Jacoby 2NT – A Better Way

 

In the first Jacoby 2NT article, we outlined the “standard” responses, whereby Opener shows shortness at the 3-level, and jumps to game with a bad hand.  Here, we’ll introduce an alternative follow-up.

 

Problems Arising

 

The “standard” responses have the benefit of being easy to memorize, but they do not handle certain deals very well at all.  Here’s a situation that occurs all too often … you hold:

            Opener            Responder

♠ QJT8

                                    ♥ J74

                                    ♦ AKQJ

                                    ♣ AJ

 

Your Partner opens 1♠, and the slam sirens go off.  You bid 2NT, now Partner does you in with a 4♠ bid!  No shortness, bad hand.  Unfortunately, your own hand is so good that you feel highly tempted to make another try.  If Murphy’s Law is functioning properly, you will press on and the full deal will be:

 

            Opener            Responder

♠ AK765         ♠ QJT8

            ♥ 653               ♥ J74

            ♦ 76                 ♦ AKQJ

            ♣ KQ6            ♣ AJ

 

Now, your slam move, whatever it is, has gotten you too high.  Of course, we could switch the suits around to the following:

 

            Opener            Responder

♠ AK765         ♠ QJT8

            ♥ KQ6             ♥ J74

            ♦ 76                 ♦ AKQJ

            ♣ 653              ♣ AJ

 

Now, the slam is cold, but Murphy will no doubt also switch our thinking on this hand and persuade us to pass Opener’s 4♠ rebid.

 

So, when Responder is super-strong, that weakness-showing 4♠ bid really crowds the auction.  It’s easy to see how a similar problem might arise when it is Opener who is super-strong.  Suppose that you hold this hand:

 

            Opener

            ♠ AK765

            ♥ 7

            ♦ AKQ7

            ♣ JT3

 

You open 1♠, Partner bids 2NT, you bid 3♥ showing shortness, Partner leaps to 4♠, apparently unenthused by this information.  Do we press on to at least the 5-level?  Or do we go quietly in 4♠?  It’s another guess.  Let’s stop the guessing and find a better method.

 

A Better Method!

 

There are a number of methods out there, superior alternatives to the “standard” responses outlined earlier.  Most of them have a common theme, which is that, after 2NT, 3♣ shows a bad hand, and other bids show values.  Here is one of these methods … it’s a simple improvement on standard methods:

 

After 1♠ 2NT:

            3♣       Minimum (with or without shortness)

            3♦        Extras, without shortness

            3♥        Extras, short ♣s

            3♠        Extras, short ♦s

            3NT     Extras, short ♥s

 

So, 3♣ with a minimum, the other bids all show extras.  The 3 shortness bids are easy enough to remember … just up the line, with the lowest bid being the lowest ranking shortness, and so on.  3NT is the highest ranking shortness, and shows the other major, which is Hearts in the example above.  In fact, 3♥, 3♠, and 3NT can also show shortness via this sequence:

 

1♠        2NT

3♣       3♦

3NT                 Here, after the minimum-showing 3♣, Responder’s 3♦ asks for shortness.

                        In the example, he shows shortness in Hearts.

                        Without shortness, Opener can cue-bid at the 4-level.

 

It’s a pretty simple method … Opener can show shortness one of 2 ways, depending on the strength of his hand.  Here’s the convention in action:

 

            Opener            Responder

♠ AK765         ♠ QT43

            ♥ 7                   ♥ AQJ6

            ♦ AKQ7          ♦ 63

            ♣ JT3              ♣ A65

 

              1♠                    2NT

              3NT                 4♣

              4NT                 5♠

              5NT                 6♠

             Pass

 

A straightforward auction.  3NT was extras and shortness in “the other major”.  Now, the 4♣ cue-bid was enough encouragement for Opener to launch into Roman Key Card.  5♠ showed “Two With”, 5NT was the King Ask and 6♠ denied a side-King.

 

What is Extras?

 

We noted that, after 2NT, Opener bids 3♣ with a minimum, and some other bid when he has “extras”.  How do we define “extras”?  We would say that most hands which are about a King stronger than a minimum opening bid would qualify as a hand with extras.  Of course, some judgment is required … try these hands (after 1♠ 2NT):

 

            ♠ AQJ65                     Only 13 HCPs, but everything is working well, and there is

            ♥ KQJT                      a source of tricks in Hearts.  We would say that this is a

            ♦ 8                               hand with extras … so, we would respond 3♠, showing

            ♣ 753                          those extras, and also showing shortness in Diamonds.

 

            ♠ AQJ65                     Same point count as before, and same shape … but here the

            ♥ KT93                       high cards are not working so well … we still plan to show

            ♦ J                               our shortness, but in the context of a minimum hand … so,

            ♣ Q53                         we bid 3♣, and then, if Partner persists with 3♦ to ask if we

                                                any shortness, we’ll show that shortness with 3♠.

 

 

Examples

 

Now, let’s revisit those two hands from before, the ones which we used to illustrate the deficiencies of the standard Jacoby responses.

 

            Opener            Responder

♠ AK765         ♠ QJT8

            ♥ 653              ♥ J74

            ♦ 76                 ♦ AKQJ

            ♣ KQ6            ♣ AJ

             

              1♠                    2NT

              3♣                   3♦

              4♣                   4♦

              4♠                  Pass

 

In this auction, 3♣ showed a minimum.  Notwithstanding this, Responder persisted in the slam hunt with an artificial 3♦ bid, asking for shortness.  Opener has no shortness, but, as minimums go, his hand is not too shabby, all the points are working … so he feels free to show something in Clubs with a 4♣ bid.  When it becomes apparent that neither player can bid Hearts, the auction subsides in 4♠.

 

            Opener            Responder

♠ AK765         ♠ QJT8

            ♥ KQ6             ♥ J74

            ♦ 76                 ♦ AKQJ

            ♣ 653              ♣ AJ

 

              1♠                    2NT

              3♣                    3♦

              4♥                    4NT

              5♥                     6♠

            Pass

 

Here, Opener shows a minimum, no shortness, and then something in Hearts, after which Responder checks on controls and bids the slam.

 

For examples of the Jacoby 2NT from actual play, please follow this link to the Archives

 

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