Benjy Twos

[Vampyr]

I was not aware that the EBU has a one-sided system card. Or maybe I was and have just forgotten about it. :-)

 

There is a two-sided one that is rarely used; also on the outside of most scorecards there are two sides on which you can write very rudimentary agreements.

[StevenG]

My point is that if you have a rule of 25 hand then two queens by partner will typically promote some kings or jacks to sure tricks. I suppose you could have the agreement which is BB compliant while at the same time meaning that partner needs aces or ruffing value for game. But when I see people passing the 2M rebid with a flat hand it seems to me like they expect a somewhat thin opener, way short of what I would personally call a semi-GF hand.

I don't think a Benji 2♣ is really meant to be a semi-GF hand, at least in the sense of having defensive values. If I turn to my copy of "All About Acol" (Cohen & Lederer, 1985 revised 1989) which was my bible when I started playing club bridge, and look up the chapter on strong 2s (the authors are very sniffy about the idea of club players managing weak 2s), three types are listed, one being "Prospective game hands with one long and powerful suit with eight playing tricks in the suit bid" - the others are powerful two-suiters (because in traditional Acol, you can show both suits), and hands that are too strong to risk partner passing. The latter two types don't really work so well in Benji as you haven't been able to show a real suit on the first bid, so the eight PT single-suited hand is by far and away the most common.

 

"All About Acol" also says "A hand with eight trumps to the top four honours, even with nothing whatsoever outside, fulfils this requirement. Such a hand not only may, but should, be opened with a strong two, particularly third-in-hand after two passes, if only on account of the pre-emptive value of the bid", and then point out the merits of pre-empting opponents out of a possible game. Perhaps B/I texts from other eras say something different (can anyone help, please), but that's what I think of as an Acol strong 2, and, by analogy, a Benji 2♣. This may not be so easy to understand if you didn't learn your bridge in an (English) Acol environment, but I suspect it's how nearly all club players of a certain age instinctively think, certainly those who came in to club bridge from social bridge, rather than as precocious juniors. Trying to regulate out the bid's pre-emptive value does seem to me to be an assault on traditional Acol styles, even if they have now been modified to weak twos, etc..

[weejonnie]

I don't think a Benji 2♣ is really meant to be a semi-GF hand, at least in the sense of having defensive values. If I turn to my copy of "All About Acol" (Cohen & Lederer, 1985 revised 1989) which was my bible when I started playing club bridge, and look up the chapter on strong 2s (the authors are very sniffy about the idea of club players managing weak 2s), three types are listed, one being "Prospective game hands with one long and powerful suit with eight playing tricks in the suit bid" - the others are powerful two-suiters (because in traditional Acol, you can show both suits), and hands that are too strong to risk partner passing. The latter two types don't really work so well in Benji as you haven't been able to show a real suit on the first bid, so the eight PT single-suited hand is by far and away the most common.

 

"All About Acol" also says "A hand with eight trumps to the top four honours, even with nothing whatsoever outside, fulfils this requirement. Such a hand not only may, but should, be opened with a strong two, particularly third-in-hand after two passes, if only on account of the pre-emptive value of the bid", and then point out the merits of pre-empting opponents out of a possible game. Perhaps B/I texts from other eras say something different (can anyone help, please), but that's what I think of as an Acol strong 2, and, by analogy, a Benji 2♣. This may not be so easy to understand if you didn't learn your bridge in an (English) Acol environment, but I suspect it's how nearly all club players of a certain age instinctively think, certainly those who came in to club bridge from social bridge, rather than as precocious juniors. Trying to regulate out the bid's pre-emptive value does seem to me to be an assault on traditional Acol styles, even if they have now been modified to weak twos, etc..

Pulled out "The complete book of Bridge" (Reese & Dormer 1973). Reese states "At least eight PT are required and this means a six-card suit will usually be present; but the bid can be made on two 5-card suits and, exceptionally, with 5-4 in the major suits. Most hands that warrant an opening two-bid contain between 16 to 19 HCPs" Examples given are:-

 

AKQJ873 9 AQ2 64

AQJ93 AKT92 6 A7

AKJ53 KQJ9 AJ8 3

 

(for a 2♠ opening). The guideline given is "If I open at the 1 level and this is passed out could I miss a game?" He recommends

;

 

A6 AQJ874 AK83 T as being suitable for an Acol 2♥ bid. (This only has 7 CC tricks, if that, but qualifies under ER25.)

 

Under pre-empts AQJT832 7 62 KQ9 is recommended as a vulnerable 4♠ instead of 1♠

[VixTD]

I think opinions on Acol strong twos have diversified since they were first conceived, so that there are now different schools of thought. A lot of people contributing to this discussion consider them to be strong, but below game-forcing strength, as described by Steven G, and as taught by Ron Klinger (in "Bridge Conventions, Defences and Countermeasures"). Crowhurst and Kambites (in "Understanding Acol") recommend a 2♠ opener on something like ♠AKQJxx ♥AQJxxx ♦A ♣- (to be followed up with 6♥ on the next round, a better route than starting with 2♦). This is another reason I don't like playing Benjy. Some people think a 2M rebid after opening 2♣ is forcing, and others don't. They rarely check that they agree on this sort of thing.

 

I also think a lot of bridge players have trouble with logic. They assume it naturally follows from "an opening two bid shows at least eight playing tricks with that suit as trumps" that "if you have eight playing tricks in a suit you must open two of that suit".

[Vampyr]

This is another reason I don't like playing Benjy. Some people think a 2M rebid after opening 2♣ is forcing, and others don't. They rarely check that they agree on this sort of thing.

 

Well, this is a problem for the Benjy players to work out or not. It needn't matter to you, because if someone asked you to play Benjy you would presumably agree things like this.

 

I also think a lot of bridge players have trouble with logic. They assume it naturally follows from "an opening two bid shows at least eight playing tricks with that suit as trumps" that "if you have eight playing tricks in a suit you must open two of that suit".

 

The real problem here is disclosure. They don't have to agree it is an Acol Two, if they haven't they must not describe it as such.