2c Responses
An introduction to whet your appetite!
♥ ♣ ♦ ♠
The Classic response is 2♦ most of the time. We think this is wasteful.
Counting each Ace as 2 and each king as 1 - find the total then:
we suggest the following 4 step responses instead!
2♦ 0 Cntrls
2♥ 1-2 Cntrls
2♠ 3-4 Cntrls
2N 5-6+ Cntrls - This is extremely rare! and 7+ has never occurred - could it?
If holding a 7 card suit (or 6 card headed by the Q) bid it at the 3-level ONLY instead of bidding 2♦.- that is no Ace or King....
These responses to the 2♣ opening, provide the opener an early idea as to the bidding levels that can likely be reached.
There is another benefit when investigating a possible slam with a 4NT bid that asks for the number of Kings held ,
Answer steps 0, 1 ,2, 3¦4 Kings....NOT asking for Keycards!
This answer immediately gives the exact number of Aces; only if it is 3
or 4 Kings is a slight grey cloud - and even that is ambiguous only when the 4NT bidder hasn't a king himself!
Although opponents interfere rarely over 2♣, although there is an increasing tendency to do this, one still needs to
know how to handle it. Beta advocates the following 4 step responses:-
PASS
*¦**
Next suit
Next+1 suit
This schema can also be used over any intervention following a coded request e.g. a 4NT request or a control request....
Beta also uses this and more in a question answer style. Please see our innovative 2C system continuations.
Also allowing responder a cahnce to expose a long suit has proved
invaluable - it frequently becomes the trump suit - in truth with
little other entriy to the the hand except by means of a ruff.
The fact is that his hands only value is as a the trump suit!