[Gilithin]

P_Marlowe, on 2023-July-04, 23:50, said:

If the auction starts with 1H, do you recommend 2C or 2D?

There is a rather well-known German player and teacher who will routinely respond 2♣ with ♠Kxx ♥xx ♦AKQJ ♣6542 or 2♦ with ♠Kxx ♥xx ♦6542 ♣AKQJ, with the aim of discouraging a lead in an eventual 3NT. This tendency is naturally never disclosed to the opponents in classic Mollo "Weaker minor I assume?" style. The optimal approach here might thus depend on how ethical you are...

P_Marlowe, on 2023-July-04, 23:50, said:

Since the strength of Acol 2/1 comes up regular, would it still be a 2/1 if you take away the jack,
replace it with a club or diamond?

The minimum standard for an Acol 2/1 is not set in stone and there are various schools of thought. In the traditional scheme, 8 points and a 5 card suit was plenty so dropping the ♦J for a club (♠xxx ♥xx ♦AKQ ♣96542) would be an easy 2♣ for those pairs. A more popular modern scheme is for a 2/1 to be GF opposite 15 balanced, in which case the hand is probably still worth 2♣ but if so is an absolute minimum. Another school of thought requires 10 (or a good 9 being upgraded) for a 2/1. In that case, the hand is borderline but probably only a 1NT response. Finally, there are versions of Acol where a 2/1 is forcing to 2NT - in that case the hand is surely not worth a 2/1. All of these methods have their pros and cons so saying a particular borderline hand is definitely 2/1, or definitely not, is just ignoring the reality. Acol is a family, not a single system.