2nt opener

[sceptic]

Hi all, it is I again

 

I need to hear your opinions on 2nt openers please. i.e. hcp, distribution (20-21 or is 20-22 better)

 

I have not put any examples in here but, I would like to see what is acceptable to open these hands AND what problems you may encounter at the two level opener with stayman, transfers, smollen and texas transfers responses (i.e. does it all just go up a level when bidding) or can you not use some of these conventions

 

a prime example being

 

p opens 2nt, I bid 3 heart transfer, p responds 3 spades, I then bid 4 clubs (showing second suit(I hope))does a bid of 5 clubs NOT 4 clubs show singleton in that suit ( the reason I ask this one is you have now lost signing of at 4 level or is their other conventions you use or different ways of using the same conventions at the two level.

 

Wayne (hope the question makes sense)

[Free]

I'm used to play 18-20's and 25+ in 1♣ opening, 21-22 in 2♣ and 23-24 in 2♦. So when we end up in 2NT we show a 2-point range (immediate 2NT is preemptive with both minors). However, in other partnerships I play 20-22 and haven't had problems with that at all.

 

Response scheme:

 

3♣ = relay (initially it asks for 4/5 card Majors, but it can show our own hand later on with minor singlesuiters or Major two-suiters)

3♦ = trf ♥ (p will accept the trf with only 2 cards)

3♥ = trf ♠ (p will accept the trf with only 2 cards)

3♠ = puppet to 3NT. Either to play, or 55+ hands with a Major and a minor

3NT = 55+ hands with both minors, no void in a Major

4♣ = 55+ hands with both minors, with a void in a Major

4♦ = trf ♥ (no slam interest)

4♥ = trf ♠ (no slam interest)

4♠ = Roman relay Gerber

4NT = quantitative NT

 

After

2NT (any range) - 3♥ (trf ♠)

3♠ (2 card, no 5 ♥) - ?

 

4♣ shows only a 4 card, since 5-5's are bid through an initial 3♠ bid.

I've never used a 5♣ bid after this auction, I guess it should be slam try with stiff ♣...

 

We use the transfers as follows:

3M (accepting trf) = 2 card M, no 5 card OM / 4333 distribution

3NT = 2 card M, 5 card OM

another bid shows 'most HCP in this suit'

This helps us to find any 5-3 M fit, and partner knows weither his singleton might be worth something if opener has a fit. However, it has disadvantages as well. With a fit we'll always play 4M (unless opener has 4333).

 

We use 2 ways of transfers to be able to show slam interest or not. This is similar to 1NT.

 

Since Gerber isn't used a lot, we put it on 4♠, so we can use 4♣ for something else (which also doesn't occur a lot btw). We use step-1 to ask again, not 5♠ and 6♠, to save as much bidding space as possible. Roman Gerber is usefull, when opener has 2 Aces we should know which Aces he has.

 

[EDIT] I have posted the response scheme after a 3♣ relay somewhere, but I can't find it anymore. Also I didn't notice it was a beginner/intermediate topic, this 3♣ relay scheme might be too complicated.

[Fluffy]

What you have to consider is that 2NT is by far the worst opening bid of a natural system, it gives away so much bidding space you cannot recover.

 

What I am trying to tell is that you should avoid opening 2NT hands as much as posible: open 1X with any 5422 and 5431. 6332 may become had to explain, having to reverse on a 3 card suit or to underbid a 2NT (wich I don´t care since it is GF to me).

 

About how to handle after a 2NT opening, the best advice I can tell you is to play GF transfer: if partner is gonna decide wich level eh wants to be in, he for sure wants to know how many cards you have in his suit:

 

2NT-3♦

3♥

 

I play this as promising 3+ ♥ cards, I know many people that play it reversed, that is not the main problem, just be sure you know how many cards partner holds after you transfer, then you can decide to cuebid or show a side suit.

[inquiry]

There is a principle, I forget it's correct name, that the higher the bid (below game), the more limited it has to be. The reason is that your partner has no room to investigate to go on or stop.

 

For instance,

 

1H 3H

?

 

Here 3H should be very narrowly defined. IF you make it, say 9 to 12, your partner is in a bind to try to figure out what to do if he needs you on "top" of your bid....Yet,

 

1H 2H

?

 

Can easly be a four point spread, because your partner can inivite you to game.

 

In my opinion, the same holds for 2NT. Your partner will either bid game or not (maybe with jacoby transfer then 3NT/4M). That is, there is no really good invintational sequences after a 2NT opening bid. REsponder goes to game or signs off. Thus, I favor a very narrow range. 20-21 is fine, or 21-22 is ok. What ever works for you. Or you can stretch it.. .20-21(22) where (22) = bad 22, which is effectively 21. This is one reaosn why I like multi 2D, I can use that help break the strong NT hands into 2 point ranges.

 

Obvioulsy a 3 or 4 point range for 1NT is ok, because you have room to investigate, since auction starts lower.

 

Ben

[MickyB]

IMO the same doesn't hold for 2NT, because it is so infrequent compared to lower ranges, and there is less difference in playing strength between 20 and 22 than there is between 15 and 17. With one range as a 2N opener and one as 2♣ then 2N, I'd go for 20-21 and 22-24.

[Cascade]

I like 2-point ranges but I frequenly play 3-point ranges and for most hands they work ok.

 

Here is my 2-point range structure:

 

1NT 12-14

1NT rebid 15-17

Jump 2NT rebid 18-19

2NT 20-21

2♦ multi then 2NT 22-23

2♣ then 2NT 24+

 

I am happy to open 2NT often which is different than my style with 1NT. The reason is that there is often not a better way to bid with 20-23 hcp - too strong for the 1-level and too hard to show everything after 2♣ and then starting to bid your suits.

 

Therefore I open 2NT (or rebid) with:

 

Any balanced hand

Five-card majors allowed - we can find our 5-3 fit with puppet Stayman

many 4441s

many 5431s not 5-4 in the majors

most 5422s not 5-4 in the majors

some 6322s

 

My response structure is:

 

3♣ Puppet Stayman

3♦ five hearts opener bids 3♠ with 52 in the majors

3♥ five spades opener bids 3NT with 25 in the majors

3♠ Puppet to 3NT then show one or two suited minor

3NT does not exist for us - bid 3♠

4♣ Gerber - we never use this

4♥/♠ Texas transfers

 

After Puppet Stayman we can bid a minor at the four-level natural and forcing.

 

We can also show a minor after a transfer.

 

Wayne

[paulhar]

All the things I said about opening 1NT apply here too.

 

Because of no invitational bid, I like 2NT to be a 2 point range also.

 

Let's pretend it's 20-21. If I had 19HCP and a good 5 card suit, I would open 2NT, and if I had 21 and a good 5 card suit, I would open 2C and rebid 2NT.

 

Because strong one-suited hands are such a bear in standard systems, if your system doesn't have a special bid for these, you might open 2NT to avoid complications. Example: Kxx/Ax/AQ/AQxxxx. Pretty tough after 1C-1H response.

Too strong for 2NT rebid.

[bearmum]

Hi all, it is I again

 

I need to hear your opinions on 2nt openers please. i.e. hcp, distribution (20-21  or is 20-22 better)

 

I have not put any examples in here but, I would like to see what is acceptable to open these hands AND what problems you may encounter at the two level opener with stayman, transfers, smollen and texas transfers responses (i.e. does it all just go up a level when bidding) or can you not use some of these conventions

 

a prime example being

 

p opens 2nt, I bid 3 heart transfer, p responds 3 spades, I then bid 4 clubs (showing second suit(I hope))does a bid of 5 clubs NOT 4 clubs show singleton in that suit ( the reason I ask this one is you have now lost signing of at 4 level or is their other conventions you use or different ways of using the same conventions at the two level.

 

Wayne (hope the question makes sense)

 

 

well we play precision SO

1NT =13-15

1C/1d(<8) 1NT = 16-19

1C 1D...... 2NT = 20- 21

2NT = 22-23

1C 1D.......3NT = 24-26

 

Opening 3NT = gambling solid minor

 

I believe that it's a good idea to only have a 2 point spread when opening 2NT ( or as we do in the 1C 1D 2NT sequence) as it means that the responder can COUNT points and therefore has a better idea of IF to ask opener to "bid game/slam IF Maximum"

 

 

All the bids over 1C 1D show NO five card major BTW and we play transfers and Stayman over opening 1 and 2NT

 

As we also have a relay system for responder to show 5/5 over any nt bids we would not need to use a JUMP to the 4 level over 1NT 2H 2S 4 C to show a singleton club :) SO it's relatively simple to stop in the 4 level if that's all that's there ( although SOMETIMES we make mistakes in judgement :) )

[the hog]

No range is better or worse than any other. What is important is how all of this fits into your system.