Balanced Hand Ranges: A Good Example
Our team has been trying to implement agreements about NT ranges in various auctions. Here is an interesting example on that theme.
Playing in a KO final, with neither vul, you pick up the following hand:
8 6, 
A K 6 3 
K J 7 5 
A Q 6
Your partner opens 1. Since we play 3NT to show a 4 hand with some defensive values. Thus constrained, you respond 2 and partner rebids 2.
What now?
3NT. Shows about 16-17 balanced. 2NT the first time shows GF balanced with 15 and under or 18 and up. 2NT the second time shows a less notrumpish hand that needs to keep the bidding low to explore. (Whether to play the second round 2NT as GF or F1 is another question….) Partner is allowed to correct 3NT to 4S if he should be in 4 opposite xx. After 3NT, 4C or 4H by partner is a slam try in spades.
If you currently play Jacoby 2NT, don’t. You can re-engineer the responses to Jacoby to get exactly the same information over a 3C response. That in turn forces you to stop using the Bergen mixed raise, which means you actually get to use gamee tries again. It all works out…
By the way, if playing Fallenius inversion (2H=diamonds GF or almost GF, and 2D=5+ hearts F1 over a 1S opening), this is a 2C response. Don’t venture a space-consuming 2H showing diamonds on such a poor suit, especially holding four hearts.
Even playing standard, this is about my minimum suit quality for a 2D response on a strong notrump hand. With xx AKxx Qxxx AKx, I would suggest a 2C response even in standard. Partner will take clubs less seriously than diamonds, since he knows you might only have three (3=4=3=3, for instance).
December 18, 2006 Christopher Monsour
With my most regular partner, we play a jump to 3NT here is 15-17. With less (or more) you have to bid 2NT first. This is less refined than Christopher’s suggestions, but it is simple and allows one to use both Jacoby 2NT and Bergen raises.
December 20, 2006 Joe Stokes