Responses to an Overcall

Responding to an overcall is similar to responding to an opening bid.

You count your points, and prioritize your bidding choices the same way as you do when responding to an opening bid.

In order of priority:

• Pass with a bad hand.
• Raise partner’s major suit, with support.
• Show your own major suit.
• Bid NT, with a stopper.
• Raise Partner’s minor suit, with support.
• Show our own minor suit.

Before we get into the details of exactly how to follow those priorities, I’d like to clear up a vocabulary issue.

The partner of the Opener is called Responder.

The partner of the Overcaller is called Advancer. When Advancer bids, either by raising Overcaller’s suit or bidding a new suit, he “advances the overcall.” We still call him Advancer even if he passes.

Raising partner’s suit

Partner overcalls 1♠, and you hold…

Example 1

Example 2

Note: a cue bid is also used for stronger hands without support, similar to a Power Double.

Let’s consider how example hand 2 should be bid facing various rebids by overcaller.

This illustrates why it’s important not to jump to 3♠ with a “limit raise.” When Partner makes an overcall, their hand can range from 8 to 11 high card points (HCP). If Partner is at the lower end of that range with only 8 HCP, bidding 3♠ with your 10-11 HCP risks overcommitting the partnership. A combined 18-19 points is unlikely to succeed at the three level, and the contract may become unplayable.

Instead, a more measured approach, such as making a cue bid to gather additional information about Partner’s hand, helps avoid overbidding. This cautious strategy ensures the partnership can assess the combined strength more accurately before committing to higher levels, reducing the risk of ending up in a contract that is too ambitious.

Partner will then place the spade contract at the correct level, based on how many points he has.

You don’t have enough strength to go on to game, but you show your spade fit with a 3♠ bid. Partner will pass because he’s already said he doesn’t have enough points for game.

Example 3

What will your next bid be?

Example 4

What will your next bid be?

Example 5

What will your next bid be?

Bidding a new suit after partner’s overcall

When Partner makes an overcall, the primary goal is to find a major suit fit. If Partner’s overcall is in a major, your immediate focus should be to raise to the appropriate level when you have support for their suit.

If Partner’s overcall is in a minor, the next priority is to bid your own major suit. These priorities can be seen as part of a single overarching goal: ensuring the partnership finds a fit in a major suit, which is typically the most advantageous contract.

To show your own suit after Partner’s overcall, the requirements are straightforward and align with the strength and suit requirements for making an overcall of your own:

• Strength: At least 8 high card points (HCP) to ensure a constructive bid.
• Suit Length: A 5+ card suit to justify introducing a new suit.

You can afford to stretch one level higher than you would if you were overcalling directly because Partner’s overcall indicates a hand with enough strength to justify entering the auction. This additional flexibility allows you to prioritize exploring major suit fits without overcommitting the partnership unnecessarily.

Example 6

What is meant by stretching one level higher? In this situation, bidding at the two level requires the same high card point (HCP) strength as a one-level overcall. However, you do not need the usual additional factors, as Partner’s overcall already provides those, making your bid more manageable at a slightly higher level.

Example 7

What will your next bid be?

Overcaller repeats his suit after your cue bid. Now what? 

Bidding NT after partner’s overcall

After prioritizing the search for a major suit fit, the next focus is bidding no-trump (NT). When Overcaller promises 8 or more points, Advancer can bid a NT game with 16+ points or invite game with 14-15 points by bidding 2NT. This approach ensures the partnership explores game possibilities based on their combined strength.

Example 8

When you first reviewed the hand, you likely counted your points immediately. With 16 points, it’s clear you have significant strength. However, you lack support for spades and have no hearts, so the search for a major suit fit on your part is complete.

If Partner has extra length in spades, they may still consider the possibility of a major suit fit, but that decision is best left to them. Your focus should be on the strength of your hand and the available options.

With diamonds double stopped and 16 points, you can confidently jump to 3NT. Partner’s 8+ points, combined with your hand, provides sufficient combined strength for a game-level contract in no-trump. This bid takes advantage of the partnership’s strength while communicating your balanced distribution and control of the opponents’ suit.

Example 9

Example 10

Make a bid of 1NT to inform Partner that your hand has some value, including a diamond stopper, but does not have sufficient strength to justify a stronger action. This bid communicates that you hold approximately 8-11 high card points (HCP) and that no-trump could be a viable contract if Partner has additional strength.

The 1NT bid is an important way to keep the auction open while providing Partner with key information about your hand. It shows that, although your hand is not strong enough to make an aggressive bid or show a new suit, you still have playable values and a defensive stopper in the opponent’s suit. This lets Partner consider no-trump as a potential final contract or explore other options based on their holding.

By making this bid, you maintain flexibility in the auction, enabling the partnership to assess the combined strength and distribution while ensuring you do not overstate your hand.

Example 11

You lack support for hearts, so raising Partner’s suit is not an option. You have a diamond stopper, which makes no-trump appealing, but your 12 high card points (HCP) do not align with the ranges for any of the no-trump bids we’ve discussed. Additionally, you do not have a strong enough suit of your own to introduce into the auction. Passing, however, risks the possibility that your partnership could miss a game. This creates a challenging situation where careful consideration is needed to keep the bidding open and explore potential contracts.

Any ideas? 

If partner rebids 2♥, showing 8-11 points, what will you rebid?

Be careful about those hcp ranges, don’t just memorize them…

…because they change.

It may seem like a challenge at first, but adjustments are necessary because Partner’s bids promise different minimum high card point (HCP) ranges depending on the level of the overcall.

For instance, if Partner’s overcall is at the two level, they promise a minimum of 10 HCP, compared to only 8 HCP for a one-level overcall. This difference means that you can confidently jump to 3NT with 14 HCP when Partner’s minimum is 10, whereas you would need 16 HCP when Partner’s minimum is only 8.

The best way to determine the appropriate bid is to focus on the partnership’s combined points rather than just the strength of your own hand. By considering the total, you can make informed decisions about the right contract based on what Partner has already promised.

• You can jump to 3N if the partnership total is 24+.
• You can invite with 2N when the partnership total is 22-23.
• And when the partnership minimum is less than 22, you’ll have to content yourself with 1N, a cue bid (prepared to pass if partner shows a minimum), or simply passing when partner overcalls.

Bidding minor suits after partner’s overcall

Bidding minor suits is our lowest priority, after Majors and NT.

If partner overcalls in a minor suit…

1. Bid a major if you have one.
2. If not, bid NT when you can stop their suit.
3. Failing both, raise partner’s minor in preference to showing your own minor.

Example 12

Example 13

Example 14