Material on 2/1 slow arrival style?

[cwiggins]

Is there somewhere that I can get a complete description of Fred Gitelman's 2/1 auctions?

 

The first of his three "Improving 2/1 Game Forcing" articles has this sentence: "In the above auction (1♥-2♣-3♣) and in all similar 2/1 auctions in which responder can raise opener's major for the first time at the three level . . ."

 

This leaves lots of questions. There are several other basic sequences. In addition: questions exist about the given sequence. Can the raise to 3♣ be done with a minimum? (The answer seems to be yes.) Simple suit bids in the sequence are either probes for NT or advance cuebids for clubs? How do you show a splinter if clubs is going to be your trump suit? What does responder do with a balanced hand with extra values? : Is the 3♣ raise done with minimums? Suits at the 3-level are probes for NT or maybe advance cuebids for clubs? So you have no way to show a splinter when you clubs becomes the trump suit?

 

I haven't been able to find a further description of other sequences nor a statement like "using x as a base, change these sequences."

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[whereagles]

Although Fred's articles on BB don't clarify the range of 1M-2m-3m, it seems to me (from his examples) that this sort of raise can be done on any range, e.g. from 11 to 20, provided the support is decent (Hxx or so).

 

I must say I have some serious objections to this style of bidding because it eats up a whole level of bidding without saying anything about opener's strenght. Personally, I prefer something like

 

1M 2m

2M 2NT

3m = honest support, but min hand (11-14)

 

1M 2m

3m = support, but extras (15-20)

 

so that both responder can gauge better how high should he go.

 

But perhaps Fred can clarify his style better if he gets to check this tread :P

[Chamaco]

I am no expert, however, these are my comments, I suppose any agreement is better than no agreement at all, so here I go.

 

Can the raise to 3♣ be done with a minimum?  (The answer seems to be yes.)

 

One can use for this and many other question you pose, the approach used by Mike Lawrence: many example hands are in his "2/1 workbook" and "The uncontested auction", as well as his 2/1 CD, sold, among others, also by Bridgebase.

 

I like the agreement that the 3m raise by responder guarantees decent trumps ( Hxx or xxxx or better) , and a good hand, evaluated as a nonminimum opener, either for shape of hcp.

An 11 count or a crappy 12 count would not raise, but a good 11-12 count with good controls can raise.

It's a matter of overall hand quality

 

Simple suit bids in the  sequence are either probes for NT or advance cuebids for clubs?

 

I play that suit bids are natural, whereas 2M rebid is catchall.

 

How do you show a splinter if clubs is going to be your trump suit?

 

Matter of agreement. It makes sense, IMO to use a single jump to show a splinter, IMO

 

What does responder do with a balanced hand with extra values?

 

2/3 different approaches.

1. The most "natural" is to use 2NT as minimax = 12-14 bal, OR 18-20 bal, and 3NT = 15-17 bal

 

2. use 2M as a catchall, basically as a sort of relay, with many hands, including strong balanced

 

3. same as 2. but using first step as a relay

 

Suits at the 3-level are probes for NT or maybe advance cuebids for clubs?

 

3-level suit bids can be ambiguous = either NT probes or cuebids if a minor suit was agreed.

 

 

So you have no way to show a splinter when you clubs becomes the trump suit?

 

Opener may splinter by jumping to the 3 level after pard's 2C.

Responder can splinter after opener's raise to 3C, by jumping to 4D (unless agreed as Kickback) or 4oM.

Responder will never splinter with singleton in the major opened by pard.

[mcphee]

One of the things you need to appreciate about BBO 2/1 is that a 2 level response over a major is almost always a good 5 card suit. The reason for this is because the 2NT response to a major is natural GF. As the minor response is GF there is no reason why the opening hand should not support when a rebid of 2N or repeating the major is not suitable.

 

There is no reason why you are not able to splinter when partner has responded a minor. for example after 1S 2C, both 3D/H are splinters as it is not practical to have the bids to show extra values in a GF auction.

[jcdooley]

 

One of the things you need to appreciate about BBO 2/1 is that a 2 level response over a major is almost always a good 5 card suit. The reason for this is because the 2NT response to a major is natural GF.

 

 

Er ... The Bridge Base Advanced notes, which I assume specify BBO 2/1 style, specify that 1M - 2NT is a Jacoby raise.

[Chamaco]

 

One of the things you need to appreciate about BBO 2/1 is that a 2 level response over a major is almost always a good 5 card suit. The reason for this is because the 2NT response to a major is natural GF.

 

 

Er ... The Bridge Base Advanced notes, which I assume specify BBO 2/1 style, specify that 1M - 2NT is a Jacoby raise.

One way to play keeping the nice feature that a 2/1 guarantees a good 5 bagger, but without dropping the 2NT forcing raise is to play that

1M: 2 clubs = EITHER 5+ clubs OR balanced, and having a subsequent relay for opener.

 

I then use 1M:2NT as 4+ trumps invitational hands or better, using the Scanian 2NT development.

 

Jumps are fitshowing jumps as in Robson-Segal schemes.

1S:3NT and 1H:3S are concealed splinters (1H:3NT is fitshowing jump in spades)

 

Maybe not perfect, but it works well for me, not least because it allows me to memorize a set of major raises almost identical for both contested and uncontested auction