Another bet to settle

2♣ for me as well.

That said, a plug. One of my favorite little pet conventions is a 2♦ opening showing both minors.

In the context of a canape approach, this is an integral part of a solution to canape purity, IMO. In the context of a natural strong club like Precision, this also seems to enhance minor bidding and is part of a structure that seems to improve upon the ugly standard Precision/Neopolitan 2♣ and Precision 2♦ openings.

In the context of SA or 2/1 GF, this bid also helps with minor two-suiters. Instead of a range from a Rule-of-Twenty garbage hand to a wildly bulky just-under-GF hand, you split the range in two, such that 2♦ shows the "tweener" holding and 1♦...2♣ (or any number of 1♣...whatever auctions with longer clubs) shows a truly limited hand.

The benefits are profound. Partners need not courtesy correct on junk, for instance. When you open 2♦, the opponents have been preempted out of a one-level major overcall, which serves in practice to eliminate weak jump overcalls into a major. When the opponents do overcall, or double, the enhanced value expectation from the 2♦ opening, and the level increase, allows more frequent penalty doubles by Responder, and he can do so in complete disregard of a four-card holding in the other major.

With this actual hand, then, I would have preferred a 2♦ opening.

ICYC, the response structure to a 2♦ opening:

2♥: Art, asking. Op with min bids a major fragment (2♠ or 3♣=hearts) if he has one, or 2NT; with a max, Op bids a major frag at 3-L, or 3♦/3NT (distinguish as you wish); after any answer, 4minor is GF and asks Op to RKCB/Exclusion RKCB). 2♠ natural, NF but constructive. X penalty. 3M is GF and 6+. 2NT/3NT nat. P/3♣ pref, 3♦/4♣/4♦ preemptive. 5Minor to play. 2♦-2♥-X might better be "stolen bid;" discuss. Op can reopen over 2♥ by 2♠ with frag. 1♦...2♣ is then less than tweener.

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