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When Opps Bid Over Our 2NT Opener


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I'm interested in gathering suggestions for methods when the opponents interfere with a natural 3-level suit call over our 2NT (20-21) opener.

 

If it matters, if the opps interfere at the 3-level over our 1NT (15-17) openers, we play negative doubles and Texas transfers through 4.

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

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Pescetom's link to Bob's suggestion about Pass being Forcing seems the way to go. Then opener I assume would overcall any 5 card suit at the 3-level and double failing that thus allowing a Penalty Pass conversion by responder.

 

I'll take the bidding tree one step further:

2NT 3 X ?

 

Pass is Forcing

Double generally without a Quality 5+ long suit

Pass = Penalty Pass conversion

Next Suit Up = To Play (no ability to transfer into it)

Higher 3-level Suit = Invitational to 3N or 4M

3NT = Option to play w/ invite in what would have be next suit

3-level shows Quality 5+ long suit

 

Double negative (up to 4)

 

3, 3 transfer to suit above

 

3 asks for stopper in enemy shown suit

 

3NT sign-off

 

4 Gerber

 

4, 4 transfer to major above, or splinter slam try if next higher suit is enemy suit

 

4 quantitative (16+-17)

 

4NT quantitative (15 to 16-)

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Pescetom's link to Bob's suggestion about Pass being Forcing seems the way to go. Then opener I assume would overcall any 5 card suit at the 3-level and double failing that thus allowing a Penalty Pass conversion by responder.

 

I'll take the bidding tree one step further:

2NT 3 X ?

 

Pass is Forcing

Double generally without a Quality 5+ long suit

Pass = Penalty Pass conversion

Next Suit Up = To Play (no ability to transfer into it)

Higher 3-level Suit = Invitational to 3N or 4M

3NT = Option to play w/ invite in what would have be next suit

3-level shows Quality 5+ long suit

 

Double negative (up to 4)

 

3, 3 transfer to suit above

 

3 asks for stopper in enemy shown suit

 

3NT sign-off

 

4 Gerber

 

4, 4 transfer to major above, or splinter slam try if next higher suit is enemy suit

 

4 quantitative (16+-17)

 

4NT quantitative (15 to 16-)

 

Looks like an effective scheme.

Out of interest, how would you handle 2 or 3 level interference over strong 2 ?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like an effective scheme.

Out of interest, how would you handle 2 or 3 level interference over strong 2 ?

Fairly standard over a strong 2 opener is for Pass to show values and Double (or Redouble) to be a negative response, with suit calls being natural and positive similar to an uncontested auction. I think less standard is a 2NT response after interference. That is generally just played the same way as in an uncontested auction, whether natural or artificial, but another very logical usage would be a positive in the highest-ranking preempted suit, which can sometimes save a lot of space (eg after 2 - (2), 2NT instead of 3 as a positive with 5+ hearts gives 8 times as many possible auctions below the 3NT level, which is a considerable increase). Against that, many experts believe that the ability to split up the ranges of their balanced and semi-balanced positive hands is key to good slam bidding and that is certainly lost if all such hands have to start with a pass.

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Fairly standard over a strong 2 opener is for Pass to show values and Double (or Redouble) to be a negative response, with suit calls being natural and positive similar to an uncontested auction. I think less standard is a 2NT response after interference. That is generally just played the same way as in an uncontested auction, whether natural or artificial, but another very logical usage would be a positive in the highest-ranking preempted suit, which can sometimes save a lot of space (eg after 2 - (2), 2NT instead of 3 as a positive with 5+ hearts gives 8 times as many possible auctions below the 3NT level, which is a considerable increase). Against that, many experts believe that the ability to split up the ranges of their balanced and semi-balanced positive hands is key to good slam bidding and that is certainly lost if all such hands have to start with a pass.

Thanks. That's pretty much what we do at present, with 2NT retaining our usual meaning of both minors - I agree it would make more sense for it to become the highest-ranking preempted suit. We have multiple precise ranges for opener's NT after 2 so we leave any quantitative decision to responder.

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