Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - July 11, 2022 - Strong 2C Bid

 

Question: 

W has 23 HCP and opens 2C, E responds with a bid of 3C instead of the typical 2D which W takes to 3 NT. 

How to interpret the 3C response and where to go from there? 3 NT contract was down 4.

Vic:

Had EW talked about these bids ahead of time? Did EW have a pre-discussed partnership agreement that West opening call was the commonly used “Strong 2C” convention that promises 22+ points, but says nothing about clubs? Not everyone plays an opening 2C bid that way you know. Many, in fact, do not.

In the absence of a pre-discussed agreement East may have taken the opening bid to promise a strong hand with clubs (hence the raise to 3C).

 If EW had agreed in advance to use the “Strong 2C” convention, then they should also have discussed Responder’s potential bids & the meaning of each.

If EW had not discussed any of these bids ahead of time, there is absolutely no way for either partner to read the others mind & be sure of what a bid means. They can only guess. And it seems obvious to me that in this case one or both partners guessed wrong.

 Sad waste of a great hand. Too bad.