BENJAMIN
CONTENTS
1. What is Benjamin?
2. Strong Opening Two-Bids and
Responses
2.1 Strong No Trump Openers, Responses and Rebids
2.2 Strong Two Suit Openers, Responses and Rebids
3. Weak Opening Two-Bids and Responses
4. Weak Jump Overcalls
5. Competing With Weak Two’s
1. What is Benjamin?
Benjamin is used for opening Two-Bids and can also be used
for jump overcalls. The basis of Benjamin in its simplest
form is that you open 2♥ or 2♠ or you jump overcall in hearts or spades based on
a 6-card suit and a point count of 6 - 10 honour points.
Since the opening 2♥ and 2♠ bids are no longer available for a standard Acol Suit
Two Opener, the Acol Suit Two Opener for any of the four
suits uses the bid 2♣ , but this requires 8.5, not 8, playing tricks.
The standard Acol Strong 2♣ bid is replaced in Benjamin by
2♦. Strong
even distribution hands are slightly different in Benjamin;
a 2NT opener is 19 - 20 honour points and a 2♣ opener followed by
a 2NT rebid shows an even distribution hand with 21 - 22
honour points.
2. Strong Opening Two
Bids, Responses and Rebids
With Benjamin, the Strong Opening Two Bids are as follows:-
- 2NT - 19 / 20 honour points and even distribution
- 2♣
followed by a 2NT rebid - 21 / 22 honour points and even
distribution
- 2♣
followed by a suit rebid - 8.5 or more playing tricks in
that suit
- 2♦
followed by a 2NT rebid - 23 / 24 honour points and even
distribution
- 2♦
followed by a 3NT rebid - 25 / 26 honour points and even
distribution
- 2♦
followed by a suit bid - the equivalent of an Acol
2♣ opener.
2.1 Strong No Trump Openers,
Responses and Rebids
☀
All Benjamin 2NT Openers are handled similarly to Standard
Acol 2NT Openers. This applies to the three kinds of 2NT
opening bids - 2NT (19 - 20 points), 2♣ - 2♦ - 2NT (21 - 22 points) and 2♦ - 2♥ (the ‘Herbert’ weak response) - 2NT (23 - 24 points).
Whatever conventional responses are used in standard Acol
over these 2NT opening bids can equally be used with
Benjamin, such as Stayman or Puppet Stayman, Transfers,
etc.
As in Standard Acol, if partner makes a positive response
to a 2♣ or
2♦ opening
bid, then any bid over a 2NT rebid by Opener is natural,
not conventional. So a sequence 2♣ - 2♥ - 2NT - 3♣ would not be Stayman but would be a
natural suit and 2♣ - 2♥ - 2NT - 3♥ would be natural, not a Transfer to 2♠ .
Similarly, a raise of any of the 2NT Openers to 4NT would
be an invitation to 6NT (respond 6NT with maximum or pass)
and a raise to 5NT would be an invitation to 7NT (respond
7NT with maximum and 6NT with minimum).
2.2 Strong Two Suit Openers,
Responses and Rebids
☀
The 2♣ bid
has two possibilities:-
- 2♣ -
2♦ /
2♥ /
2♠ - 2NT
shows an even distribution hand with 21 - 22 points.
Responses and rebids for this have been covered in the
previous
section 2.1.
- 2♣ -
2♦ /
2♥ /
2♠ followed
by a suit bid or jump in a suit are the same as Standard
Acol Two Openers, except that 8.5 playing tricks, not 8,
are required for the bid. As with Standard Acol, the
negative response to the 2♣ opening bid - with less than an Ace and
a King or eight points - is 2♦ . A positive response to 2♣ holding a club suit
is 3♣ .
☀
The 2♦
opening bid is the equivalent of the Standard Acol
2♣ opening
hand. The negative response to this is 2♥ - the ‘Herbert’
convention.
In responding to a 2♣ or 2♦ opener with a positive hand, you should only bid a
suit if it is very sound - otherwise respond in no Trumps
at the appropriate level:-
- 2NT response is 7 - 9 honour point
- 3NT response is 10 - 12 honour.
After partner has responded negatively (2♣ - 2♦ or 2♦ - 2♥ ), opener should rebid as follows:-
- To 2♣ after Herbert negative:
- Bid major with 8.5 tricks, jump in
major with 9 tricks
- Bid minor with 8.5/9 tricks, jump
with 9.5/10
- Bid 2NT with 21/22 points
- To 2♦ after Herbert negative as above for
suits and bid 2NT with 23/24 points, 3NT with 25/26
Subsequent bidding is the same as Standard Acol.
3. Weak Two Openers, Responses and
Rebids
☀As described earlier, the Benjamin opening bids of
2
♥ and
2
♠ show a 6 -
10 honour point hand and a 6-card suit. A few other points
are:-
- The 6-card suit should be headed by at least the Queen
- If you have a 6-card major and the other major is at
least 4-card, you should not open a Weak Two bid first- or
second-in-hand. You can however, third-in-hand, as you are
unlikely to find a fit in the other major after partner has
passed.
- Vulnerability should be taken into account in deciding
whether to open a Weak Two - as an example, opening on a 6
or 7 point hand vulnerable when opponents are
non-vulnerable is unwise
- If your hand is sufficiently strong with ‘Rule Of
Twenty’ points e.g. 10 honour points and a 4-card
side suit, open one rather than two, Benjamin Weak
Two’s shouldn’t be bid slavishly if you have a
decent hand! A simple suit opening bid may actually put
opponents off more than a Weak Two, as your opening bid at
this stage is unlimited.
-
☀
After three passes, the 2♥ or 2♠ bid is 6-card but with about 12 - 14
points, as it no longer has pre-emptive / obstructive
value.
☀
If responder has a weak or moderate hand but has at least
3-card support, there tends to be a general rule that you
raise to the 3-level with 3-card support and raise to the
4-level with 4-card or more support. This has very good
pre-emptive effect and the contract may even make with a
moderate hand! But take vulnerability into account before
bidding.
☀
If responder is sufficiently strong to consider a game (or
more) contract, there is a conventional response of 2NT
(OGUST), which is asking Opener the strength of his hand
and the quality of his trump suit. The responses to this
conventional 2NT enquiry are:
- 3♣ Min points 1 top honour
- 3♦ Min points 2 top honours
- 3♥ Max points 1 top honour
- 3♠ Max points 2 top honours
- 3NT top 3 honours.
Subsequent bidding is natural.
☀
A minimum bid in a new suit (e.g. 2♠ - 3♣ ) denies support, is natural and
forcing for one round showing a very good suit - say AQJxx,
or KQJxx, or a six-card suit headed by decent honours. This
bid should be based on a very strong hand as you are
showing interest in game and partner may have only 6
points. Opener’s rebids are then:-
- Single and double raises of the new suit are natural,
single raise may be on as little as Qx or Jxx
- Bid of a new suit at the 3-level shows a stop for 3NT
in that suit; and at the 4-level (e.g. 2♠ -
3♦ -
4♣ )
shows support for partner and a cue bid in the bid suit.
- Rebid of 2NT or 3NT (non-jump) is encouraging and
natural, showing a balanced hand (6-3-3-2) suggesting 3NT
as the best game. It’s unlikely to have stops in both
other suits but will hold a stop in the suit above 3NT -
e.g. 2♥ - 3♦ - 3NT shows a stop in clubs since with a spade
stop, you would have bid 3♠ .
- Jump in a new suit is Splinter, showing support for
partner’s suit and a singleton or void in the bid
suit.
- With only values in the opening trump suit and none of the above features,
rebid your suit at the lowest level.
4. Weak Jump Overcalls
Benjamin Weak Two’s can also be used as overcalls
as they have the same pre-emptive value, but they are used
for all suits, not just in the majors, e.g. 1
♠ - 3
♦ . This bid shows a 6-card suit
headed by at least a Queen and 6 - 10 points. However,
caution should be used, as a vulnerable doubled contract
could be very expensive - especially if the opponents are
non-vulnerable. Responses by partner to a weak jump overcall
are natural:-
- Raises of the suit are pre-emptive or to play –
not invitational.
- A bid of a new suit is natural, and based on a very
good suit and is forcing, so must be very strong. (This bid
is not used as an escape, unless your partner is doubled
and you have a decent 6-card suit to escape to.). Responses
to the simple change of suit are as described in the
previous section, where partner bids a new suit after a
2♥ or
2♠ Benjamin
opening bid.
- A bid of the opponent’s suit shows a really big
hand and is game forcing.
As a weak jump overcall raises the bidding high and exposes
the bid to a penalty double, this risk can be reduced by
playing a variable strength jump overcall, typically:-
- 6 - 10 points - Non-vulnerable vs. vulnerable opponents
- 8 - 12 points - Both sides same vulnerability
- 10 - 14 points - Vulnerable vs. Non-vulnerable
opponents.
Subsequent bidding is as described for overcalls above,
with judgement applied for the varying
strengths.
5. Competing With Weak
Two’s
If the opponents open a Benjamin Weak Two, double is for
take-out, an overcall is natural based on a decent 5-card
suit, and No Trump overcalls are natural. The point count
requirement for these bids is a only a little higher than
for the bids over a 1-level opening, a sound rather than
borderline bid or double. The point count doesn’t
need to be elevated significantly to call over the 2-level
bid - Weak Two’s are there to disrupt us, and the
bidder only has 6 - 10 points anyway!
A double is for take-out, but can be left in for penalties.
Responses to the double are Lebensohl:-
- If responder has 6 or fewer points,
bid 2NT. Partner (doubler) then bids:-
- 3♣ if the hand is up to 18 points,
asking partner to bid again. Subsequent bidding is
natural, aimed at settling in a 3-level contract, and
3♣ can
be passed.
- bid naturally if 19+
points.
- If responder has 7 - 11 points, bid
naturally.
- If responder has 12+ points, jump
with a good 5-card suit or bid the opponents suit, an
Unassuming Cue Bid, if you haven’t a decent 5-card
suit.
Responses to partner’s overcall of a Weak Two are:-
- raises are natural
- a bid of a new suit is forcing for one round, and
subsequent bidding is natural
- a cue bid of the opponents suit can be used two ways,
you decide which
-
Unassuming Cue Bid, a general-purpose force asking
partner to clarify further
-
Directional Asking Bid (DAB), asking partner to
bid No Trumps if he has sufficient stoppers. Some DAB
players offer a half-stop, others don’t – you
must decide.
With strong hands and stoppers in the opponent’s Weak
Two suit, the following No Trump overcalls are made:-
- 2NT is 16-18 with at least one stopper
- Double, followed by a No Trump bid is 19 - 20 points
with at least one stopper
- 3NT is 21 - 22 points with two stoppers.
If opponents make a weak jump overcall, then a double is
for penalties. If you are considering doubling a Weak Jump
Overcall, remember that they may be playing variable strength
jump overcalls with up to 14 points or more!