[Liversidge]

Hope no-one feels I am hogging this great board, but I am finding answers I can't find anywhere else after a lot of trying, so...

We play weak No Trump, and have not yet started using Michaels and the Unusual No Trump. When partner's suit is overcalled, and my hand is balanced and I don't have a suit I can bid, what are the stopper requirements for a 1NT, 2NT and 3NT response, including stoppers in unbid suits as well as in the opponents' suit? I have read an Acol book by Cohen and Lederer (1989!) that says that a 1NT overcall of an opponent's opener requires two stops in their suit as well as the point count. But I can't find anything on whether, for example, a bid of 1NT, 2NT or 3NT after an opponent's overcall requires one or two stops in their suit, and whether one stop is required in all the unbid suits. If there are too many restrictions some bids become unuseable. I appreciate that any bidding guide is just that, a guide, and there are good and not so good stops, and with experience you can be more flexible, but I'd like to know what a good base point is, so I can agree it with partner.
(I presume the point count requirements for 2NT and 3NT are the same with or without the overcall, and that the 1NT rebid needs to be a bit stronger - 7-10 points, and balanced, because partner has another bid?)

[helene_t]

One stop is enough but if you have an alternative it is generally better. Especially if you have only one stop.
You don't need stoppers in unbid suits but with a singleton in an unbid suit you will usually have an alternative

[EricK]

A point to bear in mind is that when partner has opened, if you are strong in RHO's suit it can be better to look to defend (perhaps doubled) rather than play in NT. eg Imagine you have something like KJTx in RHO's suit and partner has a singleton, you might make 3 tricks in that suit in defense, and only one (or possible none!) if declaring NT. A very common mistake made by beginners is to rush into NT on misfitting hands just because they have a stop or two in the enemy suit.

[Zelandakh]

An overcall of 1NT is different from a response. More than that, while the traditional 1NT overcall back in the day was meant to show 1.5 stoppers there is practically noone that still bids that way. On these boards you will find a strong advocate of frequent 1NT overcalls with not more than Kx in their suit.

For responses, the level makes a difference. A 1NT bid is normally given as a range of 8-10 and does not require a full stopper. The point here is that even of their suit uns there might still be 7 winners and Opener can cue bid to check on the quality of the stopper if they need to. Something in the suit is to be preferred but it does not need to be a great something if no better call presents itself.

For 2NT we are in different territory. Here you really want a proper stopper before butting in but also need to cosnider if you actually want to. If you have length in their suit then partner will probably have shortage and there is a high chance that they will re-open with a double. Perhaps playing a doubled contract will be more lucrative for your side, esepcially if Opener is minimum and no game is available. For this reason many pairs choose to use 2NT artificially and just bid around it when they have a natural 2NT response and are unsuitable for a pass.

Finally, for 3NT you are taking sole responsibility for stopping their suit so you need to be confident this is the right spot. Partner has no way of checking the stopper quality any more and will pass a high percentage of the time.

Oh yes, and finally +1, what Helene wrote regarding side suit stops. In competition NT bids will be a little offshape more often than in an unopposed auction so you might well do it with a singleton from time to time though.

[1eyedjack]

Agree with all of the above.

Point is that if you have a hand that looks like a 1N bid, has the right values, is balanced, and has a guard in the oppo suit, then bidding 1N now may be the one and only chance that you get to show your hand to partner. Pass, and you could find yourself completely fixed on the next round and thereafter, if there is a thereafter. That being the case, requiring two full guards in the oppo suit would mean your having to pass on a lot of these hands and then getting fixed.

So I say, one guard is enough. But as Helene says, be alert to alternatives, such as neg X if appropriate shape, or even god forbid supporting partner.

[Liversidge]

I had not thought about the negative double, but that would cover most of the situations where I would be uncomfortable about bidding No Trumps.I had forgotten that it can be used on strong hands. If I don't have stops in the overcaller's suit and I am not able to support partner's suit and don't have the length to bid a new suit at the 3 level, then I probably have good cards in both the unbid suits, and can give partner a choice. Many thanks!

[PhilG007]

Liversidge, on 2014-September-04, 11:01, said:

Hope no-one feels I am hogging this great board, but I am finding answers I can't find anywhere else after a lot of trying, so...

We play weak No Trump, and have not yet started using Michaels and the Unusual No Trump. When partner's suit is overcalled, and my hand is balanced and I don't have a suit I can bid, what are the stopper requirements for a 1NT, 2NT and 3NT response, including stoppers in unbid suits as well as in the opponents' suit? I have read an Acol book by Cohen and Lederer (1989!) that says that a 1NT overcall of an opponent's opener requires two stops in their suit as well as the point count. But I can't find anything on whether, for example, a bid of 1NT, 2NT or 3NT after an opponent's overcall requires one or two stops in their suit, and whether one stop is required in all the unbid suits. If there are too many restrictions some bids become unuseable. I appreciate that any bidding guide is just that, a guide, and there are good and not so good stops, and with experience you can be more flexible, but I'd like to know what a good base point is, so I can agree it with partner.
(I presume the point count requirements for 2NT and 3NT are the same with or without the overcall, and that the 1NT rebid needs to be a bit stronger - 7-10 points, and balanced, because partner has another bid?)

Two stoppers is generally the norm but this can be shaded if the hand contains mitigating features like a solid running suit.
In his excellent book,"100 Winning Bridge Tips",Paul Mendelson gives this example :-
♠Ax ♥Jxx ♦AKQJxx ♣Jx 1♠ is opened on your right what is your bid?
Mendelson says "Here 1NT is a very good bid. On the likely spade lead,you have 7 top tricks in diamonds...unless 1 opponent has♦10xxxx
in which case you can say someone up there doesn't like you. If your partner has the points to raise you,you will be delighted".

[1eyedjack]

PhilG007, on 2014-September-06, 20:29, said:

Two stoppers is generally the norm but this can be shaded if the hand contains mitigating features like a solid running suit.
In his excellent book,"100 Winning Bridge Tips",Paul Mendelson gives this example :-
♠Ax ♥Jxx ♦AKQJxx ♣Jx 1♠ is opened on your right what is your bid?
Mendelson says "Here 1NT is a very good bid. On the likely spade lead,you have 7 top tricks in diamonds...unless 1 opponent has♦10xxxx
in which case you can say someone up there doesn't like you. If your partner has the points to raise you,you will be delighted".

You are not being asked about the guard requirements of a 1N overcall of RHO opening bid, but of a 1N response to partner's opening bid following an intervening overcall. Perhaps you think that the same considerations apply? The OP does mention overcalls of opener but by way of contrast.