December 2007 - 44

PLAY BRIDGE

Available online at www.acbl.org/play/
commonlyusedconventions.html.

Weak can be strong
A master builder has many tools
available in his toolkit. Some are for
specialized situations and seldom
needed. Other tools are frequently
used. A weak two-bid is an example
of the second type.
A weak two-bid serves two important purposes. It can be constructive
and it can be obstructive. By making
a weak two-bid, you are describing
your hand to help partner. This helps
partner decide how high to bid and
what suit to compete in. It can also
help partner know what to lead if
you defend.
A second purpose of a weak two
is to interfere with the opponents'
bidding. Most pairs can bid to a reasonable contract if left to their own
devices. But what if you bid in front
of them? What if you not only bid,
but the bid is at the two level? This
can present awkward problems, even
for experts, which may leave your
opponents guessing.
Suit length and quality
A typical weak two-bid features a
six-card suit. The quality of the suit
depends on position and vulnerability.
In first and second seat vulnerable,
it makes sense to play that the twobid shows a good suit:
A Q 10 7 4 3 8 7 Q 10 3  4 2
would be a classic example of a
weak 2 bid. A hand such as:
8 7 K Q 9 6 4 2 7 6 Q 10 2
is another example of a hand that
would qualify as an opening weak
two-bid (2).
These two have something in common: suit quality. Each includes a
suit with two of the top three honors.
Is this an absolute requirement or
44

can you loosen up a little? This is a
style issue about which you and your
partner should agree.
Many good players would open 2
with:
7 3 K J 10 7 6 4 K 10 3 9 8,
even vulnerable. Their reasoning is
that the rewards (getting in the bidding and suggesting a lead) outweigh
the risks (misleading partner or being
doubled and penalized).
Another borderline hand would be:
10 4 A J 10 8 6 4 K 10 3 9 8.
While it's true you don't have two
of the top three honors, the 10 8
give texture to the suit and thus
add a measure of safety. Since you
hold three of the top five, many
partnerships would agree that 2
is acceptable with this holding. Your
partner may not agree, so you should
discuss it. The other cases where you
hold three of the top five are suits
headed by K-J-10 or Q-J-10.
If not vulnerable or if in third seat,
a weaker suit may qualify. What are
some examples?
Suppose in first seat, not vulnerable, you hold:
A J 7 6 3 2 4 2 K 10 8 7 4.
Many pairs would open 2.
Similarly, most partnerships would
feel that a hand such as:
Q 5 3 5 K J 8 7 6 3 8 5 3
would be a good weak 2 bid if not
vulnerable.
In both of these examples, you hold
two of the top four honors. The players who open a weak two-bid with
either of these feel that passing is too
conservative.

Why is suit quality important?
Suppose you hold:
J 9 6 4 3 2 8 3 K 2 Q J 3
in first seat and open 2. Let's say
the opponents bid to 4 and partner
is on lead with the K 5. What do
you think she will lead? What kind of
a result do you expect?
Your partner opens 2 and you hold:
A 5 A K K Q 6 A K Q 7 5 3.
You check on aces, find out you
are missing one, so settle for 6.
You might be disappointed when the
opponents cash the A and later you
lose a heart trick because partner's
hand was:
K J 2 J 9 6 4 3 2  10 5 4 8.
The rest of the story
What should the rest of the weak
two bidder's hand look like?
A common high-card point range is
5 to 10, although similar ranges are
acceptable as well.
It is okay to open 2 or 2 holding a side four-card suit, provided
that suit is a minor. Here is an example:
K J 10 7 4 3 7 3 Q J 7 5 10.
Make the hand slightly different.
With:
K J 10 7 4 3 Q J 7 5 7 3 10
you should pass. Your side could have
game in 4, but by bidding 2 you
may have effectively preempted your
own partner.
How can partner know?
Not vulnerable, you may open 2
with this:
8 7 K Q 10 7 4 3 8 7 6 5 3.
This hand has 5 to 10 HCP and a
good suit - a classic weak two.
What about this hand:
8 7 K Q 10 7 4 3 K J 6 5 3?
This is also a hand you'd want to
open with a weak two. It has 5 to 10
HCP and a good suit.
Notice the difference though. The
second hand has the K J instead
of low cards and therefore is much
stronger. How is partner supposed
to know on which end of the 5 to 10
HCP range your hand falls? Next
month we'll examine methods that
allow partner to inquire about the
weak two-bidder's hand.
r
Bridge Bulletin
http://www.acbl.org/play/
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2007
