| ♠ Q 5 ♥ K Q J ♦ A K J ♣ A K J 10 6 |
Two passes to me. I open two clubs. Partner responds two diamonds, which jack describes as "waiting." I don't care for this approach, but I've never had much luck with control-showing responses either. The only method I've tried that I've had any success with is my own invention: two diamonds is an artificial positive, two hearts is negative without a five-card major, and two spades is negative with an undisclosed five-card (or longer) major.
Unlike control-showing responses, this method gives you room on the hands where you need it the most. Frequently opener already knows where he wants to play opposite a negative response, so room is less important on those auctions. And if you do still need to investigate, distinguishing between negative responses that include or don't include a long major solves many of your problems. After a two heart response, for example, responder is free to bid a four-card major over opener's three of a minor.
Over two diamonds, I bid two notrump. Partner bids three diamonds, a transfer to hearts. I bid three hearts, and partner bids three spades. If partner can handle spades, three notrump looks like the right spot to me. It's not hard to construct hands where nine tricks in notrump will be easier than ten in hearts. I bid three notrump, and partner removes to four hearts.
There is a school of thought that says this should be a slam try. This school holds that with a non-slammish six-four in the majors responder should simply use Texas. I don't know if Jack subscribes to this theory or not, but surely ace sixth of hearts and the spade king would merit a two-heart response to two clubs, so slam can hardly be cold. I pass, and LHO leads the ten of diamonds.
| NORTH ♠ 8 7 3 2 ♥ A 8 6 4 3 2 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ -- | ||
| SOUTH ♠ Q 5 ♥ K Q J ♦ A K J ♣ A K J 10 6 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | 2 ♣1 | |
| Pass | 2 ♦2 | Pass | 2 NT |
| Pass | 3 ♦3 | Pass | 3 ♥ |
| Pass | 3 ♠ | Pass | 3 NT |
| Pass | 4 ♥ | (All pass) | |
| 1Strong | |||
| 2Waiting | |||
| 3Jacoby-transfer | |||
I win with the king and draw trumps in three rounds. East pitches the four of spades and the three of clubs. He knows diamond discards are safe, so this sequence of plays suggests he is 5-1-2-5. I cash the ace and king of clubs, pitching two spades, then lead the jack of clubs. My intention is to ruff this, backing my judgment on East's shape. I can then lead a diamond to the jack, ruff out East's club queen, then play a diamond to the ace to cash a club, making six. Unfortunately, West covers with the club queen. This is unfortunate, because it means six is cold if they don't lead a spade. I was hoping East had begun with queen fifth of clubs. I ruff the club and make seven.
| NORTH ♠ 8 7 3 2 ♥ A 8 6 4 3 2 ♦ Q 6 3 ♣ -- | ||
| WEST ♠ K 9 ♥ 10 9 5 ♦ 10 9 8 7 2 ♣ Q 5 2 | EAST ♠ A J 10 6 4 ♥ 7 ♦ 5 4 ♣ 9 8 7 4 3 | |
| SOUTH ♠ Q 5 ♥ K Q J ♦ A K J ♣ A K J 10 6 |
At the other table, the auction begins the same way, but South bids four hearts rather than three notrump over three spades. Knowing his partner has three hearts, North decides, reasonably enough, to drive to slam via his customary Blackwood-with-a-void auction. West leads a diamond, and declarer makes the same seven I did.
I'm not sure what to think of this result. This is obviously a poor slam double dummy, and we avoided it for precisely the right reason, that is, because my hand is so concentrated in the minors. (I checked. Jack would have responded two hearts with the spade king instead of the diamond queen.) But the fact of the matter is, it's probably an odds-on slam single dummy. West will have a clear spade lead only 25% of the time. The rest of the time he will be hard-pressed to lead a spade, especially once North has bid the suit. If he leads a club, it's all over. And if he leads a red suit, I have a fair chance of ruffing out the queen of clubs even before factoring in the possibility of an ill-advised club discard. In short, it looks like a slam you want to reach. I still think three notrump rates to be a better game than four hearts opposite a random 4-5-x-x, but perhaps not so much better that it justifies stymieing partner's potential slam investigation.
Me: +510
Jack: +1010
Score on Board 57: -11 IMPs
Total: +124 IMPs
That home grown idea is pretty nifty.
ReplyDeleteI have a way to find a major suit fit after 2C 2D=waiting 3m but it is way more complicated.
I too like the idea of 2D=positive, waiting. Using that system ,let's see what might happen.
ReplyDeleteShould N really bid spades on those rags? I expect that 2C-2D-2N-3C-3D-4H would better describe his hand. Should S stop with all those solid minors? Nah. Does 5C now imply or deny a spade stopper?
Just curious...
I have grown to like the Bramley-Bluhm idea (also promoted by Danny Kleinman) of using 2C for strong unbalanced hands with primary clubs or a major and 2D for strong unbalanced hands with diamonds (including 4441's) with balanced hands divided between them.
ReplyDeleteOne problem with 2D positive Ias Danny Kleinman has written) is that opener cannot bid A.AKxxxx.A.AQ10xx when partner has a negative 2H response. Indeed, using 2D positive makes it difficult to bid strong 2H openings at all unless partner has a positive.
A problem with the strong 2C opening in general is strong 5431 hands, particularly when the longer suit is lower-ranking than the 4-card suit. What do you bid with 543.8.Q7632.1098x after 2C-2D, 2H-3C (2nd negative), 3S? Or, for that matter, using Phil's method (2C-2H, 3H)?
No wonder strong club, Polish club, and doubleton club systems are proliferating.
2C opening problem from vugraph this morning. S opened 2C with AKQJ9xx.Q98xx.void.A and, after a complicated and contested auction, became declarer in 6S opposite x.AJ10x.A97xxx.Jxx. It would have been better for him to become dummy in 6H on the lie of the cards, since spades were 5-0 behind and the HK was wrong. N-S never bid hearts either naturally or as a cue-bid.
ReplyDeleteComments from kibitzers and commentators:
2C opening, as usual, demonstrated its effectiveness in burying secondary fits.
How can you ever convince partner you opened 2C with 16 HCP?
Subsidiary issue - the opponents interference over an RKCB 4NT - how do you play DOPI? Since the interference was 5C, I would assume X=0, Pass=1, 5D=2,(5H is available as a Q-ask) 5H=3, etc. N-S apparently had the agreement that X was 0/3, Pass 1/4, etc. I would have their agreement if the interference did not allow a Q-ask after the 2-key reply without going beyond our suit.