July 2013 - 29

2/1 the rest of the story

Two-over-one bidding is most accurate if you agree that responder
does not jump with extra values, but
opener may. In most 2/1 auctions,
responder is the "asker" (temporizer)
and opener is the "teller" (describer).
When responder has slam aspirations,
he uses forcing, low-level rebids to
give opener room to provide more
information. This is the principle of
fast arrival - responder's fast rebids
(jumps to game) show minimums;
slow (low-level) raises and notrump
rebids tend to show extras.
Opener, however, makes value bids
whenever possible - he bids higher
with stronger hands, lower with minimums. Rebids that show extra values
include jumps in his suit or notrump
and (in Lawrence style) reverse
rebids. The sooner opener can make
one of these bids, the easier it is for
responder to determine the partnership's combined strength.
Suppose you open 1 with:
A 7 4 A Q J 10 9 7 6 K Q 3
and partner responds 2. Those who
have fallen in love with the space-saving features of 2/1 will rebid just 2,
which conceals their strength and suit
quality. It's worth using up an extra
level of bidding if it gives partner
extra information, so the value bid of
3 is perfect.
It won't always be possible for
opener to show his exact strength
with his first rebid. After 1 by you,
2 by partner, you have to settle for a
minimum rebid with:
A J 8 6 4 3 4 2 A K Q K 4
K Q J 6 5 A Q 8 5 4 Q 2 A
Neither hand has a strong message
to send about where to play, so don't
waste a level by over-emphasizing a
weak suit or jumping in a new suit.
Make your rebid at the two level and
plan to show your extra strength later.
Overuse of the forcing 1NT
Many players dislike responding 2
to a 1 opening with a hand such as:
Q 4 A J 4 3 A 6 2 Q 7 6 4,

but the alternative - a forcing 1NT -
can leave you with awkward choices
later in the auction.
If you respond 1NT with this hand
and partner rebids 2, 2 or 2,
you have no forcing bid available.
Your only option is a unilateral jump
to game, which prevents you from
learning anything more about partner's hand. You'll also have trouble
communicating your strength if
partner makes a jump shift or if the
opponents enter the auction.
You can avoid these problems by
limiting your forcing 1NT range to a
maximum of a bad 12 points. When
you hold game values, establish the
force right away by choosing a 2/1
response, even with a weak suit.
"Auto" cuebidding
Some 2/1 auctions will be so efficient that you'll be left with bidding
space you don't need, and there's
often a temptation to fill it just because it's there. Here's an auction that
causes problems for many pairs:

You
1
2

Partner
2
3

You hold:
K J 10 8 2 K J 8 5 A 7 2 6.
Partner's raise to 3 is slow arrival,
suggesting at least moderate extra values. You have room to make a "free"
control cuebid on the way to game, so
you could try 4, just in case partner
was planning to head for 6.
To partner, though, 4 will sound
like a serious move toward slam. He'll
cooperate by cuebidding 4 or 5
and you'll be propelled to 5 - if
you can stop there - with what may
be an ordinary fit and only 26 HCP.
The first partner to offer a cuebid in
this type of auction should be promising something extra (a strong 14+
points). With a dead minimum, just
raise to game and let partner decide
if his hand warrants a try. If he has
enough to make 6 opposite the
hand above, he'll bid again.

In the next issue: Simple fixes for 2/1 design weaknesses.

Questions to ask your 2/1 partner:
❍ Do you play "Lawrence style" or "Hardy style"?
❍ Does opener's rebid of his suit guarantee 6+ cards?
(1-2; 2) (Lawrence: No; Hardy: Yes, usually)
❍ Does opener's rebid of 2NT promise stoppers in unbid suits?
(1-2; 2NT) (Lawrence: Yes; Hardy: No)
❍ Does opener's direct raise of responder's minor show extra values?
(1-2; 3) (Lawrence: Yes; Hardy: No)
❍ Does opener's 2-level reverse rebid show extra values?
(1-2; 2) (Lawrence: Yes; Hardy: No)
❍ Does opener's "high reverse" rebid (3 of a minor) show extra values?
(1-2; 3) (Lawrence: Yes; Hardy: No)
❍ Does the forcing 1NT response deny opening-bid values?
(Lawrence: Yes; Hardy: No)
❍ Is the auction 1-2 forcing to game? (Lawrence and Hardy: Yes)
❍ If responder rebids his minor (1-2; 2- 3), is it forcing?
(Lawrence and Hardy: Yes)
The Lawrence meanings are from his CD software, "Mike Lawrence Teaches
2/1," published in 2002. They vary slightly from those in Lawrence's 1987 book,
"Workbook on the Two Over One System," which allowed responder to make a
2/1 in a minor with some invitational hands. The Lawrence "Workbook" answers to the last two questions above would be no.
July 2013 Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2013