This Week in Bridge
(531) Systems for Describing Our 2-Level Preempts
© AiB Robert S. Todd
Level: Many of 10 robert@advinbridge.com
General
When partner preempts the bidding at the 2-level and we have a good hand, we expect the auction to be difficult. Partner’s preempt has eaten up our valuable bidding space – instead of the opponents’ bidding space. We need to have good agreements with partner and exercise some good judgment to get to the right final contract. When we have a fit for partner’s suit (especially a Major suit) then we know what strain we are likely to play in. We need to exchange useful information with partner. There are a variety of systems for accomplishing this.
What Does Responder Need to Bid?
Responder can bid opposite a 2-level preempt bid for one of two reasons:
To extend the preempt, or
To make a constructive bid because they have a good hand.
When Responder extends the preempt they have a fit, using the LOTT (Law of Total Tricks.)
When Responder has a good hand and a fit for preemptor’s suit they are interested in game. What Responder needs to be interested in game varies on the expectations of partner’s preempt – based on position and vulnerability. If they have a good fit for Responder’s suit, they use 2NT to explore for game. This 2NT bid asks preemptor to further describe their hand. Now we need to come up with a set of agreements about the meaning of our 2NT rebids.
With a Fit for Preemptor – 2NT Asking Bid
Before we go in to how to explore for game with a preempting Opener, we want to make sure Responder does a good job properly evaluating their hand. With a fit, Responder can re-evaluate in terms of support points:
HCP,
Length points,
Support points (ruffing values).
If we have a good 15+ points, re-evaluated, we should explore game. As we can imagine, it is much more common to have 15+ points in support of partner than without support.
When we have support we will use 2NT to ask Opener for more information about their hand. In standard bidding, 2NT asks for a Feature. Opener bids a new suit with a good hand AND a side Ace or King (showing their Ace or King.) Opener rebids their suit with no feature OR with a bad hand that has feature.
Example 1
2♠ 2NT
__?
♠ KQT763
♥ 7
♦ K843
♣ 52
With a good preempt, Opener shows their feature by bidding 3♦. Showing a feature also shows a good hand.
We can play a slightly more sophisticated set of agreements called Optional Feature. Using this set of agreements, we show our outside feature if we are proud of our preempt and we do not show our feature when we do not like our preempt.
Example 2
♠ QT9763
♥ 7
♦ K843
♣ 52
With this hand, playing Optional Feature, we do not want to encourage partner – so we do not show a feature. Instead, we simply rebid 3♠ and hope that partner does not bid on to game.
Ogust After 2NT Ask
A significant improvement over “Feature Ask 2NT” is Ogust. Playing Ogust, the Opener (Preemptor) describes two useful pieces of information about their hand – quality of suit and quality of overall hand. Let’s see how it works:
2M 2NT
__?
3♣* “Bad-Bad” - Bad Suit and a Bad Hand
3♦* “Good-Bad” – Good Suit and a Bad Hand
3♥* “Bad – Good” – Bad Suit and a Good Hand
3♠* “Good-Good” – Good Suit and a Good Hand
3NT* Solid Suit, AKQxxx (rare)
Note: As a memory aid, it can be useful to think of the Majors showing points and the minors not.
With our modern, destructive style of preempting, it is useful to be able to let partner give us a good general feeling for their hand and their suit.
Ogust has another advantage over Feature in that it does not give the opponents specific information about the declarer’s hand – Feature helps the opponents know how to defend by telling them where the Opener’s outside points are located (and where they are not located).
Steps (Quartiles) After 2NT Ask
Another method we can use to communicate with our partner combines simplicity and flexibility to give a great method for communicating with partner. This method uses steps to let preemptor describe their hand.
2x 2NT
__?
3♣* Small, worst hand
3♦* Medium, not worst hand
3♥* Large, decent hand
3♠* XL, good hand
3NT* Solid Suit, AKQxxx (rare)
One excellent part of this structure is partner can use their judgment and vary their analysis of the size of their preempt based on many factors, including their personal style, vulnerability, and position of their preempt.
Modified Ogust over 2-Major Preempt
If our tendencies are to preempt with many 5-card Major suits (not just a 6-card suit), using Modified Ogust can help us decide between 3NT and 4M when we have done so, avoiding a 5-2 fit.
2M 2NT
__?
3♣* 5-card suit
3♦* Asks – If ♥ preempt, Small-Large. If ♠ preempt Small-Medium-Large (♥/♠)
3♥* Small/Small
3♠* Large/Medium
3NT* --/Large
3♦* 6-card suit, Small
3♥* 6-card suit, Medium
3♠* 6-card suit, Large
3NT* Solid Suit, AKQxxx (rare)
G-Ogust over 2M
If our tendencies are towards preempting 2M with a wide variety of strengths and 6-4 shape then another step-based system may be more suitable to helping our partnership sort out the hand when we catch Responder with a good hand.
Note: This G-Ogust method is named for an old friend Garey Hayden, it was his favorite version of Ogust.
2M 2NT
__?
3♣* Large, GF, 3♦* relay asks for shortness (Natural or LMH, HML – system style)
3♦* Medium on power
3M* Small
3oM* Medium based on shape
3NT* 4-cards in other Major, not worst hand
Note: The difference between a 3♦* bid and 3-other Major* bid is that the 3♦* may still have some quality for slam, but 3-other Major is a stretch to try to bid and make game; often 6-4 with a 6-card minor.
2NT Response after a 2♦ Preempt
A good system over a 2♦ preempt is to use 2NT to try for game as well as find out if the preemptor has a 4-card Major for preempting the bidding.
2♦ 2NT
__?
3♣* Good Preempt
3♦* Bad Preempt (may have a really bad hand with a 4-card Major)
3♥* 4-card ♠, decent to good Preempt
3♠* 4-card ♥, decent to good Preempt
3NT Solid Suit, AKQxxx+
Conclusion
Designing your system and selecting your agreements is a challenge. Choose the system that you and your partner are most comfortable with and that best helps you describe your hand. Upgrading from the standard feature rebid to any of these systems will help you better describe your hand to partner and help your side better judge how high for the auction to go!