Back in the mid-90s, my bridge life looked very different. I was learning from Ron Klinger’s Basic Bridge, which drilled into me like a sergeant-major:
“A Strong Two shows 22+ points OR 8.5+ playing tricks.”
So I played proudly, opening Strong 2’s as if they were medals pinned to my chest.
Fast forward thirty years. A cruise from Southampton to the Adriatic, ten sea days, and an Irish director with a gift for teaching rekindled the obsession. When we got home, we joined a London club — and found ourselves surrounded by a world of Weak Two openers.
By the 1990s, Weak Twos weren’t just a fad — they were near-universal.
“Open 2♠ with 6-11 points and a decent six-card suit!” people urged. “It’s disruptive, it’s fun!”
But I resisted. What about my distributional monsters? What about those Strong 2 suitors? Too many sub-23 point freak hands risked dying at 1♣.
And then, I rediscovered Klinger’s elegant compromise:
This version of Benji lets you keep strong 2’s and still enjoy Weak 2’s:
| Opening | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2♣ | Game-forcing, usually unbalanced (20+ HCP, 8.5–9.5 playing tricks; also some 23–24 balanced) | Partner can respond strong naturally or wait with 2♦ |
| 2♦ | Strong, very powerful (23+ balanced or a 10+ PT hand) | Old-style 2♣ shifted to 2♦ |
| 2♥ / 2♠ | Weak two-bids (6–11 HCP, decent 6-card suit) | Classic preempts |
The beauty: Strong 2’s aren’t lost — they’re repackaged.
There are two tracks depending on whether responder bids strongly or offers the waiting (negative) reply.
If responder bids 2♦, opener describes by counting quick tricks:
| Opener’s rebid | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2♥ / 2♠ | 5+ suit, about 8.5 playing tricks |
| 3♥ / 3♠ | 6+ suit, exactly 9 tricks |
| 4♥ / 4♠ | 6+ suit, ~9.5 tricks |
| 3♣ / 3♦ | 6+ suit, 8.5–9.5 tricks |
| 4♣ / 4♦ | 9.5–10 tricks, unsuitable for 3NT |
| 5♣ / 5♦ | 10.5 tricks, 7+ suit, unsuitable for 3NT |
| 3NT | Long solid minor (4 top honours) with stoppers in two outside suits |
Example 1: Natural Strong Response Track
Opener Responder
2♣ 2♠ (natural, strong, 5+ spades)
3♠ 4♠ (fit confirmed, game or slam in sight)
Example 2: Waiting Response, Strong Major
Opener Responder 2♣ 2♦ (waiting, negative) 2♥ 3♥ (8.5 trick opener, fit found) 4♥ (game,