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Saving Space – For Less Experienced Players.

Jumping the bidding to tell your partner you have a strong hand is often a good idea but it can come at a price, the price being too high before the proper exploration for the best contract can begin. Any auction which starts with an artificial Game Forcing 2 can fall into this category unless opener has one or two very strong suits. That is not the case when they are balanced and a very unfortunate sequence was about to unfold with today's hand after West showed they had a monster hand. A great hand but one about to incur a minus score.

 

There's always a warm glow when you get to open 2. A slam, maybe even 7NT beckons. Hold it! Partner produces the inevitable 2 negative. Sometimes, they have a few high card points. So, what's our next bid?

At the table, West bid 3NT showing 25-26 balanced because 2NT showed 23-24 and could be passed by the responder. With a none-too-inspiring 1-count, East decided to pass and the lead of the K was soon to spell disaster for East-West.

 

West could duck the first club but had to win the club continuation. North could tell West had only two clubs because of 10 in dummy. Had they held more clubs, they could score a second club trick by winning the first trick. Declarer had only 7 top tricks and when they crossed for the only time to dummy, they played a diamond to the jack and North’s ace…four clubs and A for the defence..one down.

If only they could have reached 4 but most play 4 over 3NT for aces not asking for majors, while if West did not have a major suit, 3NT was certainly the place to be. Yet, if West had only bid 2NT, showing 23-24, East might have passed. There are solutions.

One is for those who play the Multi 2, where one option is a strong balanced hand. Rather than say 2 followed by 2NT shows 20-22, you can split the ranges where you have three bids available as follows:

2NT opening                   20-21 balanced  ¹

2 with a 2NT rebid       22-23 balanced   ¹

2 with a 2NT rebid       24+    balanced

¹ my preference is to switch these two bids around but the above lay-out is easier on the memory.

The advantage is that the third sequence, starting with 2, is forcing to game, even opposite a complete Yarborough in partner’s hand. Very occasionally, you will play 3NT with 24 opposite 0 but it does enable you to explore for major fits with 3 (stayman or major enquiry, whichever you choose).

Opener, with a balanced 25, 27 or 31 count (I have seen one!), does not have to jump to 3NT first time round.

So, you do not play Multi 2?

You do not have the luxury of three bids as 2NT opening is 20-22.There is a more complex way of bidding 2 over partner's 2 as either natural or a balanced 25+. Responder must bid 2 artificial and now opener's 2NT shows that point count.

                                                       North              South

                                                         2                 2

                                                         2                 2

                                                &nbs

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