Responding to Weak Two bids Secondly our support for partner’s suit. We will either have support (usually three or more cards, occasionally a doubleton honour). Or we will not have support for partner’s What is a weak two bid? suit (a small doubleton or less). Playing old-fashioned an opening bid of 2 ♥ or 2 ♠ would indicate an eight playing So the four hand types are: trick hand, if that suit were trumps. However in Benji Acol we can show these hands by opening 2 ♣ and them bidding 2 ♥ or 2 ♠ over partner’s 2 ♦ response. TYPE OF HAND Weak hand At least 14+ hcp (RESPONDER) (say up to 12/13 hcp) This means we can use the opening bid of 2 ♥ or 2 ♠ as a WEAK opening bid. No /little support for So what is a 2 ♥ or 2 ♠ opening bid? partner’s suit. Support for partner’s suit. If you open 2 ♥ or 2 ♠ it will show 5-9 hcp The suit will be at least 6 cards long and of reasonable quality. ie at least good enough for a two level using the suit quality test And the typical way to bid these four types is as follows: eg Q T 9 6 4 3 is just good enough, J 9 8 6 4 2 is not good enough TYPE OF HAND Weak hand At least 14+ hcp (RESPONDER) (say up to 12/13 hcp) Hopefully your high cards will be in your longer suits, preferably in the bid suit. No /little support for Pass If you can see the correct partner’s suit. game – bid it. (but see later) You will NOT have four cards in the other major. Support for partner’s suit. Raise to 3 Raise to game Be careful if you hold a or two Aces – often this type of hand is a little too strong (pre-emptive) (expecting to make) for a weak two opening bid.

Typically your shape will be 6331, or 6322, or 6421 (with a four card minor). Eg

Why are weak two opening bids good to play? Partner opens 2 ♥ and you hold

They occur reasonably frequently (hands in the range 5-9 are ten times more likely ♠ K 5 4 2 than hands in the range 18-21) ♥ Q 7 They are fairly closely defined. (So partner can immediately assess where we are going, ♦ A T 7 3 and it may greatly assist him to bid game) ♣ J 5 4 They are pre-emptive. (We force opponents to start bidding at a level higher than they would like, increasing the likelihood of them finding the wrong suit and/or the wrong Pass. level. We may also find a profitable ) You have less than opening values and little support for partner’s suit. How should we respond if partner opens with a weak two?

Essentially there are four main types of hand we could have, defined by two main factors.

First of all our basic strength – we will either have a weak hand with anything from zero hcp up to a light opening bid of about 12/13 points. Alternatively we will be quite strong with about 14 hcp upwards.

Partner opens 2 ♠ and you hold Partner opens 2 ♥ and you hold

♠ K 5 4 2 ♠ Q 4 2

♥ Q 7 ♥ 7

♦ A T 7 3 ♦ A K J T 7 3

♣ J 5 4 ♣ J 5 4

Bid 3 ♠. Pass.

This time you have support for partner’s suit and you want to discourage the opposition You have less than opening values and no support for partner’s suit. Do not be tempted from bidding. 3 ♠ may well make – it might not though. If partner is maximum, you are to bid 3 ♦. Partner’s heart suit could well be as good as, or nearly as good as, your unlikely to be able to make the spade game, and if partner is minimum, it may well be diamond suit. Partner’s diamond support could be as poor as, or nearly as poor as, your that the opposition can make 4 ♥. NB in this situation opener MUST NOT bid 4 ♠. heart support. And to score better than 2 ♥ you will need to make 10 tricks in diamonds (making 9 only scores 110, just the same score as 2♥)

Partner opens 2 ♥ and you hold Partner opens 2 ♠ and you hold ♠ 2 ♠ K J 4 2 ♥ Q 7 6 ♥ A Q 7 ♦ A K T 9 7 3 ♦ K Q 5 2 ♣ A Q 5 ♣ K 3 Bid 4 ♥. Bid 4 ♠ You have a good opening hand and support for partner’s suit. You also have ruffing values with a singleton spade. Do not be tempted to mention the diamonds. You have a You have a good opening hand and support for partner. This is likely to make even if 6-3 heart fit and to make a diamond game will need one more trick than a heart game partner is absolutely minimum. (and it doesn’t score as much anyway). Partner opens 2 ♥ and you hold

♠ 4 2 Partner opens 2 ♠ and you hold ♥ Q 7 5 ♠ ♦ A T 7 3 ♥ A Q J T 8 7 4 2 ♣ K 5 4 ♦ A 7 Bid 3 ♥. ♣ A Q J This is preemptive in nature. You have less than opening points, but support for Bid 4 ♥. partner’s suit. 3 ♥ is unlikely to make (it may occasionally) but, if it goes off, it is likely ♥ The hands don’t fit well at all, but you have a good opening hand and can see that the to be cheaper that letting the opponents play the hand. By bidding 3 you push the heart game is a good prospect. So bid it. level up and make it more difficult for opponents to come in. NB In this situation opener MUST NOT bid 4 ♥.

Partner opens 2 ♠ and you hold Holding

♠ 4 ♠ 6 ♠ A K 9 5 4 2

♥ K Q J ♥ K Q J 7 6 2 ♥ 5

♦ A J T ♦ 7 4 3 2 ♦ A Q 6

♣ A K Q T 6 5 ♣ Q 5 ♣ A T 7

Bid 3NT

You have a good opening hand, but the hands don’t fit very well. You can see the correct Here opener should pass 2 ♠. contract, so bid it. You are likely to make 5 or 6 club tricks, a couple of hearts and one He has no support for partner and his hearts arelikely to be of little worth, so he has or two diamond tricks. You may not make any spades, but partner’s holding will prevent little to contribute. 2 ♠ should make comfortably and pass is the best option. the opposition cashing a lot of spade tricks against your contract. Holding Other bids with a good hand ♠ Q T 6 ♠ A K 9 5 4 2 In the unlikely event you have a very good hand indeed, you can force partner by bidding a new suit at the three level. This is unconditionally forcing and partner must ♥ A J T 7 6 2 ♥ 5 bid. However such hands are rare, and we are talking 20+ points. ♦ 3 2 ♦ A Q 6 Sometimes partner opens 2 ♥ and we have a good opening hand with little support for ♣ Q 5 ♣ A T 7 partner, but a good spade suit of our own. In this case we can bid 2 ♠ and let the opener decide what to do. Our 2 ♠ is not forcing, and partner can pass, but if he has support, he may want to raise our suit. Here opener should raise to 4 ♠.

He has good support, a maximum opening bid, and the Ace of hearts is likely to Eg be a good card. You might even make 12 tricks with this holding if the diamond is right and the wind is behind you. Partner opens 2 ♥ and you hold OGUST ♠ A K 9 5 4 2 Sometimes the responder to the weak two opening is not sure whether there is a game ♥ 5 on or not. He has a decent opening hand of his own, but he needs more clarification of ♦ A Q 6 what strength the opener is and how good his main suit is,

♣ A T 7 The sort of hand responder might have is

Bid 2 ♠. ♠ A Q 9

This says to partner I have a good opening hand and a good spade suit with little ♥ Q 5 support for your hearts. You may pass if you wish, but don’t bid 3 ♥. If you want to you ♦ K Q 6 can support my spades. ♣ A 7 4 3 Let’s look at two possible responses from opener: Here responder has 17 points. The heart game may be on if the opener has a maximum

of say 8 or 9 points. But if partner is minimum, with say 6 points, then game is unlikely.

To find out more about the opener’s hand, over the weak-two opening, responder can bid 2NT. This is not natural (so it needs to be alerted by opener), but asks opener to describe his hand further.

This is how opener replies:

3♣ Minimum points (5-7) and only one of the top three honours

3♦ Minimum points (5-7) and two of the top three honours

3♥ Maximum points (8-9) and only one of the top three honours

3♠ Maximum points (8-9) and two of the top three honours

3NT (a rarity) All three of the top three honours (ie A K Q x x x)

With the OGUST response, responder should then be able to determine what the correct contract is and hence to bid it.

Let’s see a couple of hands with OGUST in action:

♠ K T 6 ♠ A 5 3

♥ Q J T 7 6 2 ♥ K 9 3

♦ 3 2 ♦ A Q 6 5

♣ 9 5 ♣ Q J T

2♥ 2NT

3♣ 3♥

Here, East, after West’s 2 ♥ opening, is not sure if they can make game. So he makes a 2NT OGUST enquiry. West shows a minimum hand with a poor heart suit, and East knows that game is unlikely to make and subsides in 3 ♥.

♠ K T 9 6 4 2 ♠ A Q 3

♥ 5 3 ♥ K 9 3

♦ A J 4 ♦ K Q 6 5

♣ 8 7 ♣ Q J T

2♠ 2NT

3♥ 4♠

Again, after the weak two opening from West, East makes an OGUST enquiry. This time West shows maximum (8) points, but only one top honour. That is enough for East who bids game. This is not a certain make as the opponents may be able to cash four tricks, but otherwise West can draw trumps and take four diamond tricks for ten tricks.