TWiB Lesson #577 (2 of 9)

When Opener makes a jump shift into a new suit with their second bid, it is a strong bid that creates a game forcing auction. This is a good bid because it ensures we reach game, but it is a bad bid because it eats up a lot of bidding space without fully describing our distribution. This is a problem. One of the most difficult opening hands to describe to partner is the unbalanced single-suited (one 6+card suit) hand with 18-19 HCP.  This is one of the strongest hands that does not open the bidding 2♣.  Let’s look at a system that helps us improve our jump shift methods.

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TWiB Lesson #578 (3 of 9)

When partner opens the bidding with a 2-level or 3-level preemptive opening bid then Responder may have a struggle to find the best final contract without getting the auction too high.  One of the natural pressures is whether Responder risk going past 3NT to look for a fit or a better fit. Given the variability of modern preempts it can be dangerous to reach the 5-level when partner has taken an aggressive action.  Here we look at a tool, called Preempt Keycard, for Responder to ask for Keycards after a preempt, but still keep the auction at a low level.  

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TWiB Lesson #579 (4 of 9)

Jacoby 2NT is a useful convention, but many players choose to try to improve it.  The modern expert 2NT response to a 1M opening showing a limit raise or better (LR+), instead of game forcing, has many different inventors and advocates.  The idea of using 1M – 2NT as LR+ accomplishes a couple of goals: 1) It opens up 1M – 3M to always be a weak call (a valuable tool for making life difficult on the opponents). 2) 1M – 2NT as LR+ approach gives away less information about the Opener’s (soon to be declarer’s) hand than Jacoby 2NT. Let’s see how this works.

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