Thursday,
April 27, 2006 11:41 PM
Modified Drury
PITBULLS:
A
disciplined partnership passes bad flat hands 10-13 HCP . Partner now opens in 3rd
seat so you must bid the dreaded 2NT or 1NT
& hope partner bids again. The 2NT as passed hand is a silly bid as it gets
a weak 3rd seat opener up to the 3 level or playing in 2NT . 2NT is
a horrible spot to try & play a partial. Why not have 1 NT as a passed hand
as Goren played it (6-9 HCP &
non forcing ) ?
With
a 13 HCP 3rd seat opener , its best to get to the Meckwell type
games . 13 HCP opposite 11 or 12 HCP 3NT games are where Meckwell really shines. These
contracts make more often than not with inaccurate opening leads or bad defense
or good luck. In IMPS , bid your games just
in case they make. It is Match Point strategy to be accurate. In
IMPS & rubber Bridge just bid your games.
How do we get to these tight 3NT games as a passed hand ? Enter modified Drury. 2♣ still is Drury
but it also shows any other hand
in the invitational range. Opener
is no longer allowed to jump to 4 of a major unless she really means it.
Fit
showing Drury is assumed in this style so you bid accordingly. As soon as the
Drury bidder bids NT , this means the other class of hands. This is also
applicable after the 2♦
bid which asks where you would accept a game try. 3NT is bid with very soft
values or 2NT with controls & a non fit.
This
leaves the 2NT bid as a passed hand open for something useful. Maksymetz plays
the bid as 5-5 in the minors. My preference is to use 2NT to show a 2♣/3♣ that
is not suitable for NT. Drury takes away this bid but now includes hands with
clubs that are NT suitable. This
bid takes weak club hands out of the 1NT response structure. x xxx xxx KQJ10xx and partner opens 1♠. Why not bid 2NT saying
you were about to bid 2♣/3♣ but Drury gets in your way. A little better hand xx Kxx Jx KQJ10xx and you would bid 2♣ followed by a NT bid.
Club hands
have always been a problem playing Drury.
Even
with a diamond hand , if it is suitable for NT , you should bid 2♣. This has
the inference that 2♦
and a rebid of 3♦
as a passed hand is pretty well drop dead. In fact 2♦ can be dropped by partner knowing there is not a good diamond
hand over there with a potential for a NT game. The 1NT bid as a passed hand is really clarified now. Gone
are the good hands and the hands where the club or diamond suit is the only
feature of the hand. 3 card or better fit is covered by Drury so a 1NT is
exactly as Charlie Goren played it 50 years ago. I hate the forcing NT anyway L .