More on non-strong twos
Last week I was extolling the virtues of the natural opening of two clubs. This is most often found in systems that employ one club (occasionally one no-trump) as their strong forcing opening. Even the more frequent two club systems can use a natural two diamonds but scarcely anyone from either camp does so. There is a farrago of meanings for an opening of two diamonds – not for nothing was the multi-coloured two diamonds so named – yet natural and opening bid strength does not seem to be one of them. Still, every dog has its day…
| NS Vul. Dealer North | ♠ 5 | |||
| ♥ Q763 | ||||
| ♦ AK10743 | ||||
| ♣ Q5 | ||||
| ♠ K982 | ♠ AJ1094 | |||
| ♥ K82 | ♥ J94 | |||
| ♦ Q9 | ♦ 5 | |||
| ♣ KJ64 | ♣ 9872 | |||
| ♠ Q73 | ||||
| ♥ A105 | ||||
| ♦ J862 | ||||
| ♣ A103 | ||||
| West | North | East | South | |
| Cambs | Chambers | Cambs | Colley | |
| 2♦ | Pass | 3NT | ||
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
This hand came from a recent Suffolk Eastern Counties League match against Cambs & Hunts. West not unreasonably led fourth best from his longest and strongest, to wit, the four of clubs and that was that, nine tricks were South's. I caught up with an interesting article in the Magazine 'Bridge' recently about the information content of various opening actions. The author was clearly of a technical bent and he had a considerable number of statistics to back his claim that the higher the information content of a call, the more successful it would be.
Clearly two diamonds, natural with 11-16 HCP falls into this category. It has a not to be underestimated pre-emptive effect. Raising the level but having some values so you may judge well, yet make it dangerous for the other side to enter the auction is a idea that is not new. There has been a backlash against the very weak 'weak two'. In fact another magazine, the American publication, 'Bridge Today' has been championing the 'Trent Weak Two-bid' a wholly more constructive version of the classic opening. This is what one looks like, even a favourable vul. (they are, you're not):
| ♠ AQJ854 | ||||
| ♥ 5 | ||||
| ♦ J93 | ||||
| ♣ Q75 | ||||
Once upon a time, Acol players would opening that 1♠, the classic 'LOB' – light opening bid. But that was when partner would let you out at 2♠. Constructive auctions are littered nowadays with implicitly forcing sequences, even in a go-as-you-please system such as Acol, that may no longer be possible. Maybe it's just a case of turn and turn again but maybe, the constructive minor opening that seeks to make it awkward for the opponent's majors, is an idea that is worth a second look.
Published Saturday 8.Sep.2001