Opening Bid of Two Clubs

The essence of this bid is that you have an opening bid with a club suit.
You and your partner can agree that it may or may not have a four card major if you only have a five card suit, but that's something you and your partner will have to decide.

An agreement that you do not need a four major is the easiest way, but if you decide that you must have a major if you only have a five-card club suit, this is a good agreement:   When you open the bidding two clubs you should have 11-15 HCP and either six or more clubs, or at least five clubs with a four card major. That's it!  Partner can ask about the major by bidding a forcing and artificial two diamonds.

(Of course, in third seat the bid has so much preemptive power that the point count can go slightly below 11 HCP if you have a six card suit.)

Your partner should alert the opponents and say,
     "That shows 11-15 points with at least five clubs.


Responder's Bids

Responder Bids Two of a Major
Non-Forcing!
 There are two non-forcing bids which the opener may pass.  Two hearts and two spades.  If responder bids either major at the two level, it indicates at least a five card suit and under 10 HCP.  Most often, the opening bidder should pass.

Responder Bids Two Notrump
The easiest way to play a response of 2NT is natural and invitational, showing about 10-12 HCP and denying a four card major.  Opener should accept with 14-15 HCP.

Responder Bids Two Diamonds
This is an artificial and forcing response.  It's also an alert.
You could think of it as being similar to Stayman over a one notrump bid.  In general opener should expect at least 10 HCP from responder.
Responder is asking partner for a second four card suit, preferably a major.

Opener's Answer to Two Diamonds
    After responder bids two diamonds, the opener can better define her hand.  With 11-13 HCP and a four card major, she simply bids two of the major, but with 14-15 HCP she should jump in her four card major.

    Not having a four card major, opener has several choices: either rebid two notrump, three clubs, three diamonds or three notrump.  All of these rebids show at least six clubs.

    With a minimum hand and only one side suit guarded, the rebid should be three clubs.

    With two suits outside of clubs guarded and a minimum, opener rebids two notrump.

    With 14-15 HCP, she can rebid three notrump.

    Finally, there is one other answer that opener can give.  Holding at least six clubs and four diamonds, she can respond to partner's forcing two diamond bid by bidding three diamonds.  By inference, opener has a maximum of only three cards in the majors and exactly four diamonds and six clubs.
    (NOTE - With 5-5 in the minors, the opening bid would have been two notrump.)



An Extension
(You probably ought to ignore this until you have played the system for awhile.)

Three Diamonds
An extension of the artificial two diamond bid after opener answers two notrump is to make three diamonds another asking bid.  The question is,
        "You have two suits guarded outside of clubs.  Which two suits are they?"

Diamonds is the pivot suit... That is, opener shows a diamond guard and one of the majors by bidding the major where she has an honor.  (Bidding one major denies the other.)  To show both majors, opener must rebid three notrump.




Want to try some practice hands?     Try these.

A Later Thought...

After playing this method for years, and still playing it with favorite partners, I now have a very fine partner who prefers to modify it, so I will present his plan here and let you and your partner decide...

First, you do not need a four card major to open 2 if you have a five card club suit.  And, second, instead of the 2 response being an absolute game force, you can play it as simply forcing for one round.  The purpose is to discover a better fit in a major, but not necessarily to force to game.  Responder might have a hand such as this:

                  AT9x
                  KJxx
                  xx
                  xxx


Partner plans to pass if you rebid a major.

If you decide to play this, I think you will have to give up on jump rebids when you have 14-15 HCP, and simply bid all hands the same.

If you open 2 with either of the hands below and your partner responds by bidding 2, you will have to bid 2NT with both of them.  Rebidding 3 would show a six card suit.

                  Kxx                                   Kxx
                  AQx                                   Qxx
                  Jx                                   Jx
                  KQxxx                                   KQxxx

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