[kenrexford]

Your partner opens 2♥. You bid 2NT, asking partner to further describe his hand. He bids 3NT. What does this mean?

Does the meaning of 3NT change if you are playing "feature," "Ogust," or "Jogust?"

Also, do you have a special meaning or use for this bid that you like but do not view as standard?

[If this question sounds too simple, you may be surprised.]

[ArtK78]

AKQJxx of hearts.

[helene_t]

I think AKQxxx will do.

[Free]

helene_t, on Mar 10 2008, 02:00 PM, said:

I think AKQxxx will do.

What she said

[blackshoe]

Agree with Helene. What the heck is "Jogust"?

[helene_t]

blackshoe, on Mar 10 2008, 04:01 PM, said:

Agree with Helene. What the heck is "Jogust"?

Jodified Ogust, of course. Everybody knows that.

[Gerben42]

I only know Sjogust... Sjoert Brink's Ogust.

[skjaeran]

AKQxxx will do.

[kenrexford]

This AKQ(J/x)xx meaning was what I assumed. Partner held ♠AK10xx ♥xxx ♦AKx ♣AK and leapt to 6♥, claiming that I could not have AKQ(J/x)x because this showed either AKJ10xx or AQJ10xx. He claimed that with AKQxxx and out (xx-AKQxxx-xxx-xx), you would open 1♥.

?

[whereagles]

shoot him

[gwnn]

Nuno said:

shoot him

y

[655321]

(1) It means what you and your partner have agreed it to mean.
(2) Jxx AKQJxx x T9x is not a weak two.

[kenrexford]

655321, on Mar 10 2008, 05:49 PM, said:

(1) It means what you and your partner have agreed it to mean.
(2) Jxx AKQJxx x T9x is not a weak two.

A fair point, but the heavy 2-bid causes no problems here if item #1 had agreement. Not every single bid is discussed, and sometimes you have to rely on assumptions from standard.

[BillHiggin]

kenrexford, on Mar 10 2008, 01:47 PM, said:

This AKQ(J/x)xx meaning was what I assumed.  Partner held ♠AK10xx ♥xxx ♦AKx ♣AK and leapt to 6♥, claiming that I could not have AKQ(J/x)x because this showed either AKJ10xx or AQJ10xx.  He claimed that with AKQxxx and out (xx-AKQxxx-xxx-xx), you would open 1♥.

I know of a person who offers free lessons in which he preaches (to B/I students) that any hand with AKQ in one suit is an opening bid. I do not intend to imply that his teachings are wrong (I do not intend to judge his teaching at all). But he does run these classes quite often (on multiple sites - not just BBO, it is possible that he only uses different sites in a serial manner), and there are a significant number of "graduates" from his classes here (most of whom we would likely consider to still be B/I) who tend to believe that what they have heard from him is of gospel quality.

Certainly, this comment would be quite consistent with these lessons.

[the hog]

It shows AKQxxx like a number of posters above have mentioned.

[Zelandakh]

What Justin and Helene said.

[Cascade]

We play that it shows any maximum with only five hearts. But our weak twos are quite wide ranging and fairly often only five.

If I was to sit down with a random partner I would expect it showed AKQxxx of hearts. I would expect those same random partners to show a feature with Justin's hand or jump to 4♥.

[lexlogan]

kenrexford, on Mar 10 2008, 06:47 PM, said:

This AKQ(J/x)xx meaning was what I assumed. Partner held ♠AK10xx ♥xxx ♦AKx ♣AK and leapt to 6♥, claiming that I could not have AKQ(J/x)x because this showed either AKJ10xx or AQJ10xx. He claimed that with AKQxxx and out (xx-AKQxxx-xxx-xx), you would open 1♥.

?

Personally, I don't think it works very well to open a 1 bid with no outside strength. When you open, partner assumes you have honors which may combine with his high cards.

I've always viewed a weak two as intermediate between a 3 bid (very high offense to defense ratio) and a one bid (good defense, relatively low ODR.) It's partly constructive and partly obstructive. I think two bids are most effective at around 8-10 hcp. At that strength, sometimes neither opp can scrape up a bid. The weaker you are, the more likely they can act, and the two bid just doesn't accomplish much.

For me, AKQxxx is an excellent weak two, and I have little interest in playing such a wide range that this would be viewed as "too strong". Even when I've played systems with light opening bids, I prefer to open such a hand with the descriptive two bid.

Bottom line is that there is no bridge agreement so sacred that a pickup partner can't violate it based on some pet system he's developed or been taught or misconstrued. 3NT to show AKQxxx playing either features or Ogust is textbook.