2D as Toy
2♦ is a toy. Everyone has his favorite toy: multi (weak two bid in an undisclosed major), Flannery (4 spades and 5 hearts, minimum strength opening, Mexican (18-19 point balanced hand), and many others.
Me? I prefer an old-fashioned weak two bid.
My preference was reinforced by my opponents using a weak two diamonds putting it to me at the Monday night matchpoint event (Board 10) of the recent Gopher regional in Minnesota.
| Dealer: E, #10, 5/21 Vul: Both |
North ♠ K942 ♥ KQ652 ♦ 7 ♣ J43 |
|
| West ♠ JT865 ♥ 3 ♦ QJ84 ♣ A86 |
 |
East ♠ Q7 ♥ JT7 ♦ AKT953 ♣ 52 |
| South ♠ A3 ♥ A984 ♦ 62 ♣ KQT97 |
| West | North | East | South |
| — | — | 2♦ | P(?) |
| 4♦ | All pass |
I was South. We were +100, a small reward when we were cold for eleven tricks in hearts. (A singleton heart lead by the hand with trump ace would scuttle 5♣.)
What should I bid over the 2♦ opening? A 3♣ call on a five card suit seems to be putting all of my eggs in one very small basket. As a fan of Marshall Miles, I am not particularly averse to making a four card overcall in one major on a good hand with a short holding in the other major, even at the two level, but even I require a better suit than A984. A double with only two card support in an unbid major did not seem attractive. Pass was my choice, but not a successful one.
Yes, the old-fashioned use for 2♦, a weak two, remains my favored use of the toy.
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Bridge-related
I think you are panicing too much here. East has 6 diamonds and a weak hand – you have 13 points – so you can assume
a) partner will have 3 diamonds – therefore 10 cards in the other suits. (There are 8 diamonds between East and South leaving 5 for North-West – partner should have 2 or 3 of them. of course when 4D is heard then partner probably has a singleton!)
b) partner will have about 10 points
If you double (my choice) partner will understand that this shows values, not distribution (you won’t bid weak Vs weak) and will be circumspect. Playing 2S on 23 points at the 2 level (with probably nothing wasted in diamonds) wouldn’t be a disaster – even on a 4-2 fit – and the chances are it would be 5-2. If partner has strength in both majors they would bid 3D for preference. There is always the choice of bidding 3C anyway over 2S if worried – partner would understand you had 5C and hearts. (had you clubs only you would have overcalled 3C I assume)
If the opening bid had been 3D then I suspect a double would have been more marked – so why not over 2?
So treat the weak 2D with the contempt it deserves. (Your partner should have doubled 4D for takeout if advised that it was a pre-emptive raise! 5-4 in the majors! and if he had not then you should have)