It's your turn!
Do you balance or not?
Landy in bridge
The 1NT opening is very precise: it shows a balanced hand with 15-17 points. To hope to play a contract on the other side, the defence must overcall at the 2-level. To save space and describe their distributions clearly, a special meaning has been assigned to each bid.
Among these, Landy 2 (major two-suiter) is one of the most used. It is an essential tool to defend against 1NT, as it allows you to quickly tell partner that a major fit is possible.
When to overcall over 1NT?
The decisive criterion is not the number of points… but the distribution. With a balanced hand, even a very strong one, it is often preferable to pass, whereas with an unbalanced hand (long one-suiter or two-suiter), it becomes interesting to enter the bidding.
⚠️ Pay attention to vulnerability: a light overcall over a strong 1NT (15-17 points) can be costly.
What about the Landy 2 overcall?
- At least 5-4 in the majors (spades and hearts), exceptionally 4-4.
- From about 10 points if vulnerable, sometimes a bit less if non-vulnerable.
- The weaker the hand, the more the shape and the quality of the majors must compensate.
- Aim for a maximum of 7 losers with 5-5, and 6 losers with 5-4 at favourable vulnerability.
💡 In this type of overcall, the position of the honours is crucial: they must be concentrated in the long majors, not scattered in the minors.
And in the balancing seat?
In the balancing seat (after two passes), 2 keeps the same meaning (both majors). But you can be less demanding on points or distribution: the opponents have at most 23 points between them. Therefore prioritise distribution even more, even with very few points, since you know partner necessarily holds some HCP complement.
Do you let them play in 1SA?
Other two-suited bids over 1NT
The French system recognises three main conventions against 1NT:
- Landy 2 → Both majors.
- The "minor-major" double → At least a 5-card major + a 4-card minor.
- 2NT → Both minors (at least 5-5).
When playing this system, 2 and 2 usually show 5 cards, accompanied by at least 4 cards in a minor.
It's your turn!
Can you assess your hand?
Partner's responses to Landy
Partner must always bid after 2, but the nature of their response depends on the real value of their hand opposite the two-suiter. Here points matter less than the quality of the fit and honour location: useful cards are honours in partner’s long majors or aces in the short minors.
- 2 or 2 → Clear preference for the suit.
- 3 or 3 → 4-card fit and distribution (law of total tricks).
- 4 or 4 → With 5+ trumps, you can aim for game directly, whether to play your contract or to prepare your defence.
2 relay
Used when you have no clear preference for a major or when you are strong.
- Asks the one who overcalls to specify their longest major (2 if equal length).
- Can also prepare a more ambitious bid later.
2NT relay
There is also a 2NT relay over which the player who overcalls shows both their strength and distribution using four bids: 3 with 5 and a minimum hand, 3 with 5 and a minimum hand, 3 with 5 and a maximum hand to make the 1NT opener lead, and finally 3 with 5 and a maximum hand. But to use this 2NT relay, it's important to have at least a 4-card fit in a major. With a 3-card fit and a strong hand, prefer the 2 relay followed by the relevant major.
Explore further with...
You can read the full article on the Funbridge blog.
Special cases over the opponents' double
- A redouble asks to bid the major.
- A pass shows a long club suit, and 2 a long diamond suit.
- If player #3 overcalls 2 (non-forcing, 5 cards), then player #4’s double means "bid your longest major".
Practice deal: How do you respond to Landy?
Sitting South, how would you respond to Landy?
Discover my comments as well as my rating for all the possible bids in this article from September 2025.
Landik: Landy's "cousin" on responder's side
In the same spirit as Landy, Landik (2 again) allows you to show a major two-suiter at least 5-4, but this time on the responder's side, after their partner opened a minor and opponents overcalled with 1NT. This non-natural bid shows a competitive hand and primarily aims to find a major fit quickly or to disrupt the opponents in their NT contract. The continuations follow the same logic as over Landy: opener can bid their 4-card major or use the 2 relay to ask for more details.
Sandwich overcall after 1m – Pass – 1NT
When the bidding goes ** 1** or 1 – Pass – 1NT, the opponents have already shown around 20 points. In this context, you need solid arguments to imagine playing a contract on your side. These arguments will rarely be HCPs alone: it is mainly distribution that should push you to overcall. In other words, two-suited, three-suited or one-suited hands… but definitely not flat hands.
The classic (standard) system
Traditionally, you overcall naturally: suits are bid normally and the cuebid (2 over 1, or 2 over 1) shows a major 5-5 two-suiter (sometimes 5-4). This system has the advantage of simplicity but often forces the one who overcalls to choose a suit too quickly, risking missing the best fit.
A modern alternative
In the sandwich seat, many experts prefer to use the same toolkit as against a 1NT opening.
- Double = Three-suited hand (often short in the minor opened).
- 2 = Landy.
- 2 = Unspecified major one-suiter (with at least 6 cards).
- 2 or 2 = 5 cards in the major + at least 4 cards in the other minor.
- 2NT = Minor two-suiter (rare!). This harmonised system has two main advantages: it makes your overcalls more "consistent"—always the same reference points, whether directly over 1NT or in the sandwich seat—, and it leaves aside showing a minor naturally to make room for two-suiters, which are more useful after the start of the sequence.
Here are a few examples to convince you…
- Q 9 7 6 3
- A K J 3
- 2
- A 9 8
In the standard system, here again, you're in an awkward situation. Should you overcall with 2 or make a cuebid of 2? If you cuebid, you're not sure you'll find the best fit. With three spades and three hearts, your partner is supposed to choose hearts. In the modern system, 2 will be Landy, with room for 2 if partner wants to know your 5-card major.
Conclusion
Landy is a simple and effective bridge convention for entering the bidding after the opponents' 1NT opening. It allows you to show the majors and guide partner quickly to the right contract. Its strength lies in its clarity, but using it requires discipline: do not overcall with any hand, or you may mislead partner or incur a big penalty. Used well, it not only helps to find major fits quickly, but also to disrupt the opponents considerably.
Q&A
An overcall over 1NT which shows both majors.
Around 10 points with 5-4 majors. More demanding vulnerable, lighter non-vulnerable with a good distribution.
Because you can have both majors. Landy lets partner choose the best suit.
Yes, it's even more effective: opponents have fewer points and your chances of finding a good contract increase.
In direct overcalling position, you need a serious hand (often 10 HCPs with 5-4). In balancing position, a lighter overcall is possible because the opponents are limited in points.
Generally, 7 losers maximum with 5-5, and 6 losers with 5-4 at favourable vulnerability.
2♥/2♠ for preference with 3 cards, 3♥/3♠ for a 4-card fit and distribution, 4♥/4♠ for a 5-card fit or strong distribution. 2♦ relay to ask for the longest major or prepare an ambitious bid.
The redouble asks for the longest major. Pass shows length in clubs, 2♦ length in diamonds.
The double asks to bid the longest major. Pass is non-forcing with a hand without particular ambition.
With a 4-card fit, a jump to the 3-level shows enthusiasm. With 5 trumps, you can bid game directly.
Woolsey, Dont, Cappelletti. Landy remains the simplest and most effective for most partnerships.
With this hand, it's obvious to bid. But if you overcall naturally, you will bid 2. If your partner has a spade shortage and a club fit, it's a shame you don't give them the choice. By playing two-suited 2 in this situation, your partner knows both your major and your minor, and they can choose with all the elements at their disposal!