2♣ and after
Even duplicate bridge players like to get good hands. For once perhaps, we will have the auction to ourselves and our destiny might be in own hands. Nowadays even that is seldom true but when it is, what happens after our two-club opener inevitably draws that negative response?
Ideally the auction continues normally though a level higher, subject to neither partner passing before game is reached. In practice there is the briefest exchange then the strong hand uses Blackwood and is disappointed, both with the response and dummy. It needn't be this way. In the main it is the responsibility of the weaker hand to show enthusiasm for slam (or the lack of it). An example from the teams at last year's Scottish Bridge Union's congress at Peebles:
| ♠ AK854 | ♠ Q972 | ||
| ♥ AKQ | ♥ 9832 | ||
| ♦ 75 | ♦ A2 | ||
| ♣ AK6 | ♣ QJ3 |
| 2♣ | 2♦ | ||
| 2♠ | 3♠ | ||
| 4♣ | 4♦ | ||
| 4♥ | 5♠ | ||
| 6♠ | |||
West did well for his side by not being tempted to treat his control rich hand as a no-trump type. East's first three bids were easy to find but after four hearts he had no obvious call. He certainly has a very good hand yet it would be a mistake to take control with four no-trump - there's no knowing what hand-type west has or how high he is aiming. Though often used to hang partner, the raise to five was interpreted as a better hand that hitherto shown (length and strength in trumps, a doubleton and cards in clubs which should be west's second suit) - which is exactly what he had.
At club level, the two-club opener is often devalued, at county and national level it gets stronger and stronger - despite both camps dispensing with classic Acol strong-two openers in favour of weak-twos. Nevertheless, most retain the relatively strong requirements of an ace and a king for positive response. The Norwegian World Champions, Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness have a more liberal interpretation:
| ♠ AK | ♠ Q7432 | ||
| ♥ A1093 | ♥ Q | ||
| ♦ AQ1054 | ♦ K8762 | ||
| ♣ A10 | ♣ 85 |
| Helness | Helgemo | ||
| 2♣ | 2♠ | ||
| 3♦ | 4♥ | ||
| 4NT | 5♣ | ||
| 7♦ | |||
At the 2007 Cavendish Invitational, only four of the 28 pairs with these cards bid the grand slam. Helgemo says that the response on a relatively weak major suit is a style that has consistently paid spectacular dividends over the years. Four hearts was a splinter and his response to 4NT showed one key card (the diamond king).
Even when the response is two diamonds and opener does show a balanced hand, it should be responder who sets the pace. These hands from the last county match:
| ♠ A85 | ♠ K742 | ||
| ♥ AK10 | ♥ 42 | ||
| ♦ AK985 | ♦ QJ104 | ||
| ♣ A7 | ♣ Q92 |
| 2♣ | 2♦ | ||
| 2NT [24-25] | 3♣* | ||
| 3♥* | 4♦ | ||
| 6♦ | |||
East asked for four or five cards majors and opener's conventional heart response denied either, east turned his attention to the minors and found a fit there. Key here was opener's aggressive upgrading of his hand because of the fine honour structure. Fortunately the club king was onside and Suffolk had some useful IMPs.
Published Saturday 24.Jan.2009