[squealydan]

Vampyr, on 2012-February-26, 04:17, said:

I have little knowledge of NZ Benji, but I am almost certain you will find this to be a very unusual agreement. Normally a simple NT rebid shows 15-17 (or sometimes 15-16).

2NT after 2/1 either shows 15-19 or 17-19 if using 3NT to show 15-16.

Jump in NT after 1/1 shows 17-19 or 18-19.

I agree that the "jump in NT with 15+" line looked like a typo. This is what beginners are taught here, and most club players never get around to improving on it :

1x-1y-1NT = 15-16.
1x-1y-2NT = 17-18.
1x-1y-3NT = 19.

1x-1NT-2NT = 16-17.
1x-1NT-3NT = 18-19.

1x-2y-2NT = 15-17 or 15-16.
1x-2y-3NT = 18-19 or 17-19.

Reversing the last two would make a lot of sense, but I guess it's simpler to teach "minimum bid = minimum range". Also given the very light 2/1 bids some folk make, it's not all that rare to see 1x-2y-2nt-pass. Presumably the passer wouldn't want his/her partner jumping to 3NT with 15.

[jillybean]

2N 20-22, 2♣ 20-22 with a 5 card suit (M I assume) and 2♦ 22+ seems to be popular with a few players here (NZ)

There seems to be an aversion to weak 2's here, I don't understand it. If I suggested puppet over 2N do you think they would happily give up their 2♣/2♦ treatment?

[wank]

you misunderstand. the 2♣ opener is normally unbalanced. the 5 card suit can be anywhere.

obviously not suggesting it's a sensible method though.

[Vampyr]

jillybean, on 2012-March-11, 15:44, said:

There seems to be an aversion to weak 2's here, I don't understand it.

Most Benji players play weak 2's in the majors. You might get more out of the system if you used 2 ♣ as your strongest opener and add some hand types to 2♦ to make it a several-way Multi.

[squealydan]

jillybean, on 2012-March-11, 15:44, said:

2N 20-22, 2♣ 20-22 with a 5 card suit (M I assume) and 2♦ 22+ seems to be popular with a few players here (NZ)

There seems to be an aversion to weak 2's here, I don't understand it. If I suggested puppet over 2N do you think they would happily give up their 2♣/2♦ treatment?

You've hit a curious corner of the country, where are you exactly? I don't play much outside of my region, but down here pretty much everyone who's been playing for more than a year out of lessons will play a weak-2. Most learn it before they learn transfers.
I'd guess :

75% play weak-2s in the majors,
15% play 2D as a multi including weak 6-card majors, with 2H/2S showing 5/4+ with a minor,
5% play intermediate-2s in the majors,
5% play a weak 2D as well as the majors.

[gordontd]

Vampyr, on 2012-March-11, 20:38, said:

Most Benji players play weak 2's in the majors.

I think it would be correct to say that if they aren't playing weak twos in the majors, they aren't playing Benjamin. That was the whole point of the system.

[jillybean]

squealydan, on 2012-March-11, 21:29, said:

You've hit a curious corner of the country, where are you exactly? I don't play much outside of my region, but down here pretty much everyone who's been playing for more than a year out of lessons will play a weak-2. Most learn it before they learn transfers.
I'd guess :

75% play weak-2s in the majors,
15% play 2D as a multi including weak 6-card majors, with 2H/2S showing 5/4+ with a minor,
5% play intermediate-2s in the majors,
5% play a weak 2D as well as the majors.

I've been in Auckland, Whangarei and now Kerikeri. It seems that this 2♣ 20-22 w/5 card suit and 2♦ 22+ isn't at all common but just a pet treatment used by a few players. The same player who put me in 4S holding KT, KQ5, Q9, QT8763 after 1♣ 1♠ 1nt 2♠ and then criticized me for bidding 2♠ My hand was Q87543,JT,J42,K2.
I love partners whose ability to criticize is in inverse proportion to their playing ability.

Tomorrow I will be playing "Kerikeri Acol" in a teams game, it's an odd system but at least I will know what to expect.

[squealydan]

jillybean, on 2012-March-13, 01:08, said:

I've been in Auckland, Whangarei and now Kerikeri. It seems that this 2♣ 20-22 w/5 card suit and 2♦ 22+ isn't at all common but just a pet treatment used by a few players. The same player who put me in 4S holding KT, KQ5, Q9, QT8763 after 1♣ 1♠ 1nt 2♠ and then criticized me for bidding 2♠ My hand was Q87543,JT,J42,K2.
I love partners whose ability to criticize is in inverse proportion to their playing ability.

Tomorrow I will be playing "Kerikeri Acol" in a teams game, it's an odd system but at least I will know what to expect.

The 1NT rebid doesn't look much like any Acol, Kerikeri or otherwise...

I hope you've also met some nice kiwi folk while you've been here. We're generally regarded as a friendly bunch, though it must be admitted bridge folk are a law unto themselves. And I trust you've seen a bit of scenery along the way? Dolphins, giant trees, that sort of thing...

[jillybean]

squealydan, on 2012-March-13, 01:22, said:

The 1NT rebid doesn't look much like any Acol, Kerikeri or otherwise...

We were playing a sort of "Standard American"

squealydan, on 2012-March-13, 01:22, said:

I hope you've also met some nice kiwi folk while you've been here. We're generally regarded as a friendly bunch, though it must be admitted bridge folk are a law unto themselves. And I trust you've seen a bit of scenery along the way? Dolphins, giant trees, that sort of thing...

I lived in NZ for 30 years so know that the Kiwi's are a freindly bunch, I just wasn't a bridge player then.
We are doing the beaches, dolphins and other sea creatures this week. Next week we will take a trip to Rotorua for the stinky mud pools, thermal pools, the Luge (my favotire), the Zorb which I have not tried yet and then a trip to Waitomo for some Black Water Rafting which I also haven't done before but sounds fabulous. If I survive that it will be back to Auckland for our flight back to Vancouver in time for some spring skiing.

[jillybean]

Ok, I survived another round of "Acol" and we did quite well coming 2nd in the teams game, we should have won.
I'm beginning to like the weak NT.

I'm playing 2♣ 8 playing tricks, 2♦ 23+ and the funky 2N showing 55 minors. This 2N came up and I was impressed
with the interference value Not having much time to discuss systems with partners the rest of the system is a bit of a mystery. Cue bids, splinters, forcing M/m raises and even ace asking is a great unknown.

No one here (Kerikeri) uses convention cards or travelers record the contracts, perhaps they have photographic memories and neither of my partners here use count signals. I'm doing a lot of biting my tongue