Responses to 2♣ with a really bad hand

Here’s a controversial topic in the opening 2♣ saga– how does the responder to 2♣ show a dreadful hand? By definition, “dreadful” refers to a hand with 0-3 points, without any card higher than a queen.

Here are two popular methods to show these bad hands:

Cheaper Unbid Minor ‘Double Negative’:

First respond 2♦ and then bid your cheaper unbid minor:

South                 North  South

♠  9 7                 2♣             2♦

♥ J 7 6 5            2♠             3♣ 

♦ J 9 6 5 4

♣ 4 2                 South’s 3♣ bid is a 'Double Negative' showing 0-3 points.

The 2♥ ‘Double Negative’:

Responder to 2♣ first bids 2♥. I know that sounds really weird, but this gets the story out immediately without first bidding 2♦. True, if hearts turn out to be the final trump suit, it’s not so great, but you gain a lot of timing with the bad hand revealing itself right away.

South                North        South
♠ 9 7                 2♣            2♥
♥ J 7 6 5  
♦ J 9 6 5 4
♣ 4 2               If South has 8+ points, and 5+ hearts, he must now bid 2 NT.

Some experts are using this initial response of 2♥ as the 'Double Negative'; a 2♦ response would therefore show 4 to 7 points. It’s your choice; all methods work - just agree with your partner.

My choice is for the “Cheaper Unbid Minor” method. 

© 2013 Roberta Salob