2C - Negative Response

In 2C theory it is popular to have 2D as a waiting bid and 2H as a negative. You do not define negative with respect to HCP’s but controls . There are three ways to show a negative hand after a 2C bid . If the opponents interfere , a direct double shows a negative with no controls. You can still have QJx QJx QJx QJxx but as you have no controls it is still a negative !! This is just an example of using the opponents bid as something useful for your partnership. Knowing immediately that there are no controls over there is very useful especially when the auction might take off with the opponents bidding.

The 2ND way to show a negative hand is a jump response. This jump shows a 6 , 7 , 8 card suit with no controls in the hand.

The last way to immediately show a negative hand is to respond 2D. 2D is lower ranking so its best to be the waiting bid to conserve room and make relays easier.

Armed with the information that responder has no controls, opens the door for re-defining 4NT Blackwood. Take this auction for example :

AKx Ax AKQx Axxxx. You open 2C and partner bids 3X. 4NT is defined to ask the length of the suit as partner has no controls anyway. If partner has a 6 card suit she responds 5C , 5D shows 7 and 5H shows 8. If partner shows 8 spades bid 7NT and put your hand back in the box.

The auction goes 2C and partner responds 2X showing no controls. A direct jump to 4NT just shows a flat 27-28 HCP hand . If you bid a suit first then 4NT is undefined. Kantar suggests defining it as a direct queen asking bid and further 5NT is a specific queen ask.

Both Tom Gandolfo and Maurice held this hand in the Saskatoon Calcutta.

AKJx AKJ AKJ10x A and opened 2C with a 2? response by partner. Maurice choose 3? and I bid 3? . Queens are your only interest here so you bid 4NT. The responses have to be up the line so no ambiguity therefore I respond 5 ? showing 3 queens . You bid 5NT asking for specific queens and I bid 6? showing the one queen I do not have. You bid 7NT and put your hand in the box again as you can count 13 tricks.

What if I answered 5? showing 2 queens ? 5NT is bid and I bid the lower ranking of my two queens which is 5? . Partner can bid 5? asking if I have the heart queen. If I do have that queen then 7NT again may be odds on.

Moral of this story is that if your negative is based on lack of controls that redefine 4NT to something that is useful.