Conventions

Home

M J Bridge

♦

♠

♥

♣

Bidding

Hands

Theory

Context  -  Opening two of a suit - two-suited weak twos

2♥ assumed fit and Ekren

I am totally indebted to Chris Ryall’s web-site for this one.

It is representative of a new style which is becoming increasingly common in the expert world but which will only rarely be encountered at club level.

Chris, in his exhaustive and authoritative section on all varieties of weak two opening bids, lists several variations on the theme.  I have selected just two of these which can easily be drafted into near-standard systems.  I have no hesitation in referring you to Chris’s web-site for a fuller analysis both of this bid and other alternatives in this style.

You should also refer to the blue book on the ebu web-site for the latest permissions.

Traditionally, all weak and preemptive opening bids have insisted on a minimum suit length of five cards.

The present bid takes on board the fact that if you can promise just 4-4 shape in two suits then there will be an eight-card fit more often than not (about 60% of the time).

And even when you fail to locate such a fit 4-3 isn’t that bad at the two-level.  Your opponents will frequently fail to find the punitive double when that is their best option.

Ekren

In the Ekren convention an opening bid of 2♦ promises at least 4-4 in the majors in a weak hand.

How strong should I be?

Quite simply, not good enough for an opening bid of one of a suit or a weak no trump.

As with any other weak preemptive bid it is a form of advance sacrifice - you won’t be mortified if you go one down.  It follows that you will not use this bid as it stands in fourth seat - either beef it up a bit or play some alternative meaning in this position.

2♥ options

If, like me, you have reservations regarding the effectiveness of natural weak 2♥ openings, whether they promise a single-suited hand, or a hand two-suited in hearts and a minor, then you will be looking for an alternative use for the bid.

One possibility is to play it as strong, possibly including the strong three-suited hand;

you will, be closer to the main-stream expert style if you choose Modernised Flannery (5 hearts and 4 spades, intermediate strength);

but the choice of an assumed fit bid in the style suggested above would be very much ‘of the moment’.

A relatively extreme application of the principle combines the 2♥ bid above promising both majors with a ‘Bloody Mary 2♦’, promising 4-4 in the red suits.

The main problems with the above are that such a bid will not be legal in some legislation and at some levels, and also that you may well have other uses for the 2♦ opening bid which you would prefer not to sacrifice.

Assumed fit 2♥

The solution is to use an opening bid of 2♥ in exactly the same way.

True, partner can no longer prefer diamonds by passing, but in other respects this approach avoids the possible problems mentioned above.

This page last revised 17th Mar 2018

Responder’s continuations