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Hot Water?

The opposition have opened with what looks like a Weak 2, a Weak 2 in hearts. You have an opening hand with a non-too great 5 card spade suit. There are various options you could take. One issue is that the Weak 2 may not be in hearts…or may not be a Weak 2 at all!

Welcome to the world of the Multi 2. You may or may not like to play it but you will certainly have to defend against it! So, either way, check this out.

 

2 is either a Weak Two in a major suit or 20-22 balanced.

If you knew that your right-hand opponent had a Weak Two in spades or had a balanced 20-22 high card point hand, you would not be keen to bid.

The most common though by no means the only way to approach such an opening bid is to pass initially if you have a major suit overcall in the 10-12 hcp range (intending to bid next time round if convenient), bid your major in the 13-15 hcp range and double initially if you have a stronger hand with such a major suit holding. Meanwhile 2NT shows a strong no-trump overcall with holds in both majors and 15-18 high-card points.

Where does our hand fit?

Our Panel see it as a strong 2NT overcall:

Michael Ware “2NT: Much prefer this to bidding 2 on Axxxx."

Kris Wooles “2NT: lower end for this bid but I like to be courageous. Largely descriptive as to shape but with an extra spade. I prefer this to a bid of 2 given the inferior quality of that suit and it is not so descriptive. While there is always risk 2NT positioned us for a possible NT game, it doesn’t preclude playing in spades after a 3 response looking for a 5-card major.”

Hopefully, partner with three spades will see it that way, too.

Peter Newell “2NT: I would treat as a strong NT overcall, the simplest approach and gets across many features of the hand straight away.  The hand is (fairly) balanced. While 5242 may not seem that balanced, the 5-card suit is very weak, and the doubletons are strong, particularly the heart one which is important given that it is most likely we are sitting over a weak 2.

 It also gets the range across, and the alternatives are flawed.   An overcall on a hand with such a poor suit, and one that may be the opponent’s suit, and with quite a lot of high points doesn’t appeal.

 Double for take-out? Is it take-out of hearts or a major oriented takeout? I’m not that keen on partner bidding 3. I don’t much like Pass even though you will find out the suit that opener has (I’m assuming that it is a weak 2) or avoid wandering on with 2NT and finding out that it was a strong 2NT…..

 

So 2NT for me, with puppet stayman partner can find out I have 5 spades if interested, and it may also make it harder for the opponents as to what to lead in the absence of being sure about what their partner’s suit is."

 

Bruce Anderson “2NT: shows 15-17 balanced over a weak two opening, which is very likely. Obviously, the hand is marginal but is likely the AQ sits well. I am not bidding 2 with such a weak suit. I do not see this hand as suitable for a take-out double unless the double guarantees 4 spades (or a weak 5 card suit); some play that way over a Multi 2.  So, 2NT it is."

 

Agreeing is a slightly battered …

 

Stephen Blackstock “2NT: Awkward, because all options are to some degree flawed. Pass stays out of trouble, but I can’t catch up later: if the auction proceeds (2M) – P - (P) say, I can balance with 2NT but that would normally be a weaker hand so we may miss a normal game.

In my methods I can bid 2 to show take out of hearts, but that may lead to a silly 3 contract. 2NT is admittedly an overbid by about a king or a queen, but it right-sides the contract, we can still find 5/4 or 5/3 spades using standard methods, and partner will know my hand type and (approximate!) values. I think the over- bid is worth it to avoid the problems inherent in the alternatives. If partner is very weak and I go for a big penalty, well it won’t be the first time.”

If 2 receives the red card, then so will 2NT. Yet, there were votes elsewhere including for 2 from a very pessimistic:

Andy Braithwaite “2: Having held this hand myself, I mulled over either 2 or 2NT as my bid- I chose 2 as if I got doubled, I could still retreat to 2NT if required."

 

Nigel Kearney “2: I like to play that double is take-out of spades or strong, and 2 is take-out of hearts. With that agreement, I would bid 2 here. Double showing general values or pass then double for take-out are possible methods, but I won't like that much if it's at 3 next time, which is quite likely.

2NT is possible but our hand is more suit oriented and looks like the sort of hand where, in NT, their tricks will be set up before ours. 2 is not something I would consider as the suit is too weak.”

 

Almost agreeing is

Julie Atkinson “2NT: I can bid 2-take out of hearts or overcall. Given the quality of my spade suit and the values in my short suits, this feels like a choice of 2 or 2NT. I would like more values but will settle for 2NT.”

And like other Panellists, Michael does not find an obvious answer:

Michael Cornell “2NT: Decent problem and nothing is ideal. However, after a bit of consideration 2NT is definitely the best bid.

I would prefer to be a tad stronger but I do have a 5- card suit and if partner wants to play a 5-3 major game, he has puppet (3) available to find it.

The bid I reject quickly is pass. Partner will never know I have a decent 15 count. If the bidding continues 3 on my left, back to me, I am really out of business.”

The actual bidding was indeed awkward for South who chose Pass initially, presumably intending to bid 2 when West bid 2, “pass or correct” and East passed.

However, the bidding continued as follows:

West              North            East                South

                                               2                   Pass
2 ¹               Pass                3                   ?

¹ Better hearts than spades

 

Would you bid 3 now? Well, you are less likely to be doubled for penalties as West had better hearts than spades. Our South did and a slightly bemused North (“you could not bid 2, partner, but you can now bid 3!”) raised to game on very modest values.

 

The heart lead and successful trump finesse brought good news for South. They could draw trumps and just could not go wrong in the diamond suit. 10 slightly lucky tricks for South.

Meanwhile, let’s hope all the North players did bid 3 following their partner’s 2NT call. North has enough to raise to game, just. South might get away with 9 or even 11 tricks in 3NT after a heart lead, though there would only be 8 after Q lead and even less if East did find the killer club switch when in with A after an initial heart lead.

 

Teams often rewards aggressive bidding and indeed did here. Occasionally you must pay-out a large penalty. I am not sure that 2NT would escape that if West did have powerful spades and opening values but the 2NT bid seems a better description of the hand than an immediate overcall or double.    

 

And, this time, the water which South stepped into was “not hot”. West did not have a penalty double of 2 or 2NT and East was kind enough to have their Weak 2 in the suit we expected. Until next time…!

Richard Solomon

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