What to play over reverses
Well I am playing with some new partners and as always there has to be at least some system discussion. I have never been terribly satisfied about having figured out the best way to handle auctions after reverses.
On more hands than not the opponents are all over your auction, not just this one I mean all auctions, so it becomes less important. But since you probably have a good piece of the deck after a reverse you need to have some system for the uncontested auctions.
Yeah, yeah I know you play that 2NT is Lebensohl of some sort. My problem starts with what to do when you have a five card major, weak, better, best. So say you have 5 spades, 2 hearts, 4 diamonds and 2 clubs. Partner opens 1C and you bid 1S. Partner now makes the dreaded 2H bid. Sure you can bid 2S but what does it mean. Is it any hand with five spades? If so how do you bring the auction to a close on a weak hand etc.
I like to play that in this type of auction 2NT is the only way out, five spades or no. If you have a bad hand with spades suck it up and bid 2NT and then get out in 3S. 2S is thus game forcing and in both cases you have at least set the level. You were going to have to play at the 3 level anyway.
I understand that had I bid 2S and partner hated spades they would have bid something else like 2NT and depending on your methods you could have passed with that weak hand. But that is the tradeoff against the ambiguity.
What if you have fourth suit available at the two level. Okay I am happy to use that as the weak bid and then I suppose 2NT can mean something else, ideally not too natural cause I don’t really want the weak hand on play.
So am I completely out to lunch. What do you think?
Of course there are always other bad places in systems too. Like what overcalls mean in the sandwich position and when is 4NT or 5 of a minor blackwood and even worse when it is exclusion or when is 3NT serious, seriously.
Still it is fine to tinker, I think.
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related
Hi Linda
I like to play the cheaper of 4th suit or 2NT is all weak hands that cannot commit the partnership to game. Thus,
1C – 1S
2D/2H – 2S = at least five spades and enough values we are in a GF
In fact any bid, other than 2NT above, is natural and enough values we are in a GF
With weak hands, the auction would go
1C – 1S
2D/2H – 2NT = all weak hands (including weak hands with long spades)
Natural bidding ensues.
Many times, without a clear bid, opener will rebid 3C to hear where partner thinks his weak hand blends with opener’s.
If opener cannot stand to hear partner pass 3C, then opener should take a stronger action over 2NT. For example he can jump or bid 4th suit to create a GF.
That seems to be where I am heading to Ross. I think the main thing is to make sure responder clarifies the very weak hand. That gives up the ability to show a five card spade suit with a weak hand (except by going through a relay which takes up a lot of space) but it is worth it I think.