Weak
twos like weak threes are intended generally to disrupt your bidding and
they often succeed. It is virtually impossible to invent a system of
defensive bidding that will cater for all hands but using Lebensohl can
alleviate some of the problems.
Be aware of one very important point.
Often the opponents don't stop there.This convention only works if the weak opener's partner keeps quiet.
Very often they make it more
difficult by bidding up. Players who use Weak Twos properly do not bid
2 ♠-3 ♠ constructively.
It is usually intended to make life difficult for
their opponents
West North East South
2 ♠
DBL 3/4 ♠ ??
Now how do you show your values accurately ? The answer is simply that you can't.Just as after a three level pre-empt you often have to guess, you are in the same position here. All you can do is bid if you have the values but remember to pass if you have less than 10 points and let partner Double again if they have a more powerful hand ( At least a very good 16 points). If you bid 4 ♥ in the above sequence over 3 ♠ your partner is entitled to expect at least 10 points or compensating shape and may go looking for a slam.
Sometimes you have just got to accept that you have
been pre-empted.
West North East South
Let them get on with it .
It doesnt mean you are necessarily going to get a bad board.
But assume that after the opening bid
the opponents are quiet.
When the opposition open a Weak two and your Partner Doubles for
take-out after an auction like:
2 ♠
DBL Pass ?
How do you show your values accurately? Suppose it continues:
West North East South
2 ♠
DBL Pass 3 ♣
Normally Partner has a problem if he/she has extra values. As there is such a wide point range for your minimum response (0 to 9 pts.), they may be over-cautious with a middling hand, say a good 15 points, or too ambitious if they have extra values. The Lebensohl convention allows you give partner a more accurate description of your strength . If you play this convention over interference after a 1 NT opening you will find the sequences here very similar
After an opponent opens a Weak two-bid and your Partner makes a
takeout double,
A bid of 2NT from you is
Lebensohl. You lose the ability to bid a natural 2NT.
It asks partner to bid 3 ♣ and you can then pass, sign off in another
suit, or make another descriptive bid.
Weak hands (0-6 pts)
You bid 2NT when you have a very weak hand and want
to sign off in
a suit that is lower in rank than the pre-empter's
suit.
Suppose West opens a Weak two and your partner Doubles for take-out.
West North East South
The Doubler should always bid 3 ♣ with any hand up to about 17 high card
points, but with a very powerful hand that will make game opposite
an average of about 4-5 pts he should make another descriptive bid.
If they bid higher than 3 ♣ it is forcing; you must bid again,even
if you are very weak.
Invitational strength hands (7-10 pts)
After a Weak 2 ♠ if you bid a suit directly at the 3-level
(instead of 2NT ), it
is encouraging, but not forcing. It shows a hand with constructive
values
(a good 7 to 10 pts.), but not enough to jump to game. Doubler can
pass with a minimum or bid on with extra values.
Forcing hands (11+ pts.)
The Lebensohl 2NT sequences above all show limited values. If you have
forcing-to-game strength, your responses need to be considered.
There are some hands where it is difficult.
The easy ones are when you have 5+ Hearts ( and game points remember )
over a Weak 2 ♦ or 2 ♠ you
simply bid 4 ♥
With 5+ Spades over a Weak 2 ♦ or
2 ♥ you don't need to go so high immediately.
The bid is 3 ♠. A direct 2 ♠ is weak,
3 ♠ after 2NT
is invitational so a jump to 3 ♠ must be game forcing with 5+
The majority of the above is very similar to the way Lebonsohl deals with interference
over 1NT- If you play that convention then up this point should be fairly easy to remember.
Other Bids
Immediate 3NT Such as
2♥ -Dble-Pass-3NT. Shows Good stoppers in the
opponent's suit. Denies 4 cards in the other Major.
Immediate cuebid (2♥-DBL-P-
3♥) = Asks doubler to bid 3NT
with a stopper but guarantees 4 cards in the other major, some help in
the oponents suit such as Jxx and tolerance for the Minors
Lebensohl, then a cuebid (3 ♥)
= 4 cards in other major,
but NO stopper in the opponent's suit. Immediate jump cuebid (2♥-DBL-P-
4©) = Both minors
(if the weak-2 was a Major). If the opponent opened 2♦
a jump to 4 ♦
shows both Majors. The jump cuebid shows game values, but is not a slam
try. (See below for how to use Lebensohl to make a two-suited slam try.)
One-suited slam try
Cuebid, then 4 of a suit = One long suit, slam-invitational
values.
This is used for a hand that's too strong for a simple jump to game.
Your cuebid (2 ♥-DBL-P-
3 ♥) originally asks doubler to bid 3NT
with a stopper,but if you then follow with a new suit at the 4-level
(4 ♣, 4 ♦ or
4 ♠), it shows slam-try values with one long suit.
Two-suited slam tries
Lebensohl can also be used to show a two-suited hand with slam-try
values. To do this, you start with 2NT, then bid a new suit
at the 4-level:
Which means any suit after a Weak two Spades,
Clubs or Diamonds
after a Weak two Hearts
And where 2 Diamonds is a natural Weak two
then it only applies to Clubs.
If your suit is higher in rank than the pre-empter's suit
(i.e., A 2 ♥ opener and you have Spades), you make your
"normal" minimum bid of 2 ♠ But if you would have to go
to the 3-level to make a minimum bid in your suit, you start with 2NT
which asks partner to bid 3 ♣
You can now pass if Clubs is your suit, or bid another suit.
You hold 5 points and your only biddable suit is Diamonds
(i.e. 4+cards )
The auction will go
2 ♠
DBL Pass 2NT
Pass
3 ♣ Pass
3 ♦
Pass Pass Pass
After a Weak 2 ♥ a bid of 2NT
followed by 3 ♠
says the same thing (you could have just bid 2 ♠ if weak )
and remember you are not guranteeing more than 4 cards
If LHO opens a Weak 2 ♥ you can use the same sequence to
invite in Hearts or Spades.
With only 4 Spades and enough points the best bid is to make a sort
of Staymanic bid of 3 ♥
West North East South
2 ♠
DBL Pass 2NT
Pass 3 ♣ Pass
4 ♣ (Clubs and Hearts)
4♦ (Diamonds and Hearts) or
4 ♠
Both Minors