April 2020 - 50

Newer Players

Parrish the Thought
BY ADAM PARRISH

adam@bridgewinners.com

adamparrish.us

2♣ openings
Most players love opening a strong
2♣; they get so excited at the prospect of a 22-point hand. Experts hate
opening 2♣. 2♣ is a necessary evil - a
bid that allows our one-bids to have
an upper ceiling so responder doesn't
need to bid with a yarborough. But
opening 2♣ violates the most fundamental principle of constructive auctions: Keep the auction low with strong
hands. With our strongest hands, we
are starting the bidding at the two
level, and sometimes we are making
our first natural bid at the three level.
This is not to say that a 2♣ opener
has no place in a good player's arsenal.
Experts open 2♣ when we have to. But
the reasoning for opening 2♣ goes well
beyond, "I have 22 high-card points."
The 2♣ opening exists to prevent a
one-bid from being passed out when
you hold a hand so strong that a queen
or king from partner is enough to make
a game. This hand is a fine example:
♠A K J 10 9 7 ♥A Q ♦A K 3 ♣A 7.
You have only four potential losers, so if partner has enough to cover
any one of them, you make a game:
the ♠Q, the ♥K, the ♦Q or the ♣K.
If you open this hand 1♠, it is simply
too likely that partner will pass with a
hand like:
♠Q 8 ♥9 8 4 3 ♦J 8 7 2 ♣8 6 3
or
♠6 3 ♥K 9 8 3 ♦8 7 4 2 ♣6 3 2,
and you will miss a cold game.

50 Bridge Bulletin April 2020

But your partner is not the only
person at the table; you have two opponents who are likely to bail you out,
especially when you have a shapely
hand (like a two-suiter) and especially
when you are missing the spade suit.
With two-suited hands, it's usually not
necessary to open 2♣. That's good,
because two-suited hands are particularly hard to bid after a 2♣ opening.
For example:
♠A K Q 9 8 3 ♥- ♦A K Q 8 7 3 ♣3,
a huge hand. You could potentially
make a slam opposite a yarborough.
But consider how the auction would
likely go if you opened 2♣. Partner
bids a waiting 2♦, and you bid 2♠.
Like as not, partner will bid 3♥,
and now you have to introduce your
diamonds at the four level. Ick. Finding a diamond slam, if you have one, is
harder starting at the four level.
If you open 1♠, how likely do you
think it is the auction will pass out?
You have only 18 HCP and a void in
hearts. Someone must have some
hearts - either partner or one of the
opponents. And there are plenty of
high-card points left in the deck for
someone to bid.
I rarely open 2♣ with two-suited
hands. By far the most common type
of hand I have for a 2♣ opening is the
22-plus balanced hand - the hand too
strong for a 2NT opening bid. These
hands are relatively straightforward:
with 22-24 you rebid 2NT, with 25-

plus, you rebid 3NT. A typical example:
♠A K 8 7 ♥Q J 7 ♦A K J ♣K Q 4.
Most of the other hands with which I
open 2♣ are very strong one-suiters -
hands with a very good six- or sevencard suit that are within a trick or so
of game. These are easy to bid because
I have only one suit to bid. For example:
♠A K J 9 8 7 3 ♥A 8 ♦A K 3 ♣7,
only 19 HCP, but basically nine tricks.
The only two-suiters I open 2♣ are
ones with so many high-card points
that I really think a one-bid might pass
out. This is especially true with both
majors, because the opponents are less
likely to overcall or balance in a minor.
For example:
♠A K Q 8 7 ♥A K J 10 6 ♦A Q ♣A.
I have game in my hand if partner
has a fit in either major, and a potential
grand slam opposite as little as the ♦K
and a spade fit.
◾

➤ Reasoning with Robert

continued

we should not overcall with such a poor
suit.
When we don't have a good suit but
still have values, we should not make
an overcall at the two level. But we can
sometimes compete in the bidding using a takeout double. You had:
♠3 ♥J 7 4 3 2 ♦A K 4 ♣K Q 8 3.
If RHO opens 1♠, it is best to make
a takeout double. Do not overcall 2♥
with this horrible suit.
◾

http://www.adamparrish.us

April 2020

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