OGUST NN CLUB LESSON About weak two bids: 1. 6-11 points (but nothing about quality of suit) 2. Purpose is to preempt opponent (esp. at favorable vul.); squeeze bidding space; suggest opening lead if defending, while making opp. guess if they have to lead. 3. If you as resp. don’t have a strong hand, you can pass or extend preempt. 4. If you think you may have game, you can bid 2NT, which asks for high card feature outside the bid suit, or best side suit, but guess where to go. That’s all fine, but there’s nothing in that system that gives you a lot of information. It doesn’t say anything at all about the points in the opener’s hand (other than 6-11, and some of us play even weaker)—or the quality of the bid suit. The weak two bidder could have, ex, 6 points including outside King, and only QJ in the bid suit, so you as responder don’t have enough to bid intelligently if you think you might be able to get to game or slam. In other words, that weak 2 can preempt your partner too—not just the opponents: say you have 15 points opposite the weak 2, not really enough information to proceed intelligently. Ogust designed to provide more info if you think you have the poss of game. Generally, ought to have 15 or 15+ points to use Ogust (but also might have fewer if distribution looks favorable). The Ogust convention itself is pretty simple. The Ogust bid over a weak two is 2NT. That is completely artificial, and asks the opener two questions: tell me about your points, and tell me about the quality of your suit. The opener’s response to the Ogust 2 NT bid then gives his partner more specific information about the opening weak two, and allows the responder to evaluate the possibility of game or even slam. These are the responses to the Ogust 2NT bid. They are pretty simple step-wise responses, and you can remember them by the phrase “mini-maxi” or “minors are minimum.” Mini responses (the minors) are low points in the weak two range of 6-11- say 6-8 points. 3 Clubs tells your partner that you are in the low point range and have a weak bid suit; 3 Diamonds says you are in the low point range and have a good suit. Stop here for moment: what is a bad suit and a good suit? Generally, 2 of top 3, or 3 of top 5 are a good suit---and thus less than that is a bad suit. So, say you have 7 points and KJ 6th in hearts for a 2H opening, your bid in response to the Ogust 2 NT is 3 clubs—low points and weak suit. If you have 7 points and AQ 6th, your bid would be 3 diamonds---low points but good suit. Remember that “Mini” or “minors” is low points, and thus 3 clubs is a crap-crap hand, while 3 diamonds is crap points but a good suit. (We probably ought to discuss the opening range for weak 2s as a group, since some of us like to open really weak at favorable vul—say KT 6th with 5-6 points. That would obviously merit a 3 Club response to Ogust showing low points, weak suit.) The Maxi (or majors) side of the Ogust responses are high points in the weak two range, say 9-11. So, continuing the step wise responses, 3H shows high points (9-11) but a weak suit, and 3S shows high points and a good suit. So, for example, if you have 10 points and KJ 6th, your bid would be 3 hearts showing high points in the weak two range, but a weak suit. If you have 10 points and AQ 6th, your bid would be 3 spades---showing high points in the range and a good suit. Those are the most critical responses to the Ogust 2 NT bid, and they thus give your partner information about both about your points and the quality of your bid suit. The only other thing to remember after the Ogust 2NT bid over a weak two is a 3NT reply, which shows a solid suit with the top three honors of the suit—don’t forget that, since if partner has two cards in your weak two suit (6 in your hand and 2 in the Ogust bidder’s hand), odds are that the outstanding 5 trump will split 3-2 and your suit can then run for six tricks at no trump. OK: next question is what to do as the responder (the 2NT Ogust bidder) after you get one of these step wise responses from your opening weak two partner. 1. Pass if the response happens to repeat the weak 2 bid suit and you think you can’t get to game and want to play there; 2. If a mini response of 3 clubs or 3 diamonds, you can bid your partner’s opening suit at the three level. That’s a sign off that the weak two opener should pass. 3. You can bid 3NT or jump to game in partner’s suit, and your partner should pass that. You, as the Ogust 2NT bidder are in control and need to place the contract. 4. You can also introduce a new suit if you are interested in slam. That new suit operates as a cue bid agreeing with the weak two suit as trump and asks for support in that suit (if possible) or a feature in an outside suit: it is a forcing bid that the opener can’t pass. So, there are a lot of benefits in the Ogust convention---particularly in the description of the opener’s hand, and it gives the responder more information to accurately bid a possible game or slam. Two other things worth discussion: 1. We can play Ogust not only with a weak 2 opener, but over a weak jump overall----say 1H from LH opponent, your partner jumps to 2S (weak jump overcall), pass from your RH opponent, and you can bid 2NT (the Ogust bid), asking for more information from your partner. We should decide whether to add that wrinkle. 2. Finally, what to do in the case of interference by your opponents: say 2H from your partner, pass from your RH opponent, 2NT by you, and then a double from your LH opponent. In that situation, the Ogust responses are still on, and the opener should give the correct mini-maxi response. 3. If there is an overcall, however, say 2H from your partner, pass from your RH opponent, 2NT from you using Ogust, 3D from your LH opponent, then the Ogust responses are off. Like this convention since the weak two can be many things, and if you as the responder have a play for game (or slam), it allows you to ask for points and the quality of the opener’s suit in order to bid more intelligently. Variations: 1. Responses can show losers; 2. Responses show overall (not just bid suit) honors; 3. Keep 2NT as asking for outside feature, and 3C becomes Ogust, with step responses showing 1, 2 or 3 of top three honors in suit. Developed in 1930s by Harold Ogust (founder of Goren International, Inc.) .