ACBL05 - 2 Clubs: Strong with Ward Trumbull
Jacoby Step Response Apr 25, 2012
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When you play the Weak 2 Convention, the only strong-forcing opening bid you can make is 2 Clubs. Your partner cannot and must not pass on you.
Strong 2 Clubs Convention
A partnership must agree in advance whether or not a 2 club opening bid is forcing to game. 70% of bridge players have never thought about
this, one way or the other. In these cases quite often, the responder with few HCP bids once and then passes. If declarer plays the hand and makes game, the partnership needs to review the way they play the
strong 2 clubs.
This is normally a suit hand but might be a notrump hand (explained
below). In fact, it often is a two-suited hand. You open 2 clubs when
your hand is either strong in HCP or is a great distributional playing
hand. Think of it this way:
It’s so good; you don’t want to take a chance of partner passing an
opening 1 level bid. So you open 2 clubs.
NOTE: This is considered the “standard” 2 club type hand and DOES
NOT have to be alerted.
Strong 2 Clubs – High Card Points
How many HCP must this 2 club hand have? It really is not a case of
points. It could be as few as 9 HCP but normally is in the 20s.
HCP Clubs Diamonds Hearts Spades
------ -------- -------------- --------- ---------------------
9 x x x AKQxxxxxxxxxx
15 AKJxxx x AKxxxx
22 Ax KQJx AKJxxx A
ACBL05 - 2 Clubs; Strong with Apr 25, 2012
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Strong 2 Clubs – High Card Points (continued)
The 9 HCP hand should easily make 4 spades.
The 15 HCP hand should only lose 1 diamond, 1 heart and1-or-2
spades. Partner’s hand could have as little as the queen of diamonds or
spades to cinch a 4 spades or 5 diamonds contract.
The 22 HCP hand could lose 1 club, 2 diamonds and 1 heart. Partner’s
hand could supply as little as the 10 of diamonds or 10 of hearts to
make a 4 heart contract.
Strong 2 Clubs – Responses (the confusion begins)
Two Notrump – This was the original intended response to an
opening bid of 2 clubs. It was the “bust” bid
indicating 0-6 HCP. Any suit bid indicated a 4+ card
suit with 7+ HCP. No one plays this anymore.
Then variations crept in.
Two Notrump – Any suit bid indicated you had at least an ace or king
in your hand. The 2 notrump bid denied any aces or
kings. Likewise, it is no longer in use.
And then more variations crept in.
Two Notrump – Any suit bid indicated you had an ace in that suit.
The 2 notrump bid denied any aces. Forgotten.
And then along came the 2 diamond response.
Two Diamonds – Over the years this response could be:
is, regardless of how many HCP you had.
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Jacoby Step Response Page 3 of 6
Two Diamonds Response (continued)
(including 2 notrump) indicates 7+ HCP.
This is still popular.
Note: See ACBL05C for all possible 2 diamonds responses.
Jaboby Step Response – Played by many-many players
When you open a forcing distributional 2 club hand, you already know
which suit the contract will probably play in. So you are more
interested in your partner’s HCP than his/her suit distribution. This is
done with a response using the Jacoby Step Response convention, as
follows in groups of three HCP:
Response Meaning
---------------- ----------------
2 diamonds 0 - 3 HCP
2 hearts 4 - 6 HCP
2 spades 7 - 9 HCP
2 notrump 10 - 12 HCP
3 clubs 13 - 15 HCP and so on.
Then the opener will bid his/her strong suit which should have at least
six cards. If it is only a five card suit, it should be headed by the ace,
king and queen. If there are two suits to offer, bid the higher ranking
suit first, regardless which suit is longer or stronger (HCP).
In the 15 HCP example above, the spade suit would be bid first.
In the 22 HCP example above, the heart suit should be bid first.
NOTE 1: If the response HCPs indicate enough points to consider
slam, be sure to first bid your suit at the three level before
using Gerber or Blackwood. That way your strong hand will
be the declarer.
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Jaboby Step Response (continued)
NOTE 2: If partner’s Jaboby response is the suit that you were going to
bid, partner will be the declarer.
NOTE 3. The Jacoby Step Response MUST be alerted. If the
opponents ask you to describe the bid, say something like:
“Partner has 7-9 high card points.”
Strong 2 Clubs – 22-24 Notrump Hand
Many bridge players have chosen to use an opening 2 club bid to also
indicate a notrump type hand with typically 22-24 HCP. They open
2 notrump with 19-21 HCP.
Note that with these players 2 clubs notrump hand is stronger than
their opening 2 notrump hand.
So their opening 2 clubs bid could either be the strong playing
distributional hands described above or the 22-24 HCP notrump hands.
The responder has no way of knowing which type hand it is.
Regardless, after the response (whatever type), the opener rebids a suit
or 2 notrump.
When your partnership plays these dual type 2 notrump hands, you
must be alert to the points counts required to bid/reach game.
1. The popular opening 19-21 HCP 2 notrump
Typically, the responder needs 5+ HCP to continue on to game.
2. The delayed 2 clubs----rebid 22-24 HCP 2 notrump
Here the responder needs only 2+ HCP to continue to game.
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Both Type 2 Notrump Bids
If the responder continues over either type opening 2 notrump bid, his/her options are:
1. 3 clubs – Stayman trying for a 4X4 major fit
2. 3 diamonds – a transfer to responder’s 5+ card heart suit
3. 3 hearts – a transfer to responder’s 5+ card spade suit
4. 4 clubs – Gerber asking for the number of opener’s aces.
Remember: You can transfer and pass with no HCP.
2 Clubs Response Rules
Regardless what type hand your partner opens 2 clubs with,
with few exceptions, your partner should be the declarer (i.e., the
strong hand). With that in mind, the response rules are:
Not Playing Jacoby Step Response (JSR)
-------- ----------------------------------------------
Avoid responding at the 2 level to an opening 2 club bid with:
1. Any 4 card major
2. Any 5+ card major that doesn’t have at least the ace, king
and/or the queen
Because
1. If opener’s hand is distributional, it’s likely to be in one or both
of the majors. And opener will be the declarer.
2. If it is a 22-24 HCP notrump hand, over opener’s 2 notrump
rebid, you will have Stayman (2+ HCP needed) or major
transfer (0+ HCP needed) available.
Just keep it open with a 2 diamonds bid.
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2 Clubs Response Rules (continued)
Playing Jacoby Step Response (JSR)
--- ----------------------------------------------
Your JSR point count response often is a major because 2 hearts is
4-6 HCP and 2 spades is 7-9 HCP.
major. If not, keep the bid open somehow.
b. If partner rebids 4 of that major, he indicates 6+ cards
in that suit. It is so good, he needs no support from
you.
c. If partner rebids 4 clubs (Gerber), you may end up
playing a slam in your JSR suit.
2. If partner rebids 2 or 3 of the other major, he indicates
only 5 cards in that suit. With 3+ cards in that suit, bid it
at the next available 3 or 4 level. If not, keep the bidding
open somehow.
3. If partner rebids 2 notrump (22-24 HCP), you have
Stayman (2+ HCP needed) or major transfer (0+ HCP
needed) available.