Conventions

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M J Bridge

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Bidding

Hands

Theory

Opening a weak 2NT


At level four an opening bid of 2NT may be used to show a two-suited hand.


Typically such a bid will promise at least 5-5 shape in the two suits but some variations will play such bids on 5-4 shape.


Usually such a bid will be defined on a limited weak range.

You might like to choose something like five to nine in common with your other weak opening bids, or, as you are committing partner to the three-level, you might prefer a slightly higher range such as eight to eleven so as to allow a semblance of quality in each of your two suits.


The simplest choice is that the bid promises 5-5 in the minors.

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T

8 5

K Q 7 6 3

K T 9 7 2

Open 2NT if playing a weak opening 2NT.

What better way of preempting your opponents in the majors?


At club level this can be an extremely effective weapon - in principle the most preemptive of the weak twos.

At a higher level, though, the convention is not as effective as might be expected.  With two cue-bids available to the defence a simple agreement will both arm the defence with ways of locating their major-suit fit, and also of extracting a penalty when appropriate.

Advanced

More effective are versions in which there is no anchor suit, and therefore no cue-bid available to the defence.

Typical of such a system would be ‘both majors or both minors’.


This approach is now legal in the UK at level four, as I understand it, but may well not be under other jurisdictions.


If you have your sights set on entering the world of the experts then this may well be an excellent convention to adopt, but for most of us in our usual sphere of activity it can be safely set aside as an option for those aliens who live in another world.

Post intermediate and above

Context  -  The opening bid.

Responder’s continuations

This page last revised 21st Feb 2018