Automatic Two Diamonds Response

After one partner opens the bidding auction with a Strong Artificial 2 Clubs, showing either a majority of the points or 8.5 to 9 plus playing tricks, or fewer than four Losing Tricks, several partnerships have agreed to use the Automatic Two Diamonds Response, regardless of the holding. A Two Diamonds response then becomes only a so-called Waiting Bid by the responder. This first response does not constitute a conventional method, but is rather solely a partnership understanding and agreement.o

Note: This concept is also known as the Two-Way Two Diamond Response owing to the fact that this response is generally employed both with weak and strong holdings.

This waiting bid does not describe any strength held by the responder, nor does it impart any descriptive information regarding the Diamond holding. The Automatic Two Diamonds Response, owing to the partnership understanding, does not provide any information to the opener.

The concept behind this agreement is to allow the opener to describe his holding on the lowest level of bidding and not consume any bidding space. After the opener has made his rebid, showing either balanced distribution with corresponding values by rebidding No Trump or his preferred suit, then the responder is in a better position to decide the final contract.

In the case that the opener is indeed two-suited, the Automatic Two Diamonds Response gives the opener the opportunity to describe his holding on the lowest level.

Example

Opener		Responder		Meaning
KQJ KQ10 AKQ7 KJ10		A1086532 A543   Q10
2				An opening bid meeting all the requirements of a strong, artificial 2 Clubs opening bid.
		2		The partnership agreement is that the responder bids 2 Diamonds automatically whatever the holding.

The responder is obliged to bid 2 Diamonds following a Strong, Artificial 2 Clubs opening bid by partner. The responder may be void in Diamonds and still make this bid. Once the opener has defined his holding as balanced to semi-balanced, then the responder, presumably, can better determine the final contract.

The flaw in this treatment is that the partnership has employed a bid, which many players consider as wasting bidding space and which could indeed impart some useful information. The opener has no information about the holding of the responder before making his rebid. In order for the responder to describe his holding, then the responder must, perhaps on a higher level, introduce information pertinent for the partnership.

Note: As soon as this concept was originated and popularized within the bridge community the experts began refining this method since the first response conveyed absolutely no information to partner. The result was the establishment of certain parameters, which included the rebid by the opener of No Trump, following which the responder would become the captain. The captain would then employ any of the conventional methods to determine additional features of partner's holding, such as Baron, Flint, Jacoby, or Gerber.

In such a bidding sequence that the opener indeed rebids a Major suit instead of No Trump, then the responder can rebid 2 No Trump or even 3 Clubs as a negative bid showing a practically worthless holding. These extended parameters of the concept included also the differentiation of values between zero and 6/7 high card points. Following a suit rebid by the opener the responder would rebid 2 No Trump to show 4-6 high card points and rebid 3 Clubs to show 0-3 high card points.

All other responses to a suit rebid by the opener are considered positive and game forcing. If the responder had a value-less holding following a No Trump rebid by partner, then the responder, as captain, would simply pass unless an agreement to employ transfer bids is a feature of the partnership agreement.

If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.