[helene_t]

I don't see any serious alternative to the 2♠ overcall. However, especially at matchpoints w/w and playing 2♠ as the only way to bid a hand with spades only or spades+minor, the range of the 2♠ overcall is very wide. So I don't think it is entirely safe for N to raise. So zero blame to SOuth and very little if any blame to North. Sometimes weak NT works.

[wank]

this situation has, unsurprisingly, come up before.

the hand isn't suitable for a double, but it's also rather heavy for 2S. the solution as espoused by certain strong players who frequently play against weak no trumps is to play 2D as a strong overcall in a major (allowing for a rebid to show distributional strong hands over the 2M pass/correct bid) and 2M as being more limited.

[Jinksy]

Tramticket, on 2016-September-26, 04:58, said:

I also strongly believe that a penalty-double is wrong on the South hand. Whilst there are many contested auctions where you can shade values in the protective seat, this is not one of them. When you double 1NT in protective seat you know that the opener's values are sitting over you and you know that your partner will be leading blind (and very likely to pick the wrong suit).

I wouldn't expect P to lead from some holey Qxxx suit after I've Xed. He's looking for my suit/a passive lead, neither of which is wholly dissimilar.

Also, as Nullve said, the double helps us a lot should the auction continue - even if 1N is making their way and 2♠ making our way, the opps don't know that. When we have a club void, the chances are good RHO had a club suit that he couldn't run into because it's not 1940. With luck he'll bid it, and now 2♠ shows our hand nicely.

[Cyberyeti]

Jinksy, on 2016-September-28, 16:49, said:

I wouldn't expect P to lead from some holey Qxxx suit after I've Xed. He's looking for my suit/a passive lead, neither of which is wholly dissimilar.

Also, as Nullve said, the double helps us a lot should the auction continue - even if 1N is making their way and 2♠ making our way, the opps don't know that. When we have a club void, the chances are good RHO had a club suit that he couldn't run into because it's not 1940. With luck he'll bid it, and now 2♠ shows our hand nicely.

Chances are also good he has enough to sit the double so doesn't bother to remove.

Double is good if it doesn't play there, but probably terrible if it does. Partner is very likely to lead his 5 card club suit.

[mike777]

ahydra, on 2016-September-23, 07:11, said:

MPs, both sides non-vul, spots approximate

---

West opened a weak 1NT. We play 2C = both majors, others natural. What needs to be done differently to reach game?

ahydra

this one seems pretty simple:
1) I make the bid that promises a 6 card suit/4 loser hand/NV/two suited hand vs wk nt opener.
2) If our system does not have such a bid, change system.
3) If I dont know I would ask Chip Martel for starters, he plays wk nt. Let's not bother to reinvent the wheel.

[Fluffy]

On WBG I expected to play against weak NT often, so I envisioned this constructive 2-step transfer methods:

Double penalty
2♣ = 5+♥
2♦ = 5+♠
2♥ = majors around 9-13
2♠ = ♣
2NT = minors around 9-13
3♣ = ♦

The idea of double step is that responder inmediately shows a negative to avoid going too high or shows something. On this hand south would bid 2♦, north would bid 2♥ allowing for south to at least invite. Whether north would then accept or not is not clear.

Hands too strong for 2♥ or 2NT start with double.

For one reason or another we overcalled only 3 times against opponents 1NT opening, and methods didn't eem to matter.