Weak Jump Overcalls by David Bird

A: 2♠. Your hand is perfect for a weak jump overcall in spades.

Perhaps you think that your hand looks like a weak-two opening bid in spades. Yes, that's exactly the sort of hand that your 2♠ WJO shows.

Your result so far:

A: 1♠. Thirty or forty years ago, players might have bid 2♠ on this hand. It's not appropriate now because most players use a jump overcall to show a weak hand. A consequence of this is that an overcall of 1♠ has a very wide range. You might overcall 1♠ on ♠K Q J 6 5 and very little else outside. Alternatively, you might hold a 5-card spade suit and up to 18 points.

It may seem a bit risky to make a non-forcing one-level overcall on a very good hand, but such bids are rarely passed out. You will almost always have a chance to bid again to show your power.

Your result so far:

A: 2♠. In second seat, it may work well to jump the bidding to remove bidding space from your LHO (left-hand opponent), who might hold a good hand. There is not so much point in WJOs when you are in the fourth seat. It is better to use jumps to show a good hand, particularly as you might use a simple overcall on a very weak hand, just to keep the bidding alive.

So, in fourth seat, you should bid 2♠ on this hand. In the second seat, you would have bid just 1♠.

Your result so far:

A: 2♣. You might bid 2♣; you might pass. One thing you should not do is bid 3♣ on such a weak suit. If the bidding then continued: Pass, Pass, Double, you might be caught for a sizable penalty. You could suffer a similar fate by bidding only 2♣.

The simple overcall will not take away much bidding space from West, so some players would decide to pass on this hand.

Your result so far:

A: 3♠. When your partner bids a new suit opposite a weak jump overcall, this is FORCING (unless partner is a passed hand). Your partner has to have some way to respond on a good hand.

Here, you have absolutely no problem with your rebid. You will raise to 3♠. Your partner will hold at least five spades for his change-of-suit.

Your result so far:

A: Pass. A simple raise of any type of overcall does not show a good hand. It is merely raising the barrier that you are building to make life difficult for the opponents. So, you should not think of continuing to 4♥.

If partner had a better hand and wanted to invite a heart game, they would have bid 3♣ (the opponent's suit), rather than giving a single raise.

Your result so far: