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Imagine there's no Jacoby 2N, it's easy if you try


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If the ACBL banned Jacoby 2NT for some reason, but anything else within reason was allowed, what would you prefer that 2NT mean?

 

I thought about things like...

 

1. Unknown mini-splinter

2. Immediate 3-card limit raise

3. Minors

4. Balanced

5. One-suited weak minor

 

I even played for a while (and loved it) that 1S-P-2NT showed a GF hand with 5+ hearts and no spade fit (such that 1S-P-2H was constructive but passable).

 

Any ideas?

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Having played 2n balanced GF for a little while, I really don't like it. It just seems like there's a ton of guessing about whether to bid 3N or 4M and you don't really have room to both sort out stoppers and show some slam interest. For me those auctions start much better with 2. So I guess I would play 2 as balanced GF, possibly with 4M, and 2n as either weak or GF with single-suited clubs? I bet Ken approves.
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If the ACBL banned Jacoby 2NT for some reason, but anything else within reason was allowed, what would you prefer that 2NT mean?

 

I thought about things like...

 

1. Unknown mini-splinter

2. Immediate 3-card limit raise

3. Minors

4. Balanced

5. One-suited weak minor

 

I even played for a while (and loved it) that 1S-P-2NT showed a GF hand with 5+ hearts and no spade fit (such that 1S-P-2H was constructive but passable).

 

Any ideas?

I quite like

2. Immediate 3-card limit raise

 

unless my system includes those hands in a 2 response , so to be able to play those hands in 2M , when opener rejects the invite. I think some Italians had this feature in their system (2 = GF relay or 3 card invite).

 

Removing the 3 card invite from the 1NT response , makes it much easier to play it as semi forcing (ok, non-forcing..) and opener can pass 1NT with a 5332 minimum , without worrying about responder having some 3154 9-10p.

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I was thinking about this recently, and I think I personally am inclined toward the mystery mini-splinter if the opening is spades (with possibly some other riders meanings), but an immediate limit raise if the opening is hearts, because the heart auction mystery mini-splinter is cramped for space anyway, and because 1H-P-1NT-P-??? is a tough sequence when Opener has 4522.
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With my partner Joel Hoersch, I play "Joelcoby" -- 2NT promises 3-card support (could be more) and a balanced hand. Opener rebids show shape (bal/unbal) and strength and responder has relays available to identify the best game (or slam). I like it, it's definitely superior to standard Jacoby for choice-of-games auctions, but it's not easy to remember all the followups.
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Having played 1-2 and 1-2NT as undisclosed minisplinters for about 10 years now, I am very fond of the treatment. (We play 1-2NT natural and forcing to game, which I am also fond of. Using 1-3 to show that same balanced GF is noticably more awkward, but having room to sort ou the splinters takes precedence IMO.)
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If the ACBL banned Jacoby 2NT for some reason,

What a pleasant thought..... B)

 

Bal. GF for me, too.

 

DHL

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