What do you open?

[Cascade]

How do you approach this hand?

 

Dealer: South Vul: None Scoring: IMP ♠ AK5 ♥ T ♦ ♣ AKQJT9543

 

[Walddk]

1♣, I have my bid! ;) Anything could be right, but I think I will go slowly. I will get more chances. If opps remain silent I will jump to 2♠ next. If opps compete viciously, I will follow them all the way.

 

Maybe I get doubled in 5♣, and if partner can't double 5red, I will take out insurance by bidding one more.

 

Roland

[P_Marlowe]

2C.

 

A lot depends on your structure

after a 2C opening.

 

In fourth seat 6C.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[mr1303]

4NT. Hope partner shows up with the ace of hearts rather than the ace of diamonds. If he does I'll blast 7, and hope he has another trick somewhere.

[the hog]

Who knows Wayne? 1C could be right, 6C could be right, 4NT could be right. What definitely isn't right is 2C.

 

I'll try 1C.

[bearmum]

Playing Precision 1♣

Playing anything else whatever is your GAME force bid - ending up in 6 or 7♣ depending on P's response

[hotShot]

I use to have a game forcing opening in my system. It is showing a strong hand 23+HCP or a hand with max. 3 looser.

I would use that here.

With this not available, i'll go for 6♣.

[helene_t]

I open 5♦ (exclusion blackwood).

 

No, silly joke, I agree with Ron but I think I would open 6♣.

[ochinko]

Nothing but 2C for me for many reasons.

 

1. I have only 2 losers, so it seems most logical.

 

2. I play Crodo, so I'll know immediately how many and what aces partner has. No bidding space lost, on the contrary.

 

3. No threat that we'll stop below game, so bidding can proceed slowly after the opening.

 

4. There is nothing else as a final contract except for 5/6/7 C. Even if we have a spade fit as well, there's the danger that a club would be ruffed on the lead.

 

5. Opponents (especially weaker ones) tend to pass strong openings at least until the nature of the strong hand is revealed.

 

6. If my opening shows giant strength there's less danger that opponents will commit to a sacrifice.

 

Petko

[helene_t]

I don't like 2♣. I can't belive that the opponents will not interfere, even weak oponents. I play a 2♣ which can also be a weak two in diamonds, in order to discourage preemption. Even so, interference is quite frequent, so I try not to open 2♣ with freak-hands. If 2♣ is always strong and the opps are non-vulnerable, I would be surprised if they'd bid less than 5♦ before my next turn.

 

It's a little bit true that opps will expect more defensive strength and therefore be reluctant to sacrifice. But so will partner, and more so since opps bid there own hands while partner bids your hand as well. Can you respect partner's penalty double at the 4-level with this hand? What about the 5- or 6-level? Besides, if partner knows that you open 2♣ with hands like this one, opps are entitled to know as well.

[Gerben42]

I do not use the 4NT specific ace ask. It never comes up although this hand would qualify.

 

6♣ would be my first choice, partner will raise on two aces.

 

Alternatively open 1♣ and if opps compete in diamonds bid 5♦ exclusion.

If they refuse to bid diamonds or partner doublecrosses by bidding them I rebid 6♣.

 

2♣ is not a choice for me. Like medication do not use 2♣ unless you have to.

[whereagles]

Incredibly, the other day I had a hand better than that one. I held

 

A

AKTxxxx

--

AKQxx

 

a 1-loser(!!) hand. Pard opened a weak 2S and we managed to stay out of 7H (pard had xx xx in hearts/clubs).

 

As for that hand shown, I think I'd open 6C.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

because nobody stands up for a 2C opening:

 

If they will interfere over 2C, they will do the same

over 1C, afterall 2H/3H would have the same meaning.

If they risk it over 2C, they will definitive risk it over 1C.

 

2C opposite 1C has one definitive adv., it creates

a forcing pass situation, which will improve your

chances of handling interference.

 

I dont open 2C often, but this hand qualifies, you

have a strong one suited hand, you have some

defensive.

 

I would like to play in club, but if partner happens

to have a 6 card spade suit, I dont mind playing

spades.

 

For those, who believe 2C wastes space:

After a 1C opening, you will need a jump to 4C, unless

a jump rebid to 3C is forcing, to convince partner, that you

are only interested in clubs. Surprinsingly this will be same

level after a 2C opening.

 

Summarizing: I doubt that there will be a situation after a 2C

situation, finding you badder placed compared to a situation

which would have arisen after a 1C opening.

 

Finally a minor point:

 

If one sits in 1st seat, and the opponent with the hand ready

for preemptive auction sits in 4th seat, it may happen,

that one did throw out any adv., which would resulte from

ones own constructive methods, I dont play Crodo, I dont play

Albaran, I dont play ..., but these methods, showing specific aces

would help here.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Chamaco]

With this hand I do not want to bash 6C because probably the par of the hand is 6M BY them doubled: I do not want they find the sac.

At the same time, I do not want to bash into 7C to find an aceless pard.

 

 

 

I bid 1C. If the hand belogs to us, all is well, I'll try for the grand.

 

If, after opening 1C, I find out the hand belongs to opps, I will bid my clubs one step at a time (2C then 3C then 4C then 5C), hoping they double.

 

If after my 1C opener, it is not clear whether opps will compete or not, I will bid 5 clubs at next round (I gamble that I might miss the slam but opps may have a good sacrifice in 6M).

When they likely bid 5M, I bid 6C.

If they then bid 6M I probably double.

[whereagles]

You can also test the opps patience like this

 

1C 1S pass 2S

3C 3S pass pass

4C pass pass 4S

5C dbl

 

+550... lol

[flytoox]

I vote for 2C. This is a one suit hand and I have ideal rebid. I donot mind much of opp's interference.

[ochinko]

Besides, if partner knows that you open 2♣ with hands like this one, opps are entitled to know as well.

Of course they are. But 1C opening is limited to 19 HCP whereas 2C has no upper range. I could theoretically have 34 missing only an Ace and two Jacks.

 

The explanation that we give to opps is all that we know about partner's hand:

23+ HCP, or

9 sure tricks as in AKQJxxxxx xx x x, or

10 expected tricks as in A AQJxxxxx Ax KQ

 

So with 2C I'd often have 24 HCP, whereas when I open 1C I can be expected to have only half of those points. I think opps are much less likely to sacrifice after 2C unless one of them has a pretty long suit too.

 

Petko

[P_Marlowe]

You can also test the opps patience like this

 

1C 1S pass 2S

3C 3S pass pass

4C pass pass 4S

5C dbl

 

+550... lol

Fine, if you want to play games with your oppoenents, this will

work, ... sometimes.

But if you happen to play against competent oppoenents,

you will play 4C+1, because the guy who passed 3S will not

raise to 4S, because he did say it all, already.

 

And now explain 4C+1 to your partner, hopefully they are as

nice as my regular partner ... altough he did write down the

number of the psychiatric clinic in his black book, which happens

to be only 100m away from the place where I live, in a moment,

he believed me stoned.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[shoeless]

2C here - pretty systematic for me - fill pard in now instead of masterminding the hand - let's see what comes

[hrothgar]

How do you approach this hand?

 

Dealer: South Vul: None Scoring: IMP ♠ AK5 ♥ T ♦ ♣ AKQJT9543

 

Playing my preferred methods, I open 4NT showing a constructive 5 level preempt in either Clubs or Diamonds. The convention is documented in Preempts from A to Z by Anderson and Auken (title really lost something when Sabine Zenkel married)

 

The 4NT opening promises

 

1. An excellent 8 or 9 card suit

2. Sound playing values for the 5 level

3. No more than one loser in each suit

 

The responses are

 

Pass = rarely

5♣ = pass or correct

5♦ = unassuming

5♥ = 1st round control in Hearts and the other minor. Denies a Spade control

5♠ = 1st round control in Spades and the other minor, denies a Heart control

5NT = First round control in both Majors, denies a minor suit control

 

For what its worth, I really dislike 2♣ with this hand...

[pclayton]

I've played a 4N call where it requests the cue bid af an ace. This hand is ideal for that, plus it helps lock out the sac.

 

I don't think this is a hand for getting cute on with 1♣. You might be successful walking this hand but I doubt it. Rarely in a good game and only in rubber games have I seen this work.

 

If your getting creative on this, I prefer a 3 or 4♣.

[Fluffy]

As much as I hate a 2♣ bidding with less than 23 HCP maybe this one won't hurt.

 

Still its a poor opening bid who shows nothing, alerts opponents of your playing strenght, and missguides partner on your defensive values.

 

1♣ for me.

 

I play 4NT as minors, ,didn't really think there was any other treatment.

[Guest Jlall]

2C. I'm not really worried about preemption here. If I open 1C I'm not sure what I'm hoping will develop to intelligently get to 7C, theres a much better chance of a good auction if I open 2C.

[HeartA]

I voted for 2♣: 22+ hcp or 16+ hcp with 9+ tricks.

[mike777]

6C

 

Must be good post, many different answers and approaches, thanks.