The Baron 2 Convention

By Michelle Brunner

Joyce Ballenden writes from South Africa: I have a problem understanding the Baron 2 response to a 1NT opening recommended in your book Bridge with Brunner, Acol Bidding for Budding Experts. Also, how does the opener know whether the responder has 11-12 points, or 18+ points following the initial 2 reply?

Dear Joyce,
Imagine you hold the following hand and hear partner open 1NT (12-14):

Hand A

A K J 2     K 6 5     A K J 2     4 3

A very nice 19-point hand with definite slam interest. That is, slam interest when you are either facing a maximum weak no-trump (when a contract of 6NT is a likely spot holding a combined total of 33 hcp), or when you have an eight-card trump fit (when even a minimum no-trump can often generate twelve tricks by virtue of ruffing power). So, what's it to be then? Stayman to discover the possible fit, or a quantitative 4NT call to discover partner's strength? Allow me to illustrate the potential problem by giving your partner two hands which would both be opened with 1NT:

Hand B     Q 6 5 4     A 4     Q 5 4     A 8 7 6

Hand C     6 5 4     A 4 3 2     Q 5     A Q 8 7

When Hand A is facing Hand B, a contract of 6 has excellent chances of success even though Hand B has only 12 hcp! Most bridge players would have no difficulty reaching this slam via the Stayman approach and the Blackwood convention to check for aces.

What contract would most bridge players reach on Hand A facing Hand C? Unless blessed with psychic powers, you'll be wheeling out the Stayman convention again but what on earth are you going to bid when partner responds 2x here? A moment ago the 4NT bid was rather useful as an ace-asking convention. What would you now give to have been able to respond with a quantitative bid before using Stayman?

My next case highlights those occasions when a minor-suit slam is on offer. For simplicity, I will just modify Hand B and call it Hand D:

Hand D

Q 5 4     A 4     Q 6 5 4     A 8 7 6

I expect that the majority of bridge players, holding Hand A, would sign off in 3NT when the initial Stayman response elicited 2 from the opener. Yet, 6 has the same chance of making as the major-suit slam when Hand A was facing Hand B and there are only eleven tricks available in no-trumps.

One last scenario concerns the possibility of having to play in 4NT - in other words, be forced to make ten tricks - when perhaps it would have been kinder to let opener play in 3NT. This inelegant situation arises when opener passes a quantitative 4NT (showing 19-20 hcp) holding a minimum (12 or 13 hcp). It is easy to construct hands when despite holding a combined total of 31 hcp you only have nine certain tricks! Look at the diagram below for a good example:

Hand C   6 5 4   A 4 3 2   Q 5   A Q 8 7  Hand A   A K J 2   K 6 5   A K J 2   4 3

Time to reveal the mystery of the Baron 2 response to 1NT, as I like to play it:

A Baron 2 response shows either a balanced hand of 11 or 12 hcp (with no major-suit interest), or 18+ hcp and any 4-4-3-2 distribution.

In answer to the second part of your question, Joyce, the 1NT opener has absolutely no idea which hand type responder holds until the next round of the auction. Opener is only obliged to respond 2NT holding a minimum 1NT and 3 (artificial, not showing clubs) with a maximum.

Armed with this information, responder, holding the invitational hand (11 or 12 hcp) will know exactly what to do. He will pass 2NT or correct 3 to 3NT. Easy.

If the responder has a slam-going hand (18+ HCP), he now has a different set of options. He can sign off in 3NT when opener is minimum or bid four-card suits up-the-line to find a fit. If a fit can be found, a slam might still be on the cards. After opener has indicated a maximum it is likely (though not a certainty) that the partnership will end up in a slam. Once again, suits can be shown in ascending order after opener has rebid 3, or responder might prefer to leap directly to 6NT and so give nothing away to the opponents.

I will readily concede that the use of the 2 bid for slam purposes is a fairly rare bird. But isn't it nice to know that there is a system out there which caters beautifully for those odd occasions without having to resort to guesswork and a bit of luck?