The BEST Two Diamond Bid -- Roy Wilson    



Hey, you're a bridge player... I have a question for you...
What's the best use for an opening two diamond bid?

There are about six to eight popular agreements for a 2 bid, but a couple of them require a strong hand with lots of points which means they don't occur very often.  That's a poor use for any bid.  Most of the other 2 agreements are quite complicated and give almost no information until the second round.  That's also a poor use for a bid.

Moreover, the players who devised these particular agreements recognized that opening 2 to show a 6-card suit with 6-10 HCP is also an awful way to use the bid --- It's not very preemptive and it gives the opponents a "picture" of your hand which they can take advantage of if they play the hand.

Is there a better use for this bid?
Yes!  There's a better way!
And there's a bonus...the Best way described here occurs more frequently than any other method.
The Best 2 bid was conceived and refined by four of us, perhaps 20-25 years ago, and only a couple of years ago a fifth player, Lisa Walker, helped us improve it.  It's natural, preemptive, occurs frequently and has good followup bids.  We named it The BEST Two Diamond Bid
  • Roy Wilson
  • John Barrow
  • Peter Szecsi
  • Herman Helber
  • Fred Theurkauf
  • Lisa Walker
  • The point count range has a limited value of 10-16 HCP, although
    one or two points more at the high end is okay.

  • The hand has a 5+card diamond suit, and denies a 4-card major.

  • If responder bids a major, it's a 5+ suit. Responses at the 2-level
    are only invitational, and responses at the 3-level are forcing.

  • Opener accepts the invitation with 13+ points and passes with a
    minimum hand.  (Note: Exactly 13 points is an "edge hand"... some
    are no better than holding 12 points, while others are as good as a
    14 point hand.)

  • If the opponents interfere, a double by responder is for penalty.
    (Because opener does not hold a 4-card major, there's no need for
    a takeout negative double.)

  • Responder's 3 call is an artificial probe for a 3NT contract...
    Opener cue bids either major with an honor and rebids 3NT with
    honors in both majors.
  • Opener denies a major suit stopper two ways: by either raising the
    artificial club call with a 4-card club suit, or by rebidding the diamond suit.

  • Responder's jump to 4 is Keycard Gerber.

    NOTE: Responder's jump to 4NT is not Blackwood... It's a question:
    "Do you have control of one or both majors?"  Opener bids either
    major if he has an ace or a void in that suit, or 5NT with controls in
    both majors.  With no control, opener always rebids the club suit -
    never the diamond suit - the final decision belongs to responder.


    Hands like the ones below occur more often then the ones usually described in conventional agreements, and you can describe them with a single opening call.










    Roy Wilson - Emerald Life Master

    •                 Since June 16, 2016 -- You are Visitor Number   13125