[AL78]

♠AK8762
♥Q
♦A4
♣6543

Red against green, MPs. LHO opens 1♥, pass from partner, RHO bids 2♥. Do you come in with your spades?

[DavidKok]

Yes.

[helene_t]

This is more risky in an Acol field than in an SA field since LHO could have a strong NT with 4-4 in the majors. But pass is more risky than 2♠. If you never go for -1100 on a partscore hand, you are not overcalling enough.

Basically, when you consider an overcall, ask yourself if you would be happy if partner leads your suit, or if they raise your suit. Here the answer is clearly "yes" to both.

[mycroft]

Agreeing with all, but my partners and I have an agreement that we push to come into these auctions. Yes, Vul at MPs -200 is a big flashing light, but it doesn't happen as often as it should, even in very good fields. At AL's club, I'd be shocked.

But ONLY if partner takes that into consideration. Because ...(3♥)-3♠-X: yeah, that goes for 200. Or 500, even if game makes.

So if partner will not take a joke (note: this hand isn't a joke. I'd overcall on a lot less defence than this) then you don't get to make these calls. Because sure, "I'd rather be -1100 than -110" (Larry Cohen), but not all the time.

[AL78]

I overcalled 2♠ which didn't work very well in the end although in theory it shouldn't cost.

---

My overcall encourages partner to lead a spade which sets me up for a ruffing finesse which declarer duly takes making 11 tricks. Declarer can do this without any assistance but one declarer only made 10 tricks (they got the ♣Q lead), and with the board only played three times means we get a 28% board.

[Bad_Wolf]

2♠ seems auto to me.

[TylerE]

AK6th of spades? I'm bidding *something*. What depends on the rest of the hand, but unless RHO opened 1♠, a green card is not coming out of the box.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

2S is normal, at this colors it should show 6+ and an opening hand, you have both.

And yes, without the overcall p would have attacked club, happens.
It is easy to construct layouts, when you want p to attack spades.

If you are too often unlucky, go to the next church and try to get absolution
for your sins, that cursed your luck.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Cyberyeti]

P_Marlowe, on 2023-August-17, 01:42, said:

Hi,

2S is normal, at this colors it should show 6+ and an opening hand, you have both.

And yes, without the overcall p would have attacked club, happens.
It is easy to construct layouts, when you want p to attack spades.

If you are too often unlucky, go to the next church and try to get absolution
for your sins, that cursed your luck.

With kind regards
Marlowe

Attacking clubs doesn't help if declarer thinks the hand through and plays a spade or a diamond before clearing trumps (trump to the ace first works really well for either play).

OP is the victim of a declarer not getting the play right with not a big enough room for just below average not to be a really poor score.

[pescetom]

AL78, on 2023-August-16, 09:20, said:

My overcall encourages partner to lead a spade which sets me up for a ruffing finesse which declarer duly takes making 11 tricks. Declarer can do this without any assistance but one declarer only made 10 tricks (they got the ♣Q lead), and with the board only played three times means we get a 28% board.

I think your overcall was perfectly reasonable and I'm not convinced the lead (either spades or clubs) makes any difference, surely you only make the two pointy Aces?
What actually happens with board played just three times in a local tournament is not particularly relevant.

[smerriman]

pescetom, on 2023-August-17, 14:56, said:

I think your overcall was perfectly reasonable and I'm not convinced the lead (either spades or clubs) makes any difference, surely you only make the two pointy Aces?

I can see easily declarer winning the club and playing three rounds of trumps, after which the only way to make 11 tricks is a low diamond to the king followed by leading out the 5 of diamonds from dummy, which isn't going to happen.

But of course, neither this nor the results have anything to do with whether a spade overcall is right or not. Like past posts, you have to learn to ignore results at other tables and base how well you played on things that were under your control.