[rwbarton]

So here's a crazy idea I started thinking about when one day I didn't hear an opening 1♣ bid on my left and announced my partner's 1♦ overcall as "could be short".

The natural 1♦ overcall has less upside than a 1♥/1♠ overcall (game in ♦ is remote, and you are less likely to win the partscore battle) and is less frequent as well (assuming (43)51 hands start with a takeout double, and you might not overcall 1♦ on a bad suit because more of the value in overcalling is in lead direction). Perhaps you'd be willing to give up a natural 1♦ overcall and use 2♦ like a normal (non-jump) 2-level overcall, passing with the bad 1♦ overcalls. What might you use 1♦ for then?

Here's a scheme that came to mind:

1♣ - 1♦ = NF takeout of ♣, any hand that would make a normal takeout double of 1♣ and pass a 1♦ response.
1♣ - x = normal takeout double of ♦ (including strong balanced hands, GOSHs) or strong takeout shape of ♣ (too good to pass a 1♦ response)

The advantages would be that the frequent "minimum, takeout shape of ♣" hand is defined immediately, so advancer is in better control of the auction, not having to cater to GOSHs, and that you can get into the auction with more hands with the majors like shapes like 4423, 4414, (43)15, maybe particularly useful against 2+ 1♣ openers. The disadvantages are of course this puts more strain on your ability to show hands with primary ♦ and you lose a 1♣ - 2♦ WJO. (Also it's not clear to me when advancer should be passing 1♣ - x - p, but I'm not sure whether this is really worse than after a normal takeout double.)

Has anyone experimented with an idea like this or another artificial 1♦ overcall?

[wclass___]

If 1♣ is natural then .. ''An overcall of a natural opening bid of one of a suit that does not promise at least four cards in a known suit'' is brown sticker.

However I agree that it makes more sense to bid 2♦ immediately with 11-15 and 6♦+

Check this idea

[mgoetze]

wclass___, on 2012-June-27, 11:31, said:

If 1♣ is natural then .. ''An overcall of a natural opening bid of one of a suit that does not promise at least four cards in a known suit'' is brown sticker.

So have it promise 4 hearts or something, WTP?

[dake50]

So 1D has minimum values T/O Dbl?
That seems to plainly blab my hand when I take no space
AND have only slight chance to win the contract.
To have an anchor suit have 1D promise 4xS -
rather like Raptor 1NT: 4+H with a 5+minor.
Like 2D jump for 1-suiter source of tricks for 3NT
YET little urge to explore anything else.
Use 2C Q-bid as weak (< 13) T/O Dbl hand.
Then Roman-like 2H for MM hands replacing Michaels Q-bid.