partners take an "anything goes" approach to Weak Two bids, with the only standard being a six card suit.

 West made a good decision to get in the auction, but a new suit at the two level should ideally be six cards in length & definitely be stronger than the suit they bid. I would encourage West to DBL, planning to bail out to NT if East makes a heart response. The West hand is strong enough to support that plan. Turns out EW deserve to make 2NT.

 The spade rebid by North (promising six spades) is highly flawed. They do not deserve to make even one spade. A much better choice by North would have been to Pass (my choice given that South has promised less than 6 HCPs) or 2H to show their two-suited hand. Turns out NS cannot take even seven tricks in any denomination.

 Ain't bridge a great game?

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