April 2021 - 34

Consults with the Doctor

BY DR. JAMES
MARSH STERNBERG
mmay001@aol.com

Weak two-bids in the 21st century - continued

L

et's continue our discussion
about the five " rules " about weak
two-bids that we talked about
previously, and see how those hold up
in the modern game.

2. The other major: It's " against the
law " to open a weak two-bid in one
major with four of the other major.
The bidding police will come and
lock you up. Really? Let's see:
A A J 10 7 5 3  8 6 4 2  K 6  3
B A J 10 7 5 3  8 6 2  K 6  4 3

So you would open Hand (B) 2,
but pass Hand (A) because the bidding police are watching? Sorry, but I
can't bring myself to pass Hand (A). It
doesn't really " have " hearts: Four low
ones is not something I worry about. If
the hearts were K-J-10-x, yes, but not
x-x-x-x.
Bottom line: The suit quality of the
other major should play a role in your
evaluation, because it's possible to miss
game in that major if partner passes
you in your weak two-bid suit when a
superior fit exists elsewhere.

3. Voids: It's " against the law " to
open a weak two-bid with a side
void.
My hand just won't go to the pass card
when I have a hand with a void that's
otherwise suitable for a weak two-bid.
Bill Root and Richard Pavlicek suggest opening 2 with this hand from
their classic book " Modern Bridge
Conventions " :
-  Q J 10 8 7 2  K 10 9 6  7 4 3.
This brings up a serious point. Let's
say you have 20 hands where you
preempt. How many times out of 20

34 | Bridge Bulletin | April 2021

does this result in a good board for
you? Keep score and see what your
batting average is. It's important.
Mine is 16-17 good, three or
four bad - some really bad. So
if you are hitting 75%, good for
you. Nobody - and I mean nobody - is
perfect. But which does your regular
partner remember: the 17 good ones or
the three bad ones? If it's just the bad
ones, you have two choices: Change
your style or get a new partner. Guess
what I'd do.
It's true at times you might miss four
of the other major or, with a void, game
or even slam in one of your other suits.
But I and many others believe that by
being so rigid, it's akin to looking at
the " three " and missing out on the " 17 "
opportunities. Bridge is not a game
of perfection. If you get stung once in
awhile, too bad; just get up and go after
them again.

4. You must have 6-11 HCP to
open a weak two-bid. Well, let's
examine this rule. What would you
do with:
J 5  A Q J 5 4 3  Q 10 7  J 6?
The choices are 1, 2 or pass.
Well, pass is out. Some players pass,
saying their hand is too good for a weak
two-bid, but not good enough for a onebid. Let's dispel that idea right now.
There is no such hand, no such in-between zone. It's a one-bid or a two-bid,
and it doesn't matter which. This one
is a pretty ragged 11-count. It's a matter
of style; if you open at the one level,
and partner makes a 2/1 game-forcing
noise, he'll be all excited while you'll be
thinking, " Whoa, slow down! " Or you
can open a weak two-bid, and you have

extras. And suppose it went
Pass-Pass to you holding:
J 6  A J 7 6 4 3  K J 7  Q J.
Do you think your side has a game?
Of course not, so open 2 not 1. You
were going to rebid 2 anyhow, but try
to make life more difficult for the opponents. Make LHO bid 2 if he wants
to, not 1.

5. Weak two-bids always promise
a six-card suit. So which of the
following hands would you rather
have?
A A Q J 10 9  5  K 10 6 4  6 4 2
B A J 6 4 3 2  Q 4  K 6 4  7 4

Hand (A), right? What about these
two?
A K Q J 10 9  5 4  K J 7 5 3  4
B A J 7 5 4 3  Q 6  K 8 7  6 5

So everybody, of course, wants Hand
(A). But if you insist on six-card suits,
you would pass with (A) and open 2
with (B). How can this make any sense?
The answer of course is that when you
have a very good five-card suit (good
spot cards and some distribution, not
5-3-3-2), think about opening a weak
two-bid.
April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2021
