In SAYC, the 2♣ opening is a strong opening bid with 22+ points. The strong suit can be any of the 4 suits.
Before playing with a new partner, it is suggested to ask if the new partner bids Strong-2's or Weak 2's:
• Strong 2's use a 2-suit opening to indicate about 20+ points where the bid suit is the strong suit.
• Weak 2's use the 2-suit opening for a hand with less than 12 points and a 6-card suit. The exception is the 2♣ opening bid, which is reserved for 22+ points and an un-named strong suit. This bidding system was encouraged by Goren in his 1985 book. This bidding system of "Weak 2's" is part of SAYC.
(Note: When playing Weak 2's, an opening bid of 2 ♦ , 2 ♥ , or 2 ♠ indicates a hand with a 6-card suit and less than opening count (6 to 11 HCPs).
To qualify for the artificial 2♣ opening, the opener must meet one of three conditions:
• 22+ HCPs and not necessarily a club suit.
• 2♣ equivalent: 9 quick tricks for a major suit (hearts or spades): a "22+ points equivalent" hand
• 2♣ equivalent: 10 quick tricks for a minor suit (clubs or diamonds): a "22+ points equivalent" hand
Responding to a 2♣ Opening
The 2♣ opening is an artificial, demand bid. The partner cannot leave the opener in this bid, it would be a disaster. The partner must make sure the opener can bid again. If the partner's right hand opponent bids PASS, the partner MUST bid something, even with a bust hand (zero points).
There are several ways the partner can respond to the 2♣ opening. Before the playing session begins, make sure the partnership agrees on which convention to use:
• 2 Diamonds Waiting (point range and 5-card suit). This convention indicates the partner's point range and searches for the partnership's 8+card suit fit while trying to keep the stronger opening hand out of the dummy. This convention is part of Standard American Yellow Card (and Goren 1985).
• 3 Point Step (point range only). This simple convention indicates the partner's point count range only, and relies on the opener's experience and intuition to determine the contract to play. This convention, a commonly used response sytem in "party" bridge, is not part of Standard American Yellow Card.
• 2 Diamond Bust (point range and 5+card suit). This simple convention indicates the partner's point range and 5-card suit without worrying about which player ends up as dummy. This convention is not part of SAYC.