Insufficient!

Here's a rules situation that even many experienced players tend to fumble...

West	Partner	East	You
1 ♥	2 ♣	1 ♠	??

It's your call... "Director, Please" of course. The 1 ♠ call is an insufficient bid, because it is not higher than the previous bid of 2 ♣.

The Director says that you may accept the insufficient bid and the auction will proceed from that point. If you do not accept the insufficient bid, it must be replaced by any legal call including Pass but not Double or Redouble. If the replacement call does not have the same or similar meaning or purpose as the insufficient bid, the offender's partner will be required to pass for the remainder of the auction.

Should you accept the insufficient bid?

ANSWER: It depends. If it is to your advantage to accept the call, then do so. The relevant rule (Law 27A) is intended to give the non-offending side -- that is, you -- any potential benefit from the opponent's infraction. If it is not to your advantage, then do not accept the call and make the opponents deal with the consequences.

Note that you are not allowed to have partnership agreements for dealing with irregularities at the table. But the fact that you had a choice to accept or not is Authorized Information to partner for use in the auction and play of the hand. Partner is allowed to use bridge logic to interpret your decision.

Okay, so it depends. Let's look at some examples...

West	Partner	East	You
1 ♥	2 ♣	1 ♠	??

Note that if you do not accept the 1 ♠ call, East can bid two or more spades without penalty. If East makes any other call including Pass, West will be required to Pass for the rest of the auction.

1.  You hold ♠ 6 5 2 ♥ A 8 6 ♦ Q 9 7 4 ♣ 5 4 3
   Accept and bid 2 ♣ With such a bare minimum, you'd rather not have to raise at the three level. Your choice to accept, and then bid at the two-level, will suggest that weakness to partner.
2. You hold ♠ 6 5 2 ♥ J 8 6 2 ♦ J 9 7 4 ♣ 5 3
   Accept and Pass. This should make it clear to partner that you have a truly awful hand.
3. You hold ♠ A 6 5 2 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ Q J 7 ♣  K 5 3
   Accept and bid 2 ♥. Take the inexpensive opportunity to show an invitational club raise without having to worry about East making some higher intervening bid.
4. You hold ♠ A Q 6 5 2 ♥ K 8 6 2 ♦ J 7  ♣ Q 3
   Do not accept. The opponents are in trouble if they continue onward, and partner won't be disappointed to see this dummy in a 2 ♣ contract. If East passes, West must also pass, leaving the contract at 2 ♣ if you pass too. But playing matchpoints, or vulnerable at IMPs, I would bid 2 NT if East passes. Note that if East passes, West will not be able to double the final contract (East can, though), and you might have some useful lead restrictions if West is on lead.
5. If you don't see any advantage, then do not accept. The restrictions that will apply to the opponents' auction might create some problems for them.

THE PRINCIPLE: Given the option to accept an insufficient bid (or a call out of rotation, similarly), consider your choice carefully. Don't automatically refuse to accept. The Laws have given you a potential advantage and you should use it wisely. Your decision to accept or not gives partner some additional authorized information about your hand.

NOTE: Even if the offender immediately changes her call, you still have the option to accept the insufficient bid. Call the Director whenever there is an irregularity at the table.

-- Ray 

Better Bridge In Five Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

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LAW 27

INSUFFICIENT BID

A. Acceptance of Insufficient Bid

1. Any insufficient bid may be accepted (treated as legal) at the option of offender’s LHO. It is accepted if that player calls.
2. If a player makes an insufficient bid out of rotation Law 31 applies.

B. Insufficient Bid Not Accepted
If an insufficient bid in rotation is not accepted (see A) it must be corrected by the substitution of a legal call (but see 3 following. Then:.... (and there's more, of course). 

C. Premature Replacement
If the offender replaces his insufficient bid before the Director has ruled on rectification, the substitution, if legal, stands unless the insufficient bid is accepted as A1 allows (but see B3 above). The Director applies the relevant foregoing section to the substitution.

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

When our side opens the bidding, we promise partner a better-than-average hand -- say, 13 points or more -- and promise to continue the conversation if partner has anything worth talking about. More often than not, our side has the majority of the high card strength. Our major suit openings promise a five card suit -- any five cards -- and our minor suit openings show only three or four cards. Our better-than-average strength gives our side a little bit of breathing room to wander about while finding our best fit.

After the opponents have opened the bidding, the situation changes dramatically. We are one step behind in the auction, because the opponents have already struck the first blow. The opponents probably have more strength than we do.  There is a fair chance that we might end up on defense. We are already at a tactical disadvantage, so we have to make our every action count. .

There are three reasons to overcall after the opponents open:

• To suggest a playable contract;
• To ensure a lead, if we defend;
• To take away bidding space from the opponents.

Your overcalls should accomplish at least two of those objectives.

To suggest a playable contract:  You are showing partner at least a good five-card suit.. You want partner to raise with just three small cards and a minimum hand, so don't bid just any five-card suit. Sure, at the one-level, most anything goes. But for a two-level overcall, partner will raise with any three-card fit and a minimum hand and you will be playing a three-level contract with only three small trumps and a couple of side honors in dummy! You don't want to be going down for more than the value of their partscore. So, the suit quality for a two-level overcall should be at least K Q 10 9 x, or A Q 10 8 x.

To ensure a lead:  If we end up on defense, partner will consider it almost mandatory to lead your suit. So you'd best have a quick trick or two in your suit; at least two of the top three honors is ideal. Otherwise, you just wasted partner's time when she might have had a much better lead.

To take away bidding space:  Weak jump overcalls are an obvious example of taking away bidding space. But there are other ways. If the opponents open 1 ♣ you might do well to stretch for a 1 ♠ overcall, taking away the one level from responder. Similarly, if the opponents are playing 1NT Forcing, you might stretch just a little for a two-level overcall after a major suit opening; this takes away the important 1NT step in many of their bidding sequences. But keep in mind that partner will raise with only three small and a minimum hand, so don't stretch very hard; suit quality matters.

THE PRINCIPLE:  Overcalls should satisfy at least two out of three: suggest a playable contract, ensure a lead on defense, and take away bidding space. If your hand doesn't meet those criteria, just Pass. If you do come in later in the auction, partner will know how bad your hand is.

BONUS MINUTE: How many points does it take to overcall?
There is no place on the score sheet to record how many points you have. There is only a place to record how many tricks you take. Overcalls are about tricks, not points. As a practical matter, one-level overcalls will typically have at least eight high card points; two-level overcalls will have at least a good ten-count, more when vulnerable. But don't overcall because you have points; overcall because you can meet the two-out-of-three rule.

-- Ray 
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)

The First Law Of Holes

Nobody vulnerable, you are the dealer.
♠ K J 8 5 ♥ 8 5 4 ♦ 10 ♣ K J 6 5 2

Of course you pass, and the auction proceeds:

You	West	Partner	East
Pass	2 ♥	3 ♦	Pass
??

Are you going to leave partner hanging with only a singleton diamond for support? What about that spade suit? What about clubs? What now?

ANSWER: Pass. No hesitations, no moaning or groaning, just Pass.

Partner knows you are a passed hand. She won't be wandering into the auction at the three-level without at least a sound opening hand and a decent six-card diamond suit. She probably does not have four spades (or even three really good ones), or she would have made a takeout double instead. And that raggedy club suit: well, certainly not worth speculating on at the four-level.

Partner has at least a sound opening bid. Your kings and jacks will fit well with any black-suit honors that partner has, so she should be able to control the black suits. And without a heart stopper and a fit for partner's diamonds, notrump is out of the question. So, unless partner has made a forcing call, just Pass.

THE PRINCIPLE: The First Law Of Holes: When you're in one, stop digging! When you have a misfit hand, end the auction as soon as possible. Don't search to improve the contract; the best (least-worst) place is probably right where you are right now.

-- Ray 

Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)