Say you have this hand:
♠ A9
♥ AK983
♦ A8
♣ KQ108
Good enough for 2♣?
I like the Bridge Bum site for answering questions like this one. It says you can open 2♣ if you are a trick short of game. I'd say this hand qualifies. If partner has as little as three hearts with the ♥Q or either missing King, game is a good bet while they would pass a 1♥ opening.
For responses to 2♣ the article describes three methods.
1. 2♦ "waiting" with 0-7 HCP.
2. 2♦ waiting with 4+ HCP, and 2♥ negative with 0-3 HCP.
3. Control-showing responses.
The article seems to mostly focus on #1, especially in the descriptions of responder's rebids. Cheaper minor as a second negative seems useful but it will present a problem with the hand above; what's your bid after 2♣ - 2♦ - 2♥ - 3♣? You're already too high with no known fit.
My current favorite is #2. It seems useful to distinguish strength right away at that level. Also I like 2♣ to be game-forcing unless balanced, and for lesser hands will open at the 1-level and hope somebody else bids.
#3 is not appealing because showing controls is for slam bidding whereas your immediate problem is finding a game if there is one.
Big Club systems have more promise for solving problems like this.
Strong Two Clubs
Re: Strong Two Clubs
Another treatment I like after 2♣ is to reverse the meanings of the 2♥ and 2NT responses for method #1, and to let 2NT show a heart suit with #2. This keeps the bidding lower and allows the strong hand to declare in the common case where responder has a balanced hand, and avoids the need for yet another form of Stayman.
Off in competition of course.
Either way, opener's 2NT rebid after a 2♥ response is a strong balanced hand and the normal system of Stayman, transfers, Smolen etc. can apply, same as after the 2♦ response.
Off in competition of course.
Either way, opener's 2NT rebid after a 2♥ response is a strong balanced hand and the normal system of Stayman, transfers, Smolen etc. can apply, same as after the 2♦ response.
-
Cthulhu Dreams
- Posts: 4
- Joined: 23 Feb 2025, 18:27
Re: Strong Two Clubs
Given you play a multi 2D, one fun thing you can do is play 2C weak diamonds or strong.
Then 2H as the immediate double negative, 2D waiting and everything else as per a natural 2D weak 2.
If partner bids 2D waiting, then 2H can be kokish as normal.
I started playing this to mastermind a future partner who would make positive responses when it wasn't helpful or a good idea (i am a bad person), but subsequent partnerships kept it because we think it's plus EV.
It's not as good a real weak 2D, but it's a very frequent hand type which rates to come up once every couple of sessions, and it also jams your opponents preempting of your strong hands because they have to assume you are weak as that is the vastly more probable hand type. You lose some EV on purely constructive auctions, but overall it's a low complexity addition that comes up a lot.
Then 2H as the immediate double negative, 2D waiting and everything else as per a natural 2D weak 2.
If partner bids 2D waiting, then 2H can be kokish as normal.
I started playing this to mastermind a future partner who would make positive responses when it wasn't helpful or a good idea (i am a bad person), but subsequent partnerships kept it because we think it's plus EV.
It's not as good a real weak 2D, but it's a very frequent hand type which rates to come up once every couple of sessions, and it also jams your opponents preempting of your strong hands because they have to assume you are weak as that is the vastly more probable hand type. You lose some EV on purely constructive auctions, but overall it's a low complexity addition that comes up a lot.