Ekren convention


In the game of bridge, Ekren refers to a preemptive opening of 2 defined as 4-4, 4-5, 5-4 or 5-5 in the majors and 3-10 high card points. This conventional preempt was designed by Bjørn Olav Ekren from Norway and is an example of the modern style of highly aggressive preemptive bidding.

Responses

Responses to a 2 Ekren opening:
In responding to the 2NT relay the opener indicates whether he holds a minimum or a maximum, and - in case of a maximum - the distribution in the majors:

Modifications

Variants of Ekren include the use of the 2 opening to indicate a weak hand with at least a 4-4 in the majors. This treatment has the advantage that the left hand opponent of the opener can hardly gamble on the fact that he will get a second chance to bid.
Another variant that is popular in the Netherlands and Belgium is to accommodate the Ekren hands as a weak variant in the strong 2 opening. This leaves untouched the 2// openings which are commonly utilised in the Low countries as Multi 2 diamonds and Muiderberg openings. Also, a 2 relay is now available to responder that can be used to ask for the longest of the two major suits.