Structure 7G79 Main

Junkyard Defense

by Richard Pavlicek

In a Nutshell

Top-level bridge can be a nightmare with all the different gadgets people throw at you. Rather than devote time creating a defense to each one, I try to generalize whenever possible. My “junkyard defense” applies to artificial two-bids (see list below). The structure may not be best for all situations, but it’s at least reasonable; and most important, having uniform methods that apply throughout will avoid misunderstandings.

In Detail

The junkyard defense applies to opening two-bids that do not show 5+ cards in the suit bid nor a specific one-suited hand. The current list includes:

Flannery 2 (5+ hearts, 4 spades)
Roman 2 2 (3 unknown suits)
Precision 2 2 (3 known suits)
Meckwell 2 (3 suits, 2 of which known)
Meckwell 2 (weak preempt any suit)
Multi 2 (unknown major, may include strong option)

Note that Flannery 2 (not included) is treated as a natural two-bid.

2 ¹ ?
analogous for all such 2-bids
1. on junk list

Dbl
Cue 2 level
Cue 3 level
Cue 4 level
Suit
2 NT
Jump suit
3 NT

15+ HCP, nondescript
two-suited overcall
three-level cue overcall
highest + other
13-18, 6+ (good 5) cards
15-18, usually 5+ minor (system on)
6+ strong cards, 1 trick shy of bid
15-20, usually long suit (natural responses)

Suit is a “cue-bid” only if opener showed 5+ cards in it, which for the current list would be only hearts for Flannery.

Pass followed by a double of a natural suit is takeout thru 4 .

After enemy response

2 ¹ Pass 2 NT ?
analogous for all such 2-bids
1. on junk list

Any same as above

2 ¹ Pass 2 ² ?
analogous for any NF suit response
1. on junk list
2. nonforcing

Dbl
Other
takeout thru 4
same as above

Structure 7G79 Main Top Junkyard Defense