Advantages of Flannery 1. You fully describe your hand with one bid 2. It is easy to find a 4-4 fit 3. A response of 1 to a 1 opening bid promises 5 enabling opener to raise with 3 card support 4. A 2 Flannery bid has more pre-emptive value than a weak 2 bid. When you bid Flannery you are shutting out the opponents (presumed) minor suit(s). A weak 2 bid has little pre-emptive value against the opponents (presumed) major suit(s).
The Flannery Convention The Flannery 2 opening overcomes the problem of what to do with 4 Spades, 5 Hearts and a minimum opening count (11-15). e.g., with K 9 4 2 A Q J 4 2 K 9 5 8 open the bidding with 2. You must give up the weak 2 bid, but it rarely does much to keep the opponents from finding their (presumed) major suit fit. The gain comes in easily finding a 4-4 Spade fit on hands where opener is too weak to reverse into Spades. RESPONSES TO A FLANNERY 2 OPENING In many cases responder can place the contract immediately since he knows that opener is limited and knows opener s exact major suit distribution (at least most of the time more on this later). Bids of 3 and 3 are invitational asking opener to bid game with a maximum (14 or 15 points) or pass otherwise. 10 9 5 K 8 3 Q J 7 4 2 K 8 Bid 2 (ending the auction). You have too few points to contemplate bidding game and know that you have a 5-3 Heart fit. J 8 5 4 Q 2 J 8 7 5 4 9 6 Bid 2 You are in a 4-4 Spade fit and may keep the opponents from finding their Club fit at the 3 level.
J 4 3 9 Q J 8 7 2 K 8 5 4 Bid 2 Your best chance for a plus score. You might be missing a 5-3 or 5-4 Diamond fit, but that would have been hard to locate over a 1 opening anyway. K 5 2 Q J 3 2 A Q 8 3 10 2 Bid 4 You have a combined count of at least 24 points (counting a point for your doubleton Club), a 5-4 Heart fit and a key Spade honor across from partner s secondary Spade suit. A Bid of 3 Hearts (invitational) is possible, but seems a bit timid. Change the Queen of Diamonds to a small one and you would bid 3 8 6 7 Q J 8 7 4 6 2 K 8 3 Pass. Without Flannery the auction would go 1 Heart, 1 NT, Pass (unless you are playing 1 NT responses to a major suit opening bid as forcing). 1 NT is probably NOT your optimum contract. Q 8 Q 2 K 8 7 4 9 8 5 4 2 Bid 2 Ugh! The best of a bad lot. Don t risk bidding 2 NT (forcing as described below).
THE 2 NT FORCING RESPONSE TO A FLANNERY OPENING BID A response of 2 NT is artificial and forcing (and needs to be alerted). This bid asks opener to further describe his hand. Once responder hears this further description he must either place the final contract or launch a Blackwood sequence. When using Key-Card Blackwood, the partnership should reach an agreement on what the agreed suit is for purposes of showing the 5 th Ace or agree to revert to normal Blackwood. (Recommendation: Play that the agreed suit is Hearts.) Opener s responses to 2 NT are: 3 of a minor - Shows 3 cards in the minor suit bid, therefore showing 4-5-3-1 distribution (with a response of 3 ) or 4-5-1-3 distribution (with a response of 3 ). 4 of a minor - Shows 4 cards in the minor suit bid, therefore declaring a void in the other minor. 3 Shows precisely 5-4-2-2 distribution with a minimum point count (11-13). 3 - Shows precisely 5-4-2-2 distribution with a maximum point count (14 or 15). 3 NT Proclaims that you originally had 4 Spades and 6 hearts and felt pressed for a suitable opening bid. Yes, you can use Flannery with 6 Hearts and 4 Spades, but unless responder inquires via 2 NT he will assume you have only 5 Hearts. When you respond to the 2 NT inquiry with 3 NT Responder will place the contract. On rare occasions he will pass. The auction has proceeded: 2 D, Pass, 2 NT, Pass: K Q 8 4 A J 7 5 4 Q J 8 9
Q J 10 8 K Q J 8 5 A 9 5 2 Bid 4 A K 5 4 Q J 8 6 3 K 5 9 7 A Q J 8 K Q J 10 8 Q 8 7 6 A Q 8 5 Q J 9 7 5 4 K 8 7 Bid 3 NT POST SCRIPT A 1 response to a 1 opening bid should now promise a 5 card suit since, if opener has 4 Spades he will have the strength to reverse into Spades (e.g., 1, Pass, 1 NT, Pass, 2 ) since he did not use Flannery. That is, if opener has a 4 card suit in addition to his 5 card suit he will either bid Flannery initially (with 11-15 points) or show his Spades via a reverse (with 16 or more points). This agreement allows opener to raise a 1 response to 2 with 3 card support.