Help
awm, on Jan 15 2008, 08:38 PM, said:
Some issues with opening 1♣ on 17-19 balanced:
(1) You invite opponents into the bidding. If they couldn't open, they probably can't make a safe two-level overcall either. But there are plenty of hands that can overcall 1♥ but can't open.
(2) You don't necessarily right-side the contract. Even if you play transfer responses, these are not necessarily on if opponents overcall (i.e. P-P-P-1♣-1♥ and you may well play spades or notrump from the "wrong" side).
(3) If 1♣ passes out, you could be in an awful spot. It's certainly possible for partner to have 0-3 hcp if you have 17-19. Does partner have to bid on this hand, and if so, won't it give you trouble on other sequences? If partner can pass, you could play in a 2-2 club fit with 9 diamonds between you.
(4) If opponents do compete, you're at a disadvantage by not having named a real suit. Say the auction goes P-P-P-1♣-1♠ to partner. If 1♣ guaranteed four (or even three) partner could raise. When 1♣ is frequently two, partner will much more often get shut out. And if the other opponent raises 1♠ to 2♠, you're truly in the soup (could even have a game, but rebidding 2NT opposite a partner who could still be broke seems like suicide).
(5) What are you doing on the weak notrump (say 13 hcp) hands? Do you open and then pass partner's response in your doubleton (4-2 fit here we come)? Again transfer responses might help you if opponents pass but who says opponents have to pass? And again, if you open a balanced 13, the points will often be fairly evenly divided. Your chances in a competitive auction are a lot better if you start the bidding by showing a real suit rather than making a noise.
(1) You invite opponents into the bidding. If they couldn't open, they probably can't make a safe two-level overcall either. But there are plenty of hands that can overcall 1♥ but can't open.
(2) You don't necessarily right-side the contract. Even if you play transfer responses, these are not necessarily on if opponents overcall (i.e. P-P-P-1♣-1♥ and you may well play spades or notrump from the "wrong" side).
(3) If 1♣ passes out, you could be in an awful spot. It's certainly possible for partner to have 0-3 hcp if you have 17-19. Does partner have to bid on this hand, and if so, won't it give you trouble on other sequences? If partner can pass, you could play in a 2-2 club fit with 9 diamonds between you.
(4) If opponents do compete, you're at a disadvantage by not having named a real suit. Say the auction goes P-P-P-1♣-1♠ to partner. If 1♣ guaranteed four (or even three) partner could raise. When 1♣ is frequently two, partner will much more often get shut out. And if the other opponent raises 1♠ to 2♠, you're truly in the soup (could even have a game, but rebidding 2NT opposite a partner who could still be broke seems like suicide).
(5) What are you doing on the weak notrump (say 13 hcp) hands? Do you open and then pass partner's response in your doubleton (4-2 fit here we come)? Again transfer responses might help you if opponents pass but who says opponents have to pass? And again, if you open a balanced 13, the points will often be fairly evenly divided. Your chances in a competitive auction are a lot better if you start the bidding by showing a real suit rather than making a noise.
Well, most of this are just arguments against SOME style of opening 1♣ with 17-19 balanced.
(1) Among all hands I open at the one level, balanced 17-19 counts are the ones where I worry the least about opponents competing.
(2) Well, we do play transfer over 1D or 1H overcalls.
(3) Happens extremely rarely. If partner has a 5-card major, he will usually bid. The additional space given by xfer responses allows to do this safely without getting overboard, e.g. 1C-1D(hearts)-1N shows 17-19 balanced without 4 hearts, and it is a win for competitive auctions that he can do so.
(4) This is true (but only if partner is too weak to play 3N opposite 17-19 balanced; if he has 8 points he is welcome to raise with 4 or 5 clubs). It does occasionally hurt to not be able to show your diamond suit.
(5) With a weak NT, we open as in standard. See (2) for xfer responses and competition.