How to handle this one

[dicklont]

A preëmptive 2 opening with both majors is becoming very popular here in the Netherlands.

 

There are varations, like this:

2♣ strong hand or weak with both majors 5/4, 4/5 or longer.

2♥ weak hand with both majors 5/4, 4/5 or longer.

 

I try to defend this stuff as natural as possible.

2NT shows 16-18 with stops in both majors.

 

Normally after 2NT (f.i. over a weak 2♥ opening), we play Stayman and Jacoby transfers.

When both majors are already bid by opener, these conventions are not so relevant anymore, when we find a fit in a major suit we already know that the trumps won't split. So why bother?

 

How do you feel about this agreement, when 2♣ shows the majors:

(2♣) - 2NT - (pass)

3♣ clubs, non forcing

3♦ diamonds, non forcing

3♥ clubs, forcing

3♠ diamonds, forcing

[maggieb]

You should have a way to show a strong hand with both minors in this kind of auction. There are many possible solutions to this, the most intuitive is to play 3m is forcing (which is much better than having to bid 3M) and 3M is a GF minor two-suiter. Unfortunately this leaves you with no way to sign off in 3m, but there is no reasonable way to be able to show the strong hands while playing 3m = weak.

[jdonn]

Combined with what Maggie said, I suppose you could play

3♣: Diamonds

3♦: Clubs

At least then you could sign off in diamonds, and have an extra bid as well when you are strong with diamonds (maybe showing shortness in a major with your next bid.)

[han]

How do you play double?

 

After 2C you could play something like:

 

Dbl = 15+ balanced or very strong.

2D, 2H, 2S, 3C = natural, opening hand.

2NT = at least an opening hand with both minors.

 

I'm not sure what 3M should be, perhaps it should still be a strong 1-suiter?

 

I don't like the suggestion that 3C is forcing unless you play the double shows clubs.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

Defence against 2C: if you play a defence against

multi 2D, use this one.

Against 2H, I guess I would play X as t/o, 2S as

natural, ... unclear if it makes sense to play 3H

as natural.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[karlson]

Obviously it's a tradeoff, but I would not want to give up playing in a major when the opponents may have a weak 4-card holding.

 

With my regular partner I play that double is 13-15 bal or somethign very strong, 2n is 16-18, and 2M is natural. We play our usual system over the 2n overcall (basically we ignore the opponents completely).

 

(edit, that's obviously over the 2c majors. I haven't come across the 2h variant, but I guess we'd play the same except double is t/o of hearts).

[gnasher]

Obviously it's a tradeoff, but I would not want to give up playing in a major when the opponents may have a weak 4-card holding.

Me too. A 4-1 break is much less of a problem if you know about it at trick 1.

[Codo]

I join the later posts and would simply play natural (Xfer and reverse namyats) over 2 NT. Maybe once in a while you will play in your 4-4 fit and run into the 5-0 break. But up to now this is a theoretical problem for me, it never happened at the table. But practical we won many hands against the known 4-1 break allready, so I won't give up on searching for the major fit.

[rogerclee]

I like Donn Inversion.

 

The ACBL approved defense to 2♥ = majors has a 2N bid as 15-18 with normal systems on, so I assume there is at least some merit to this treatment, though it is intuitively unappealing to me. It is so hard to judge whether 3N or 4M is a better contract with known bad breaks that I would rather just lump all of these hands into "bid 3N and pray" while having good ways to bid my strong minor hands. Also I think the people who would like to play systems on will agree that this treatment has no merit at favorable vulnerability, since your LHO is probably 5-5 or 5-4 with strong suits.

 

As an aside, a 2♥ opening as weak in the majors is very effective when it comes up. I'm not sure it is the best meaning for this bid in the context of playing multi 2♦, but I bet it's up there.