Slam tries opposite an opening 2nt
Richard Creamer
opening 2nt, after a hiccough where we could not invite slam in
diamonds. I peeked at the convention cards of the best pairs in the
Bermuda Bowl, and also some strong English pairs, and there is very
large consistency:
- some form of 5-card major stayman,
- red-suit transfers
- 3s is minor suit staymen (among most) or a relay
- 4 level bids are "two-under slam tries".
In fact 9 out of 11 teams that I viewed, adopt "two-under-slam tries"
at the four level.
Is this becomming the defacto standard?
Can anyone post a link to a useful article describing "two-under slam
tries" and continuations?
paul
wrote:
Just out of curiosity, what would 3C followed by 4D have meant in your
system?
Richard Creamer
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Going via 5-card major stayman shows an interest in a major. For
example, 2n-3c-3s-4d is a cue-bid in support of spades. 2n-3c-3n-4d
is how you would bid with 5 diamonds and a 4-card major, slam
trying. 2n-3c-3d-4d would suggest holding both majros and ask
partner to bid his.
I don't wish to defend our system here, it's not the most robust, and
we have have known for a while that we cannot show everything and
cannot show minor suit-slam tries. (2n-4c is gerber so we can't invite
in clubs either.)
Eric Leong
wrote:
Opening 2NT in many circles is called the slam killer bid. The class
of hands that gives the most difficulty for slam exploration is 8-10
hcp with some shape.
Eric Leong
sofos
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That may very well be true. Are you suggesting one give up 2NT opening
bids or changing what 2NT shows?
jadelo
One system over 2NT is CONFIT.
3S asks for controls. Response of 3N shows 6, 4C=7 etc
Partner of 2NT opener signs off in 4NT with less than 10 total
controls. Otherwise responder starts bidding biddable suits
up the line with sufficient controls.Either partner can jump in a
a 5card suit with 2 of top 3.
1 suited slam tries start with 2 under approach. 4C shows hrts
4D shows spades , 4H shows clubs 4Sshows diamonds.
Opener signs off in 4NT or 5 of suit with no interest.
Bidding the next suit is KCBwood.
Jeff
Eric Leong
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One idea is to play a 2D opening as showing one type of 2NT opening
and to play a 2NT opening as showing another type. of 2NT opening.
Eric Leong
Frances
wrote:
It's difficult to look at "two-under-slam tries" by themselves without
considering how the rest of your system works. If you want to take
building a system seriously, you have to do four things:
(i) Decide what hands open 2NT. Personally I hate opening 2NT off-
shape (because it's already such a cumbersome bid) so I will always be
4333, 4432, 5332 or sometimes 5422 with a 5-card minor and short
honours. Very rare to have a 6-card minor, very very rare to have a
singleton. You don't have to play the same way, but you need to know
your style because that affects how much you need opener to be able to
describe odd distributions, or worry about playing in opener's
singleton.
(ii) Write down all the hand types you would like to be able to show
in response to 2NT, split into "stopping below game", "getting to the
right game", "getting to the right slam", "getting to good fit/light
HCP slams". For example, are you bothered about showing your relative
suit lengths with minor two-suiters, or are you more interested in
avoiding slam off two aces? Personally, I think it's important with a
two suiter to show the suit lengths: I like to be able to distinguish
between a 4- and 5/6 card minor suit slam try; if I have a 4-card
major and a longer minor I like to be able to show that, rather than
look for a major-suit fit and then not be able to show the minor suit
length.
(iii) Prioritise the list above. For example, in one partnership we
play all responses to 2NT as forcing to game. This means we've given
up on "stopping below game" other than passing 2NT. In return we have
gained accuracy in slam investigation. In a different partnership my
partner doesn't like that trade-off, and prefers to continue to be
able to sign-off with a transfer.
(iv) Decide how complicated you want to be. In one partnership
responder can show all single-suiters and all two-suiters,
distinguishing between 4, 5, and 6-card suits, below 4NT (often below
3NT) as well as sorting out many of opener's possible hand types and
sorting out opener as declarer in most game contracts. But all of
these comes at the cost of a few pages of system notes, and most of it
doesn't come up very often. It also allows various lead-directing
doubles which may hurt us. Perhaps it's not worth it all (except that
we like writing system, it's fun).
So when it comes to "2-under" slam tries (which we play), these are
quite precise: the slam try shows a single-suiter with a 6- or 7-card
suit and no side suit.
A fairly simple way to play these (which is actually what we do,
amazingly!) is as follows:
2NT - 4C is a slam try in hearts. Opener bids 4H to sign off. Opener
bids 4D with slam interest, but can pass responder's 4H. Opener is
allowed to bid again after 4C - 4D - 4H with a suitable hand, in which
case opener has now promised a diamond control (the original 4D bid
just showed suitability). Continuations are cue-bidding from both
sides, 4NT RKCB. This is also the way in which responder self-agrees
hearts and keycards; transferring to hearts and bidding 4NT is natural
invitational.
2NT - 4D similarly
2NT - 4H is a single-suited slam try in clubs. Opener can bid 4S RKCB
in clubs, 4NT showing an unsuitable hand for play in clubs (NF), or 5C
to show a suitable hand but not worth bidding slam on its own.
2NT - 4S similarly in diamonds (4NT unsuitable NF, 5C RKCB in
diamodns, 5D suitable but not prepared to bid a slam).
Obviously you bid 4NT more often at matchpoints.
Simon
wrote:
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Richard,
I think I must take issue with your suggestion that 2NT:3C:3S:4D
should be a cue bid agreeing spades. It's important to be able to show
a 5/6 card minor naturally here, eg you hold
x
Kxx
AJ109xx
xxx
Partner opens 2NT (20-22) it seems normal to use Puppet Stayman to
locate a possible 5:3 heart fit. But when partner rebids 3S, you
surely want to have 4D available as natural and slam invitational now.
What I have agreed in my partnerships is that after we use 5 card
puppet Stayman and partner shows a 5 card major, then if responder
continues with the other major (eg 2NT:3C:3H:3S) that's a cue-bid
agreeing partner's major and 4 minor natural.
It's also worth discussing what puppet Stayman/transfer followed by
4NT means - for me, it's quantitative but some will take it as RKCB.
Simon