Responding to Woolsey

[pclayton]

Does anyone have a good response structure for responding to Woolsey after a 1N opening?

 

Over 2♣ (majors): I'm playing 2♦ = choose (if 2C is x'd, 2♦ is natural), 2♥/♠ to play. 2N is an enigma. It should be some sort of game try, but how?

 

Ditto with 1N - 2♦ - pass - 2N. I can see some sort of multi response structure here.

 

How about after 1N - dbl - pass - ?

[Gerben42]

Over 2♣ (majors): I'm playing 2♦ = choose (if 2C is x'd, 2♦ is natural), 2♥/♠ to play. 2N is an enigma. It should be some sort of game try, but how?

 

2NT asks for the longer major:

 

3♣ = 5♥

3♦ = 5♠

3♥ = 5 - 5 min.

3♠ = 5 - 5 max.

 

then bidding a major is inv.

 

Ditto with 1N - 2♦ - pass - 2N. I can see some sort of multi response structure here.

 

Pick your favorite Multi 2♦ response scheme

 

1N x p ?

 

* 2♣: Pass or correct

* 2♦: What is your major?

* 2M: I have 6 of these, don't care about your M

* 2N: What is your minor, constructive

* Pass: Game interest B)

[rbforster]

(nevermind, misread something in Gerben's post) Edited September 5, 2007 by Rob F

[keylime]

(1NT) 2C* (majors) P -

 

2D = xfer to hearts

2H = xfer to spades

2S = G/I for hearts with spade feature (i.e. double fit type hands)

2NT = G/I for spades with heart feature (i.e. double fit)

3C = G/F, artificial, asking for fragment(4C/D later is retrans, 4H/S is to play)

3D = G/F, artificial, asking for shortage

3H = natural g/i

3S = natural g/i

3NT = very rare, to play

 

(1NT) 2D* (one major) P -

 

I'd play something along lines of paradox responses with 2NT being an ask about the major (3C/D - bad hands, 3H/S - good hands, or something thereof), 3C being a forcing invite asking if opener is interested in a game try in his major, 3D being a forcing invite asking if opener is interested in a game try in the OTHER major.

 

(1NT) X P -

 

2C = bid your minor

2D = bid your major

2H = a good club hand

2S = a good diamond hand

2NT = bid 3C pard (either to play 3C, to rebid 3D to show a G/I major 2 suiter)

3C = bid 3D pard (either to play 3D, or to make a G/F bid with pass/correct items)

 

If 3rd hand doubles, XX should force in case 1 a xfer to diamonds, in case 2, bid your major, and in case 3, general values with no direction, asking about the minor.

[cherdano]

Wow, I thought after (1N) 2C=majors, (P) everyone plays 2♦ to ask for the better major. It seems clearly superior to me, the whole point of using 2♣ for majors is so that you can use it with 5-4 hands and still find your 5-3 fit at the 2-level if necessary.

If 2♦-asker bids again it shows a game invite (whereas a jump to 3M is a shapely constructive hand). I admit Han and me haven't defined 2N.

Btw, something else to agree: when 2C or 2D gets doubled, is pass = to play and XX = show your (longer) suit, or XX = to play and pass = please show your suit (I prefer the former).

[skjaeran]

Wow, I thought after (1N) 2C=majors, (P) everyone plays 2♦ to ask for the better major. It seems clearly superior to me, the whole point of using 2♣ for majors is so that you can use it with 5-4 hands and still find your 5-3 fit at the 2-level if necessary.

If 2♦-asker bids again it shows a game invite (whereas a jump to 3M is a shapely constructive hand). I admit Han and me haven't defined 2N.

Btw, something else to agree: when 2C or 2D gets doubled, is pass = to play and XX = show your (longer) suit, or XX = to play and pass = please show your suit (I prefer the former).

I agree 100% to 2♦ showing equal major suit length by advancer after overcaller showed both majors. That's absolutely standard here. 2NT is a game invite, an asking bid.

In all multi-type situations where the multi-type bid is doubled I play pass as showing the suit bid, xx asking partner to show his hand type/suit and a new suit by me to be natural (I don't need to know what you've got, I KNOW where to play).

[Echognome]

And now for something completely different...

 

Having played a 2♣ opening as both majors preemptive for a long time, I can tell you that we decided to take our invitational hands out of the 2NT response. What? Why?

 

So what we did was use 2♦ on game invites or better. You then have various ways to continue. Here's an example over 2♥. You can invite or you can slam. This is obviously a complicated scheme.

 

2♣ - 2♦ - ?

 

2♥ 4-4 or 4-5 majors

--2♠ GF/Slammish

----2N 4-4 majors, 3♣ relay

------3♦Short diamonds (then as 3♠/NT below)

------3♥ 4=4=2=3 or 4=4=3=2

------3♠ 4=4=4=1

------3NT 4=4=5=0

----3♣ 4-5 majors, short diamonds (then as 3♥+ below)

----3♦ 4=5=2=2

----3♥ 4=5=3=1

----3♠ 4=5=4=0

--2NT Invitational, NF

--3♣/♦ To play (Long minor, was interested only in 5♠)

--3♥ Invitational

--3♠ Invitational

--3NT To play (was interested in a 5-3 spade fit)

 

We used 2♠ to show 5-4 or 5-5 majors and 2N as the relay. 2NT+ as a response to 2♦ showed freak hands (6-5 or better).

 

2♥/2♠ were to play.

 

2NT for us was a natural invite. Don't know if there's a better use for it.

3m was natural and forcing.

3M was PRE

3NT to play

 

In competition we played as Arend with pass saying 2♣X is the best place to play, XX as bid your better major and 2♦ to play.

 

As per (1NT) - 2♦, just pretend you opened 2♦.

[skjaeran]

And now for something completely different...

 

Having played a 2♣ opening as both majors preemptive for a long time, I can tell you that we decided to take our invitational hands out of the 2NT response. What? Why?

 

So what we did was use 2♦ on game invites or better. You then have various ways to continue. Here's an example over 2♥. You can invite or you can slam. This is obviously a complicated scheme.

 

2♣ - 2♦ - ?

 

2♥ 4-4 or 4-5 majors

--2♠ GF/Slammish

----2N 4-4 majors, 3♣ relay

------3♦Short diamonds (then as 3♠/NT below)

------3♥ 4=4=2=3 or 4=4=3=2

------3♠ 4=4=4=1

------3NT 4=4=5=0

----3♣ 4-5 majors, short diamonds (then as 3♥+ below)

----3♦ 4=5=2=2

----3♥ 4=5=3=1

----3♠ 4=5=4=0

--2NT Invitational, NF

--3♣/♦ To play (Long minor, was interested only in 5♠)

--3♥ Invitational

--3♠ Invitational

--3NT To play (was interested in a 5-3 spade fit)

 

We used 2♠ to show 5-4 or 5-5 majors and 2N as the relay. 2NT+ as a response to 2♦ showed freak hands (6-5 or better).

 

2♥/2♠ were to play.

 

2NT for us was a natural invite. Don't know if there's a better use for it.

3m was natural and forcing.

3M was PRE

3NT to play

 

In competition we played as Arend with pass saying 2♣X is the best place to play, XX as bid your better major and 2♦ to play.

 

As per (1NT) - 2♦, just pretend you opened 2♦.

Many using the Ekrens 2♦ (weak with both majors) also use 2NT as natural invite and 3♣ as a forcing relay.

[lowerline]

Does anyone have a good response structure for responding to Woolsey after a 1N opening?

 

Over 2♣ (majors): I'm playing 2♦ = choose (if 2C is x'd, 2♦ is natural), 2♥/♠ to play. 2N is an enigma. It should be some sort of game try, but how?

 

Ditto with 1N - 2♦ - pass - 2N. I can see some sort of multi response structure here.

 

How about after 1N - dbl - pass - ?

After (1NT) - dbl - (p) -

pass = penalty

2♣ = P/C (to play in the minor)

2♦ = asks major (can be passed; so you can double with a (not so strong) diamond onesuiter as well)

2♥/♠ = to play with own suit

If you're using dbl as a "psyche detector" as well, you have to bid 2NT with that hand over partner's response.

 

After (1NT) - 2♣ - (p) -

pass = clubs

2♦ = you choose the major

2♥/♠ = I have chosen

 

After (1NT) - 2♣ - (dbl) -

rdbl = you choose the major

2♦ = to play

other bids as before

 

After (1NT) - 2♦ - (p) -

pass = diamonds

2♥ = P/C

-- pass = hearts

-- 2♠ = spades

-- 3m = natural strong overcall

-- 3M = natural strong overcall

2♠ = to play opp spades; inv opp hearts

 

After (1NT) - 2♦ - (dbl) -

rdbl = bid your suit

2♥/♠ = to play with own suit

other bids as before

 

After (1NT) - 2M - (p) -

3C = P/C (to play in the minor)

 

In all these cases you can play 2NT as an artificial strong asking bid and drive to game if partner shows a max. This won't come up a lot against a strong NT though.

 

(1NT) - 2NT would show a minor twosuiter, but you can play this as any freak twosuiter (not just the minors).

(1NT) - 3x are natural preemptive

 

Steven

[pclayton]

Wow, I thought after (1N) 2C=majors, (P) everyone plays 2♦ to ask for the better major. It seems clearly superior to me, the whole point of using 2♣ for majors is so that you can use it with 5-4 hands and still find your 5-3 fit at the 2-level if necessary.

If 2♦-asker bids again it shows a game invite (whereas a jump to 3M is a shapely constructive hand). I admit Han and me haven't defined 2N.

Btw, something else to agree: when 2C or 2D gets doubled, is pass = to play and XX = show your (longer) suit, or XX = to play and pass = please show your suit (I prefer the former).

Ditto. Dwayne's responses are interesting but its very important to me for the NT opener to be on lead and try to put the known hand from the bidding on the table.

[Echognome]

Ditto. Dwayne's responses are interesting but its very important to me for the NT opener to be on lead and try to put the known hand from the bidding on the table.

Not nearly as important as finding your best fit though. That's the big advantage of using 2♣ for the majors. As a side advantage, you can play in any suit at the 2-level if doubled.

[JanM]

After 1NT-2♦-DBL (and also Multi 2♦-DBL, Kit, after whom the convention is named (and I think he actually was the first to suggest it, but no guarantees on that), likes to be able to play there when the partnership has a reasonable fit, so plays that Pass asks opener (oops - overcaller) to Pass with 2+ diamonds, RDBL with spades and bid 2♥ with hearts. Another option is to Pass with 3+, RDBL with 2 & bid only with 0-1.

[keylime]

The rationale behind the scheme is the element that the known hand is to your right - keep in mind tho that I am influenced by Granovetter's views that transfers over a natural 1NT overcall should not be used (very nonstandard).

 

Secondly, it opens up more avenues of bidding that you do not have versus the regular Landy-style overcall: you can make more clear invites as Echo alluded to versus bidding 2D to ask and then getting a lead directional double to compete in diamonds. With the transfers you can show degrees of strength by passing, redoubling or bidding on. Furthermore, there is a certain fault tolerance when they come in and bid and you can invite more carefully and not get overly high.

 

Thirdly, I think with known 2 suiters to have the ability to preempt to the limit cheaply and to invite carefully. Call it a style thing.