Pre-emptive openings
A pre-emptive bid is one deliberately intended to chew up the bidding space to make it harder for opponents to get a look in, whilst simultaneously offering describing the shape of one's hand and suggesting a sacrifice on the grounds that it shouldn't be too bad.
Weak twos
A weak two is a pre-emptive suit bid made on a suit of at least six cards.
Klinger prescribes the following checklist:
- About 6-10 HCP
- A good 6 card suit, headed by the Q-10 or better
- Fewer than four cards in (other) majors
- No voids; at most one singleton
This translates to a rough expectation of 7-8 losers, but it varies, so take care.
Sometimes the choice of what to open will be borderline. Consider a hand with a good 6 card major, 10-12 HCP and 6-8 losers. Probably too strong for a weak two, probably too weak for a 1-level opening.
| Losers | Opening bid |
|---|---|
| 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 1 if 11-12 HCP; 2 if 10 HCP |
| 8 | 2 |
NB: Weak twos do not apply in clubs, becase 2C is reserved as a strong opening. (See openings.)
Threes and beyond
With a longer suit you can pre-emptively open at the three level, or sometimes even higher.
Traditionally, 3 of a suit means:
- Seven (or more) cards in the suit bid
- Replying strength; nowhere near enough HCP to open at the one level
LNR commented: Some allow a pre-emptive 3 on as little as 4 points. Since 2C means something else some will use 3C to mean the same as a weak 2. Discuss with partner in advance.
WRY replied: Klinger writes that sometimes a strong 6-card suit or fewer than 6 HCP will do, and suggests one consider the potential for playing tricks.
The general rule of thumb for pre-empts is the rule of 3 and 2: that opener should hold three tricks fewer than the bid when not vulnerable, and two fewer when vulnerable. Therefore:
| Bid level | # losers if not vulnerable | # losers if vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 4 | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | 4 |
As suggested by the table above, it may sometimes be appropriate to open above the 3 level, sometimes even in game. Be very very careful!
Responses to the weak two
With three-card or better support, the loser count should work well. It's safest to assume 8 losers.
With two-card support, count your cover cards and bid accordingly, but cautiously. Opener has 7-8 losers, i.e. 5-6 winners. Therefore:
| Cover cards | Action |
|---|---|
| 3½ - 4 | Invite game in major; pass or bid 3 in minor |
| 4½ - 5½ | Bid game in major; invite game in minor |
| 6 or more | Look for slam. |
Without a fit, i.e. you have a singleton or void in opener's suit, the loser count is of no help. Passing is usually the best answer, unless you're quite strong - 16 HCP or more suggested; you'd need either a long suit yourself, or no-trumps if there's little danger of being run by opponents.
Responses to pre-empts
It's very difficult to precisely assess the number of losers in a 7-card hand, so instead consider the rule of 3 and 2 above and respond based on the number of cover cards you hold.
If you have support for partner's suit, a singleton outside is often worth a further trick, and a void two.
If considering slam in response to a pre-empt, bear in mind that partner is unlikely to have a better holding than two key cards plus the queen of trumps.