[Zelandakh]

rmnka447, on 2013-March-12, 19:02, said:

I'll admit part of my views on WJSs stems from playing weak opening NT (12-14) for many years. Because in this milieu, one of a minor openers tend to be stronger, restricting WJSs to the lighter variant avoids potentially missing games opposite a stronger WJS.

Funnily enough, the first time I saw the stronger version in print, the specific example they gave was reaching a thin game that would be very difficult to get to playing standard methods. Being an English book, the context was essentially weak NT. FWiiW, in my strong club system I play 2M as WJSs with a max of around 7 over an unbalanced 1♦ opening in combination with a weak NT.

[fromageGB]

I play a weak JS in response to a 1♣ open, and that is assumed to be 6 cards 5-8 hcp. I must be a European !
It would be interesting to see the results of a match between Europeans and Americans playing nothing but prepared hands of this type.

[the_clown]

wyman, on 2013-March-09, 21:07, said:

So playing wjs, 1x-2s is any less than inv hand w 6+ spades? How do we tell Kxxxxx and out from Axxxxx/Qx/x/Qxxx?

WJS are wide ranging the way I play them. Sometimes I will miss a close game when responder has max, but very often, it will get us to the right contract very fast while leaving little room to the opponents.

[fromageGB]

Stephen Tu, on 2013-March-12, 12:42, said:

The European style comes up a ton more often and puts pressure on 4th hand, it might be their hand, but less often than over super-weak wjs. Furthermore, the European style lets you play an invitational 2M on the second round of bidding (I think usu over responder's non-1nt rebids only), allowing a lower escape on declined misfitting invites, as well as a forcing natural 3M avoiding occasionally awkward/ambiguous 4th suit forcing sequences.

Important points, and expanding on this, the defined narrower ranges make it easier to decide when game it there, and that they (depending on treatment) allow a 2M bid to be invitational, and left when there is a fit but a minimum opener, rather than get to the more risky 3 level.

For example (transfer walsh style in a 15/16 NT context) :
1♣ 2♠ = 6 card 5-8 hcp. Opener can pass, or move further with the 17+ hand
1♣ 1♥(=spades) 1♠(2 or 3, 12-14 hcp) 2♠ = invitational 6 card 9-12 hcp.
Opener with 2 spades can pass, or invite with 3♠ on a good 14, but can invite with 3♠ on any 3 card fit 12/13, or bid 4♠ with 14.

If your WJS is American, it is difficult to see how, when you have the stronger hands, that the ranges can be narrow enough to allow meaningful investigation and yet still allow play at the 2 level opposite a minimum.