Polish 2C Auctions

The Polish Club 2C opening shows 12-15 points and six or more clubs or five clubs, a four card major. (Balanced hands in this range with five clubs, i.e. 2335, 3235 and 3325, are opened 1C.) The 2C opening generally promises fewer than four diamonds, but with a concentrated xx46 or xx47 2C will often be a better tactical call. The 2C opening is much like the Precision 2C opening and the Precision responding structure can be used, however, a broader range of hands can be accomodated with a transfer based approach. Using this method, all transfering responses require at least invitational strength - 9+ playing points. 

Here is an outline of  our transfer response structure to 2C. (The subsequent development of the auction is detailed in the following sections.)

• 2D shows either five or more hearts or exactly four spades or invitational strength 44xx or a strong supporting hand that wants to ask for keycards on the next round. Opener always rebids 2H with two or more hearts, otherwise he prefers 2S with four spades, otherwise 2NT or 3C, both of which, having at most one heart and three spades, must logically show six or more clubs. (Of these two, 2NT shows the stronger hand and forces game unless responder rebids 3C or 3H). Staying at or below 3C gives responder space to finish describing his hand. Except after the 2H rebid, the subsequent auctions can develop naturally. After 2H a lot of possiblilties are still open. These are discussed below. 
• 2H (in response to 2C) shows five+ spades with possibly a side heart suit. See below for details of the subsequent auction.
• 2S (in response to 2C) shows exactly four hearts and possibly 44xx on game going strength. The auction proceeds naturally with opener rebidding 3H or 4H with heart support, 2NT or 3C with minimums lacking heart support, 3D or 3NT with a maximum without hearts or spades and 3S with four spades and a maximum.
• 2NT is natural and invitational.
• 3C and 4C are weak raises.
• 3D is a game going hand with good diamonds (usually six or more), no four card major, and either slam interest or an unstopped major suit. Opener rebids a major suit stopper, 3NT with both, or 4C or 4D with neither.
• 3H shows a strong raise with serious slam interest. (Note if all responder needs to know is keycards he should start with 2D.) Opener's 3S asks for shortness, otherwise responder cue bids, suggests 3NT or bids 4C - minorwood.
• 3S shows a more modest game forcing raise with only mild slam interest, afterwhich 3NT is to play, 4C shows a good suit and anything else is a cuebid.
• 3NT is to play.

This system is OFF when the opponents overcall or double the 2C opening. Negative doubles / freebids are used after simple overcalls. The auction development after the 2D and 2H responses is explored in the following sections.

The Transfer Responses

The transfer auctions operate somewhat differently after a 2C opening than they do after 1NT. This is mostly because opener is not assured of having any support for responder's suit. To make up for the possibility of a misfit responder must hold a decent hand or, lacking that, a very long suit to use these responses. This allows opener some freedom in choosing a descriptive rebid while retaining a margin of safety. The rebid scheme accomodates these constraints and is discribed in separate sections for each transfer below. 

One hint for learning the system - except in one case responder's 3D rebid is always asking opener to rebid 3NT with a diamond stopper. The exception is after 2C-2H, 2S, where 3D shows various big major two suiters.

The 2C - 2D Auction

When responder bids 2D the auction can accomodate responder's various possible major suit holdings in a fairly natural way except when opener rebids 2H showing at least two hearts. Here is how we proceed after opener shows two hearts with 2C-2D, 2H:

• 3H and 4H - natural, showing six or more hearts.
• 2NT and 3NT - natural, showing five hearts and fewer than four spades.
• 3C - invitational hand with five hearts, club support and little in spades or diamonds.
• 2S - four spades and possibly up to five hearts. Forcing one round. After 2C-2D, 2H-2S, opener proceeds with:
  • 3S and 4S are natural showing four spades.
  • 2NT shows a minimum opening with three or four hearts - maybe 3415 or 3316 or 1435.
  • 3C shows a minimum opening with only two hearts (and therefore six+ clubs) - maybe 3226 or 3217.
  • 3D shows a maximum opening with three hearts (catering to responder's possible 45xx).
  • 3H shows a maximum opening with four hearts (catering to responder's possible 44xx).
  • 3NT shows a maximum opening with only two hearts.
• 3D ask opener to rebid 3NT with a diamond stopper.
• 4C is minorwood and cancels any implications about major suit holdings.

When opener rebids something other than 2H (after 2C-2D) the only systemic trickiness is that responder can rebid 3D asking opener to bid 3NT with a diamond stopper.

The 2C - 2H Auction

• 2S shows at least two spades. (Opener's remaining rebids show fewer than two spades.) After 2C-2H, 2S responder rebids:
• 2NT or 3C as natural, invitational with five spades.
• 3D shows game strength or better and 54xx or slam interest and 55xx, 64xx or better. After opener rebids naturally, responder rebids 3NT (54xx) or raises to 4H or 4S with only game interest; any other rebid is a slam move.
• 3H showing five spades and four hearts and invitational strength. With a minimum opener must pass or correct to 3S or 4C.
• 3S is natural, invitational, with six or more spades.
• 3NT is natural with five spades.
• 4H shows 55xx and no slam interest.
• 4S to play.
• 2NT shows a minimum hand without spade tolerance (0-1 spades) and four hearts. After 2C-2H, 2NT responder rebids:
  • pass - to play.
  • 3C - natural, to play.
  • 3D - asks opener to rebid 3NT with a diamond stopper.
  • 3H - natural, acknowledging the heart fit, not forcing.
  • 3S - long spades, not forcing.
  • 3NT - to play.
  • 4S - to play.
• 3C shows a minimum hand with no more than three hearts, and therefore necessarily six+ clubs - something like 1336 or 1237. Responder rebids naturally, except note that 3D says bid 3NT with a diamond stopper.
• 3D shows fewer than four hearts (and fewer than two spades, therefore at least six clubs) and a maximum hand.
• 3H shows four hearts and a maximum hand.

The 2C - 2S Auction

The 2S response to 2C shows exactly four hearts and at least invitational strength. 2S can also be used with game going 44xx responding hands. Here is an outline of opener's rebids and responder's continuations after 2C-2S:

• 2NT shows a minimum opener, five clubs, fewer than four hearts and necessarily four spades. (Note that a 2C hand containing only five clubs and lacking four hearts will always have four spades, the only possible distributions being 4135 4225 and 4315! The balanced hands with five clubs, 3235 and the like, are opened 1C.) Opener may rebid 2NT on minimum 4xx6 hands also. Responder has several options after 2C-2S, 2NT:
  • pass - sounds good to me partner.
  • 3C is natural and to play.
  • 3D asks opener to rebid 3NT with a diamond stopper.
  • 3H shows club tolerance and asks opener to rebid 3NT with a diamond stopper.
  • 3S shows 44xx and is forcing - with invitational strength 44xx responder starts with 2D, not 2S.
  • 3NT and 4H are to play.
• 3C shows a minimum hand with a six card or longer suit. Responder may pass or continue naturally.
• 3D shows a maximum opener with a six card or longer club suit. Responder rebids:
  • 3H or 3S - stoppers, could be first move on big hand supporting clubs.
  • 3NT - to play.
  • 4C - invitational, majors unstopped.
  • 4D - Roman Kickback in clubs.
• 3H shows a minimum hand with four hearts. Not forcing
• 3S shows a maximum 4xx5 opener.
• 3NT is to play. Denies holding four spades.
• 4C and 4D are cue bids, agreeing on hearts.
• 4H shows a maximum hand with four hearts.

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