PB Keeping Up With Conventions Strong Two Bids BY DAVID LINDOP

n this set of articles we continue Strong Two Bids 2NT with 20-21, and 2w with 22 or to look at how to fill out the more. This allows the partnership to What would you z standard convention card that AK J describe any balanced hand within a I open with this y A K Q J 9 6 lists all the partnership bidding and hand? If the x KQ two or three-point range: defensive carding agreements. Each answer is 2y, w 9 3 RANGE BIDDING APPROACH partner should have a completed you are playing old-fashioned strong Open one-of-a-suit, plan- 12-14 card for club and tournament events. two-bids. If that’s the case, you ning to rebid notrump. Filling out the card with partner would fill out the area beside 2y 15-17 Open 1NT. before the game begins will give you something like this: Open one-of-a-suit, plan- confidence that you’re both on the 18-19 22 to + HCP ning to jump in notrump. same wavelength. 2y √ Natural † Conv. † 20-21 Open 2NT. The card is color-coded: y Open 2w, planning to 1. Items in black indicate the This indicates that the 2 opening 22-24 bid is a natural, forcing bid, show- rebid 2NT. “standard” methods which don’t ing about 22 or more (+) high-card Open 2w, planning to require any special notification to 25-27 points. Mark the other two-bids in a rebid 3NT the opponents. similarl fashion. 2. Items in red indicate non- Although high-card points standard agreements that require Artificial Forcing 2w (HCP) are the main criteria for valu- you to alert the opponents. The popular modern style, however, ing balanced hands, adding an extra 3. Items in blue are somewhere in is to open all very strong hands with point for a five-card suit or upgrad- an artificial 2w bid. This frees up between. They are fairly standard ing the hand when it has lots of 10’s the opening bids of 2x, 2y, and 2z agreements but you have to and 9’s is common practice. This for other uses . . . typically as weak hand, for example, announce them to the opponents z KQ 10 two-bids. So, the above hand would has only 21 high- y A Q when they apply. be opened with an artificial 2w, card points but x K Q 10 9 5 Previous issues covered planning to describe the distribution most seasoned w AJ 10 notrump, major suit, and minor suit with the rebid. players would open 2w, planning to opening bids and responses. These The artificial forcing 2w opening rebid 2NT to show a balanced hand articles can be found by visiting our is used for both strong balanced of 22-24 points. website at www.AudreyGrant.com. hands and strong unbalanced hands. Strong Unbalanced Hands Now we move on to opening bids Strong Balanced Hands at the two level and responses. We’ll Charles Goren’s original strength The partnership’s bidding style start with strong two-bids and deal requirement for a strong two-bid determines how balanced hands of was at least 21 high-card points with with weak two-bids next issue. Here various strength ranges are to be a six-card or longer suit, 23 with is what this area on the convention described. A common approach is two five-card suits, and 25 with only card looks like: to open 1NT with 15-17 points, one five-card suit. The real criteria, DESCRIBE RESPONSES/REBIDS however, is playing tricks. If you 2w to HCP have a hand within one trick of Strong † Other † game, you don’t want to open at the 2x Resp: Neg † Waiting † one level and have partner pass with 2x to HCP a stray king or queen. Natural † Conv. † 2NT Force † New Suit NF † For example, z A K J 9 7 5 2 2y to HCP this hand has y 5 Natural † Conv. † 2NT Force † New Suit NF † only 16 high- x A K J 3 2z to HCP card points but w 6 Natural † Conv. † 2NT Force † New Suit NF † most players would open 2w.

PLAY 4 BRIDGE VOLUME 7, NO. 1 JANUARY, 2003 PB You can probably make ten tricks It uses up a lot of bidding room when Other Responses even if partner has no points at all, opener still hasn’t described the hand There are many variations on respond- so you don’t want to open 1z and and, if the partnership does play the ing to 2w. Some use 2y as the nega- hear everyone pass. The alternative contract in notrump, it will be played tive response, keeping 2x as waiting is to open 4z, but then you might by the weak hand with all the part- but showing enough to commit the miss a slam if partner has an ace and nership assets face up on the table. partnership to game. Others prefer to one of the queens you need. So, common practice is to respond use “step” responses to show the On the other side of the coin, you an artificial 2x with this hand, leaving range of points held. Some like to w don’t always open with 2 just room for opener to bid 2y or 2z to show the number of “controls” ... because you have 22 or more high- show a strong two-bid in a major suit aces and kings ... held by responder. card points. This or 2NT to show a balanced hand of 22- z A Q J 5 These methods can be described hand has 23 high-card 24 points. It is this factor that makes y 5 in the area under “RESPONSES/ points but is a poor x AKJ 3 the artificial 2w opening so effective. REBIDS” and are alertable. candidate for an w AKJ 3 No bidding room is lost when opener opening 2w. The hand isn’t balanced has a strong two-bid in a major or a Second Negative enough for a notrump rebid and, with strong balanced hand and the other Suppose you are using z no five-card or longer suit, isn’t suit- opening bids at the two level are freed 9 8 4 the popular 2x waiting y 5 2 able for a strong two-bid in a suit. up for other uses. Only if opener has a approach and you have x 8 7 4 2 Many players would open 1x or 1w, strong bid in a minor suit and has to this hand. Partner opens w 8 6 5 3 hoping to hear a bid from partner but rebid 3w or 3x is an extra bidding 2w and you dutifully respond 2x. If willing to play there if partner can’t level used to describe the hand. partner rebids 2NT, you can pass scrape up a response. x Since a 2 response wastes the since partner has at most 24 points. Most partnerships that use the minimum space, most partnerships use But what if partner rebids 2y. Can artificial 2w opening for all strong this bid for all hands that don’t qualify you pass? hands will fill out the appropriate for an immediate “positive” response. Although some players do pass in area something like this: For example, this z J 9 8 5 hand contains 9 high- y 5 this situation, it is not standard 2w 22 to + HCP x Q 9 6 2 practice. Opener’s 2y rebid shows a Strong √† Other † card points but isn’t balanced and doesn’t w A Q 7 2 strong two-bid ... five or more hearts and unlimited strength. Opener This indicates the opening 2w bid have a five-card suit, so it falls into the might have ten or more tricks with is strong and shows about 22 or more 2x category. This popular approach is no help from you. points. It is assumed to be artificial referred to as 2x “waiting” ... waiting and forcing but it doesn’t require an to see what opener has to say. The The standard way to show a real alert since it falls under the umbrella card is filled out this way: negative at this point is to bid 2NT of “standard” practice. In fact, if you but that might get the hand played 22 to + HCP from the weak side if partner raises. use a 2w opening to actually show 2w √ Strong † Other † A popular approach is to use 3w as a clubs ... as a natural opening bid or 2x Resp: Neg † Waiting √† as a weak two-bid ... that is alertable! “second negative” to show a really As you’ve seen, the 22+ high- The 2x response isn’t alertable weak hand and 3x if opener rebids card points is more of a guideline whether it is negative or waiting. 3w. This is referred to as “cheaper than a fact, so some partnerships pre- minor second negative” and might be fer to leave the range blank . . . sim- What’s Positive? written on the card in this manner ... ply indicating that the bid is strong The partnership needs to agree on using typical bridge shorthand: and leaving the exact strength to the what responder needs to bid some- RESPONSES/REBIDS judgment of the opening bidder. thing other than 2x. A popular agreement is that with about 8 or 3C/D = 2nd neg. Negative or Waiting? more high-card points, responder can If partner opens 2w z 9 8 4 3 show a “good” five-card suit ... two and the next player y 5 2 of the top three honors ... or any six- If opener rebids 3x, you would passes, what do you x 8 7 4 card or longer suit. If responder’s have to bid 3NT with a weak hand. respond with this hand? w J 9 6 3 suit is diamonds, responder will have Once you’ve made a second nega- Since you can’t pass the forcing to jump to 3x, since 2x would be tive, most partnerships allow 2w opening, you must bid some- artificial. With 8 or more points and responder to pass if opener simply thing. At one time, the “negative” a balanced hand, responder can bid rebids the same suit. If opener bids response to a strong two-bid was 2NT. Any positive response commits a new suit, however, responder has 2NT, but that has two disadvantages. the partnership to game. to bid again.

PLAY 5 BRIDGE VOLUME 7, NO. 1 JANUARY, 2003