Re: Jacoby 2NT

Kent Feiler wrote:

I thought I'd try the other question, "Do you play Jacoby 2NT?" The
answer is yes, but the only reason I play it is that so many players
have it burned so deeply into their neural pathways that they can't
imagine being without it and can't even consider the question of
whether it's a good or bad convention.

I'd say bad. It throws away an extremely valuable bid, the natural,
game-forcing 2NT and replaces it with a major suit raise that can be
created in a number of different ways.

You'd be pretty much in a minority calling a natural 2NT valuable. The
reasoning given by most for using it as Jacoby is that there's no good use
for a natural 2N (as I recall reading here: "2N is seldom the right bid,
and if it is, it's never the right contract"). It's a pretty odd hand that
you don't have a game forcing bid other 2N available.

My big beef with Jacoby is a lot like the discussion on opening 1NT
with a 5-cd major, too much info given away.

There isn't too much info given by _opening_ 1N - in fact, if 1N can't be
opened with 5 hearts, it gives more information by explicitly denying the
major. It's whether you go to lengths to try to find a major suit fit
afterwards.

Try this hand after a 1H opening by partner;

AQxx xx AJxx Qxx

Playing a natural 2NT, the auction may go 1H-2NT; 3NT

What's wrong with 1H - 3N?

and playing Jacoby 1H-1S; 2C-3NT. A newsgroup bidder may say, "What's the
difference, you got to the same contract either way.

No, I say - "hang on, partner hasn't denied a 4 card spade suit yet, don't I
want to know if we have a spade fit?"

There are bunches of other issues involving this, far to many to talk
about, but I think the natural 2NT ends up the big winner.

Hey, this is Usenet - there's no such thing as "far too many to talk about".

I think you're missing the problem when partner _doesn't_ have a NT hand.
When you use Jacoby, everybody knows where your major fit is - but that's
normal, so it doesn't cost. Responder knows where all their partnership's
shortness is. When partner opens 1H, and you jump to 2N with the above
hand, you're at the three level without a fit and still don't know a thing
about his stiff club and 4 small diamonds.

I can be convinced, but you're definitely going to have to bring up at least
a few of those far too many things. :-)

.

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