THE EVOLUTIONARY SUITE BIDDING SYSTEM ver 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
A. INTRODUCTION
B-1. NOMENCLATURE, DEFINITIONS & TERMS
B-1-a. FULL GLOSSARY
C. GENERAL GUIDELINES
D. OPENING BIDS OVERVIEW
E. OPENER BIDS & RESPONDER BIDDING
E1. OPENING & RESPONDING TO 1C
E2. OPENING & RESPONDING TO 1D
E3. OPENING & RESPONDING TO A MAJOR
E4. OPENING & RESPONDING TO NO TRUMP
E5. OPENING & RESPONDING TO 2C
E6. OPENING & RESPONDING TO 2D
F. COMPETITIVE BIDDING
F1. SACRIFICING
F2. WEAK OPENING PREEMPTS
G. CONTENDER BIDDING
G-1-a. SIMPLE OVERCALLS OF SUIT AT 1-LEVEL
G-1-a-1. WEAK-JUMP OVERCALL OF SUIT BID
G-1-a-2. SIMPLE OVERCALL OF SUIT BID
G-1-a-3. 1NT OVERCALL OF SUIT BID
G-1-a-4. DOUBLE OF SUIT BID
G-1-b. TWO-SUITED OVERCALLS OF BID AT 1-LEVEL
G-1-b-1. OVERCALL TO SUIT BID AT 1-LEVEL
G-1-b-2. HAMILTON OVERCALL OF 1NT OPENING
G-1-b-3. DONT OVERCALL OF 1NT OPENING
G-1-c. OVERCALLS OF PREEMPTIVE OPENING
G-1-c-1. LEAPING MICHAELS.
G-1-c-2. NON-FORCING OVERCALLS.
G-1-c-2a. SIMPLE SUIT BID OVER 2-LEVEL BID
G-1-c-2b. 2NT BID OVER OVER 2-LEVEL BID
G-1-c-3. FORCING OVERCALLS.
G-1-c-3a. DOUBLE OF 2-LEVEL BID
G-1-c-3b. DOUBLE OF 3-LEVEL BID
G-1-c-3c. CUE BID OVER 2-LEVEL BID
H. SPOILER (aka ADVANCER) RESPONSES TO:
H-1-a.SIMPLE OVERCALLS OF SUIT
H-1-a-1. WEAK JUMP OVERCALL
H-1-a-2. SIMPLE OVERCALL
H-1-a-3. 1NT OVERCALL
H-1-a-4. 1-LEVEL TAKE-OUT DOUBLE
H-1-b. TWO SUITED OVERCALLS
H-1-b-1.TWO SUITED OVERCALLS OF A SUIT
H-1-b-2. HAMILTON/DONT OVERCALL OF 1NT
H-1-c. OVERCALLS OF PREEMPTS
H-1-c-1. LEAPING MICHAELS OVER PREEMPT
H-1-c-2. NON-FORCING OVERCALL OF PREEMPT.
H-1-c-2a. SIMPLE SUIT BID OVER 2+ LEVEL BID
H-1-c-2b. 2NT BID OVER 2-LEVEL BID
H-1-c-3. FORCING OVERCALL TO PREEMPT
H-1-c-3a. "DOUBLE" OF 2-LEVEL BID
H-1-c-3b. "DOUBLE" OF 3-LEVEL BID
H-1-c-3c. CUE BID OVER 2-LEVEL BID
I1. OPENING PAIR COUNTER-MEASURES
I2. CONTENDING PAIR COUNTER-MEASURES
J. ACE ASKING
K. USELESS
L-1. UPDATES
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A. INTRODUCTION:
This is the culmination of years of work in sorting out the best bridge bidding conventions,
while at the same time creating new or modifying old conventions. Many existing bidding
conventions are good & provide good information without jeopardizing the entire system.
Others are good up to a point, but then fail to take advantage of more efficient bidding.
These are the ones that need modification.
And then there are those which take up too much bidding room or have the wrong goal in mind.
Finally, there are areas in the bidding for which there is no desirable existing convention.
With so many conventions and with so many head-strong partners, it has been very difficult
to piece these conventions together in a non-conflicting, meaningful manner and test them.
Nevertheless, I have been able to do so under live playing conditions.
CLARIFICATION ON TWO-OVER-ONE RESPONSES (aka 2/1):
I am no fan of 2/1 which was introduced in the 1980s as an adjustment to what
was otherwise a perfectly good bidding system. There was much done to contort
the existing bidding system to make room for 2/1, specifically, the increase in
the point range from 6-9 to 6-12 points of the 1NT response and making it a forcing
bid, where it had been one of the weakest responses possible. This change is
most objectionable for the following reasons.
- 2/1 responses do not apply when there has been interference or when the opening
is in 3rd or 4th seat, in which case a 1NT response is not forcing &
reverts back to being non-forcing 7-9 points.
- The 2/1 1NT/1D FORCING response denying a 4-card major & showing 6-12 points conflicts
with the 2D INVERTED MINOR response which shows 10+ points and is forcing 1 round.
The only difference between the two responses is the placement of one minor card, ie,
(3-,3-,3-,4+) vs (3-,3-,4+,3-). To play overlapping forcing point counts is a ridiculous
proposition.
- There is no point to 2C/1D being game forcing & denying a 4-card major with 13 points, because it takes
29+ points to make game at the 5-level in a minor. "Oh" you say. "You might have a 3NT contract". Hog wash.
If you don't have both majors stopped, you are committed to 5 in a minor. with only 26 points. Therefore,
2/1, if played, should only apply to the majors and for less than superior fit responses.
EXAMPLE: Opener (Jx,Qx,AKQJT,xxxx) = 13 points , Responder (Qx,Jx,xxxx,AKQJT) = 13 points
1D => 2C Game Forcing => 3C => 4C => 5C DOWN 2.
Better the bidding go 1D => 2C Forcing 1 Round => 3C => Pass
There has been only one time that I almost found a reason for playing 2/1, and that was where a strong
responder seeking slam needed to EXPLICITLY confirm the suit agreement before asking for key cards.
But since then, I have found another way to confirm suit without 2/1 before asking for key cards.
So much for 2/1.
If there is a real need for a game forcing response I would say let it be 2D/1H or 2D/1S.
This returns to the old system of 1NT being a bare response & 2C & 2H being forcing 1 round.
No matter, with the exception of the 1C opening, 2/1 & any such game forcing bids are not included herein.
But do not misunderstand. Certainly it should be acknowledged that in any bidding system
a 1st or 2nd seat "passed" hand has limited their subsequent bids to less than opening points.
We just don't need a special game forcing system to remind us of that.
That being said,
If you want TWO-OVER-ONE I would refer you to Max Hardy's book.
Meanwhile, I continue to strongly advocate the use of INVERTED MINOR RAISES & INVERTED BERGEN
RAISES, in conjunction with 2NT LEBENSOHL WEAK JUMP SHIFTS. In addition, I continue to
press the solutions I have for the forcing 1C and 2C opening, eliminating the free-for-all
bidding that occurs when 2C is opened.
With regard to the 2C opening, I have made it a limited bid showing 19-24 high card points,
ie, no longer 22+ points. This change impacts the point range of the 1D, 1H, or 1S opening
now limiting those openings to no more than 18 points. The same holds true for the 1C opening,
except for when opener has 25+ points, ie, game in hand. Where before any suit opening
followed by a 19+ jump shift (after a non-pass response promising 6+ points) was game forcing
because the combine point count was 25 or more, the positive responses are now up to 7+ points,
ie, 18 + 7 = 25 points. However, for those old timers we remind them that a "good 6 points" is
rounded up to 7 points. Any opener jump rebids, be they raises, shifts, or reverses, are now no
more than 18 points, except for the 1C opener making an extraordinary jump.
This gives much greater bidding ability to the unbalanced 16-18 point hand.
With regard to strong balanced hand openings, I revert back to the days before Weak-2 Openings were introduced.
ie,
1NT = 16-18 (not 15-17).
The 19-21 point range is accommodated by the 2C opening.
2NT = 22-24 (not 20-21).
Note the direct relationship between points and relative bid value.
I believe the reader will eventually see how the pieces fit together like a jig saw puzzle
in a most efficient manner & the consistency in logic in how this suite is constructed.
To those who do adapt to it, I say "HAPPY BIDDING".
B-1. NOMENCLATURE, DEFINITIONS & TERMS.
a. NOMENCLATURE:
SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS & ACRONYMS:
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b. DEFINITIONS:
At this point we assume the reader is familiar with some basic bridge terms.
Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that even the most expert player
review the definitions herein.
BIDDING TERMS:
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1] The "OPENER"
2] The "CONTENDER"
3] "PLAYER SEATING POSITIONS"
4] A "TRICK"
5] "BID-LEVEL"
6] CONTRACT(S):
A "PARTIAL"
A "GAME"
A "SLAM"
7] "HONOR"
8] A "CONTROL"
9] A "QUICK-TRICK"
10] HAND TYPES BASED ON POINTS:
"BUST"
"SUPER-WEAK"
"WEAK"
"WEAK-2"
"INVITATIONAL"
"OPENING"
"STRONG"
"SUPER-STRONG"
"GAME"
11] SUIT LENGTH CATEGORIES:
"LONG SUIT"
"NOMINAL LENGTH"
"SUPPORTIVE LENGTH"
"DOUBLETON"
"SHORT SUIT"
12] HAND TYPES BASED ON SHAPE:
"BALANCED"
"SEMI-BALANCED"
"3-SUITED"
"2-SUITED"
"COMPANION-SUITED"
"1-SUITED"
13] INVERTED, REVERSED , UP-SIDE-DOWN:
"INVERTED"
"REVERSED"
"UP-SIDE-DOWN"
14] "DISPARATE INVERTED SUIT LENGTHS or SHAPE"
15] "SPLIT"
16] SUPPORT:
"MARGINAL-SUPPORT"
"ADEQUATE-SUPPORT"
"EQUAL-SUPPORT"
"SUPERIOR-SUPPORT"
17] FIT(S):
"MARGINAL-FIT"
"ADEQUATE-FIT"
"EQUAL-FIT"
"SUPER-FIT"
"MISFIT"
18) RAISE(S):
"SIMPLE-RAISE"
"DELAYED-LIMIT-RAISE"
"IMMEDIATE LIMIT-RAISE"
BERGEN-MAJOR-SUIT-RAISES
INVERTED-MINOR-RAISES
19] "BIDDING UP-THE-LINE"
20] BIDDING CALL(S):
"BID"(S)
"DOUBLE"(S)
"TAKEOUT DOUBLE"
"NEGATIVE DOUBLE"
"RESPONSIVE DOUBLE"
"SUPPORT DOUBLE"
"REDOUBLE"
NATURAL BIDS:
"SIMPLE BID"
"JUMP BID"
"PREEMPTIVE BID"
"REBID"
"THRESHOLD BID"
ARTIFICIAL BIDS:
"1C OPENING"
"2C OPENING"
"2C DRURY"
"CUE BID"
"MICHAELS"
"TAKE-OUT DOUBLES"
"3-CARD LIMIT-RAISES"
"WESTERN-CUE"
"UNUSUAL 2NT BID"
"LEBENSOHL 2NT"
"STAYMAN"
"TRANSFERS"
"HAMILTON"
"NORMAL MINOR RAISES"
"INVERTED MINOR RAISES"
"NORMAL BERGEN RAISES"
"INVERTED BERGEN RAISES"
"TEMPORIZING DELAYED BID"
"OGUST"
"ACE-ASKING"
FULL GLOSSARY
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Back To
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
C-1. GENERAL GUIDELINES:
a. INDIVIDUAL HAND EVALUATION:
COUNT YOUR LOSERS:
With big hands it is easier to count losers. If you have a
4-loser hand with a 7 card suit, consider opening at the 4-level
hoping to catch your partner with just 1 QT.
POINT COUNT ASSIGNMENT TO HONOR CARDS:
Ace = 4 points, King = 3, Queen =2, & Jack = 1
Given these card values, each player will compute the total point value of their hand.
It should be noted that on this basis, there are no more than 40 high card points
in the entire deck. So the question becomes, "which partnership has 20+ points?".
The assumption is if a partnership has 20+ points, then they should take 1/2 the
tricks or more.
DELAY COUNTING SHORT SUITS:
In first evaluating their point count, players should
not count any points for shortness in a suit until they
have determined a fit with partner. In a fit with partner,
the player can count his singleton/void as a king, ie 3 points.
Doubletons are worthless.
POINT COUNT QUALITY.
It behooves the partnership to consider the content of their individual
point count, especially at the higher bid levels. In the absence of having a
quick trick, I suggest deducting 1 point.
b. THE POINT-COUNT SCALE & DIVISION INCREMENTS:
For the purposes of partnership communication, the entire range of 40 points
must be divided into specific increments no greater than 4-point spreads at
levels above 25 points & no greater than 3-point increments at levels below
25 points.
Charles Goren originated the point-count system wherein the entire range of
40 points was more or less uniformly divided. His reasoning went thus:
If a partnership had all the 40 points less a king, ie 37 points, they could
take all of the tricks.
With one less ace, ie 33 points, they could take 12 tricks.
With a second less ace. ie, 29 points, they could take 11 tricks.
And with a third less ace, ie, 25 points, they could take 10 tricks.
From this point on, he started deducting kings, ie, 3 points for each king,
right on down to zero. And that was it. So from 24 to 0 points, this range
is broken into equal 3-point increments.
However, in the last 35 years, the tidiness of Goren's 3-point increments has
been completely messed up by arguments over 1-point differences. So we now see
players opening 1NT with 15-17 points instead of 16-18 points as Goren originally
posited & 2NT with 20-21 points instead of 22-24 points. The apparent reason for
this seems to stem from these players not being able to deal with 3-points increments
when it comes to invitational bidding. So what they have created is a hodge-poge
mix of 3-point increments with 2-points increments. Very messy.
So, here is the answer to their 3-point dilemma.
DEALING WITH 3-POINT SPREADS:
Point ranges being in increments of 3 can present a
problem when in the middle or at the top of the range.
Players in this situation should check their hand for
tens & round up their points if they have one or more tens.
c. COMBINED POINTS TO BID-LEVEL TABLE:
Once the partner's have evaluated their individual hand's total point count,
they now attempt (through their bidding) to determine their combined strength
to see how many actual tricks, & hence bid-level, they might be able to take.
The following equates combined point-count to trick-taking-ability to bid-level.
21-22 points = 7 tricks = 1-level contract
23-24 points = 8 tricks = 2-level contract
25-28 points = = 9-10 tricks = 3-4-level contract = GAME LEVEL if 3NT or higher.
29-32 points = 11 tricks = 5-level contract
33-36 points = 12 tricks = 6-level contract = SLAM LEVEL.
37-40 points = 13 tricks = 7-level contract
d. OPENING BID POSITIONS & HI-CARD POINT REQUIREMENTS:
Simple opening bids at the 1-level in 1st or 2nd seat require 13-18 points.
However, a 1C opening may have 25+ points.
Simple openings in 3rd seat may begin at 10+ points with a 5-card suit.
Simple openings in 4th seat may begin at 10+ points with 4+ spades if partner's agree.
But just because 3rd or 4th seat might open light does not negate the upper
limits placed on 1st & 2nd seat openings.
1st through 3rd seats may open preemptively.
There is no justification for 4th seat to open preemptively.
e. WEAK PREEMPTIVE BIDS:
For the purpose of disrupting the opponents' bidding, any player may preempt
the bidding to a higher level, based upon reasonable criteria. Such bids are
considered "contention bids" in that they are preliminary sacrifice bids.
An opener may open with a WEAK-2 bid at the 2-level with 5-11
points and a 6 card suit having 3 of the top 5 cards in the suit.
With a 7+ card suit he can open at the 3-level. But he
must not go any further than the 3-level unless forced by partner.
Too many people make the mistake of going to the next higher level
just because they have more cards in their suit.
The same bid is allowed for the contender, only it is a WEAK-JUMP-OVERCALL.
In playing INVERTED-MINOR-RAISES, responder's jump raise with 7-9 points is
a WEAK-JUMP-RAISE & serves as a preempt. By the same token, in playing BERGEN
RAISES, responder can give a SUPER-WEAK-JUMP-RAISE with 4-6 points & 4+ card support.
EXAMPLE: 3D//1D = inverted minor jump raise ...... 3S/1S = super-weak jump raise
If not raising partner's suit, a responder can make a SUPER-WEAK-JUMP-SHIFT
to the 2-level in a new suit in which he has 6+ cards & 4-6 points.
EXAMPLE: 2S//1H = super-weak jump shift.
f. RESPONDER BIDDING TO PARTNER'S OPENING IN A SUIT AT THE 1-LEVEL:
1] PRIORITIES IN THE ABSENCE OF OPPONENT INTERVENTION:
a] RESPONDING TO 1H OR 1S OPENING WITH 4+ POINTS:
WITH 4+ CARD SUPPORT, RESPONDER MUST RAISE OPENER'S SUIT IMMEDIATELY.
WITH ONLY 3-CARD SUPPORT, RESPONDER MAY CHOOSE TO NOT RAISE THE MAJOR.
Go To
RESPONDING TO 1H OR 1S OPENING.
b] RESPONDING TO 1C WITH 0+ POINTS.
WITH LESS THAN 6 POINTS, RESPONDER MUST BID IF PARTNER OPENED 1C.
Go To
RESPONDING TO 1C.
c] RESPONDING TO 1D OPENING WITH 7+ POINTS:
In the absence of a 7+ card minor & with a 4+card major,
responder must BID UP-THE-LINE as described in the DEFINITIONS SECTION.
If responder has 5+ spades he must respond 1S disregarding all else.
With 5 spades & 6 hearts, responder should bid 1S, then bid hearts on his 2nd bid.
If responder has 4+ hearts & exactly 4 spades, then he should respond 1H.
Otherwise, with no 4-card major,
Go To
RESPONDING TO 1D.
d] DISPARATE INVERTED SUIT LENGTHS.
THE 7+CARD MINOR VERSES THE 4-CARD MAJOR:
Opener begins with 1C or 1D.
There should be no question that when responder has a 5+ card major or two 5+ card majors,
then responder should first bid the highest ranking major.
"But," you ask. "what if responder has 7+ cards in a minor & a only a 4-card major"?
Well, in the first place, we observe that there can be only 2 cards in the other suits.
Secondly, if responder's long minor is the same suit as opener's, the question
becomes moot, and responder should just ignore his 4-card major, because obviously
their strongly held long suit will be trumped by the opponents if it is not trump.
But if responder's long minor is not the same as opener's minor, then
the question becomes whether or not to bid UP-THE-LINE or bid his minor.
Certainly, if the partnership has a 4-4 major suit fit & if that major becomes
trump, there is a near certain risk of one of the opponents trumping the minor.
So a key question becomes, "How good of control does he partnership have over
the 4-4 major fit?, Does it have 1st round control" . And another question is,
"does the partnership have 1st round control of the long minor?".
These are questions that cannot be answered in the bidding unless responder has
the answers in his hand already? So if it appears that responder does have
1st round control in both his minor and major suits, then he can bid the
major. Otherwise he should bid his minor as if he has no 4-card major.
Assuming the latter case, over 1C responder with 10+ points and 7+ diamonds,
responder should bid 1D forcing followed by a rebid in diamonds. Otherwise,
he should preempt using LEBENSOHL by bidding 2NT followed by 3D.
But over 1D, with 10+ points & 7+ clubs, responder should bid 2C.
Otherwise, he should preempt bidding 3C.
Another point to consider is whether or not the partnership can make 3NT.
If responder has AK in the minor suit & another quick trick somewhere,
it might be possible to make 3NT. If that appears to be the case,
then responder should bid his 4-card major, if for no other reason than
to show length in the major.
e] OTHER RESPONDER CONSIDERATIONS: :
With less than 7 points, responder must "pass" unless opener began with 1C,
in which case responder must be 1D or bid a WEAK-JUMP-SHIFT to a 6+card suit that
he has. Otherwise, responder will only bid 1D if he has 6+ diamonds with 10+ points
& no 4+ card major. If responder has 7-9 points with 6+ diamonds, he will bid a
LEBENSOHL 2NT RELAY TO 3C, followed by bidding 3D.
With 7+ points, any new suit responder bids is forcing upon opener unless opponent intervenes.
This includes 1D over 1C, ie, 1D/1C.
If there is an opponent intervening bid in a suit at the 1-level, then responder can "DOUBLE" to
show an unbid 4-card major. But if responder has 5+ cards in that major, then he should bid it at
the 1-level if not prevented by opponent's bid. Otherwise, with less than 10 points, responder can
"DOUBLE" even though it is longer than 5 cards.
With less than 10 points & in the absence of having a major suit & no support for anything opener
has bid, responder can bid 1NT assuming he is able.
With 10+ points, responder can bid his 5+card major at the 2-level without jumping over
any opponent's lesser bid. Or he is safe to invite opener to game.
With 10-12 points & a balanced hand with no 4-card major, responder can first bid
a new minor suit forcing followed by bidding 2NT.
With 13+ points responder should definitely force opener to game by changing suits
or by jump rebidding his first bid suit.
2] CONSERVATION OF BIDDING SPACE. RESPONDER AVOID JUMPING IN NEW SUITS:
If your partner opens the bidding with a 1 level suit bid, unless your are raising
opener's suit or bidding no-trump, keep the first round of bidding low to enable
complete communication. Far too often a new player will jump shift because he has a
lot of points. WRONG!
" RESPONDER- DO NOT PREEMPT YOUR PARTNER'S OPENING BID UNLESS YOU ARE SUPER-WEAK & WANT OPENER TO PASS!".
Responder, your first job is to listen, not tell. Unless you are raising opener's suit,
giving a jump bid in a new suit disrupts your opener's ability to give a jump on his
2nd bid to show you a 16-18 point hand as opposed to having only 13-15 points. It is
sufficient that you give a non-jump bid in a different suit to force your partner to
bid again. Bidding UP-THE-LINE at the 1-level to find an immediate 4-4 major suit fit
is an absolute must. It makes no difference how big your hand is. There is no excuse
for cutting off your opening partner's ability to describe his point count and shape
on his 2nd bid. After opener's 2nd bid you are then clear to do whatever you like
depending upon what you now know the combined points to be.
3] OBSERVANCE OF THRESHOLD LEVELS:
Aside from the first round of bidding, the partnership should realize that in
passing up a NT bid they are going to the next level up making a "threshold bid".
And where raising a previously bid suit is not a big concern, for each level they
go up in a new suit, they should probably have 3 points (ie, a King) more to do so.
But this criteria can be difficult to abide by in going to the 3-level.
4] FAST ARRIVAL:
The principle of FAST ARRIVAL says that once you
find a fit with partner, you should not bid other suits
& betray your hand, unless there is a better possible
major suit fit. Far too often a responder will compete
against his partner despite knowing they have a fit already,
Once the best fit is found, the only other possible
reason for bidding other suits is to force to a higher level.
5] OPENER 2ND BIDS:
If opener has 4-card support for responder's major suit, then he MUST support it by giving
a SIMPLE-RAISE with 13-15 points or a JUMP-RAISE with 16-18 points. An exception might be
made if opener has a 7+ card suit of his own even though he has 4-card support for responder.
In the absence of having support for responder, opener will bid 1S over responder's 1H to
show having a 4-card spade suit, to which responder will raise if he also has 4 spades.
g. RESPONDING TO A WEAK-2 OPENING:
When responder has a hand with 3+ QTs, game is in site.
In such a case, a responder 2NT is a forcing request to opener
to further describe his hand. The partnership may agree upon
one of two systems in which the opener answers:
1] Responding with "features/stoppers".
2] OGUST responses.
Regardless of their choice, the responder should generally shy away
from bidding another suit unless it is 7+ long.
h. RESPONDER BIDDING TO NO-TRUMP & HIGHER LEVEL OPENINGS:
Typical responses to 1NT include:
1] STAYMAN- a #C that promises a 4-card major & ask opener if he has 4-card major.
2] TRANSFER- a bid in the suit under a 5+ card suit which opener must bid.
When responder has 5-4 in the majors, STAYMAN takes priority over TRANSFERS.
3] WEAK MINOR INVITES- a jump bid at the 3-level in a 6+ card minor suit
having 2 of the top 3 honors. Opener will bid 3NT if he has the other top honor.
For more info, refer to the TABLE OF CONTENTS & go to the area of interest.
i. RECAP OF FORCING BIDS:
ALL ACE ASKING BIDS
ALL LOW LEVEL (less than 3-level) DOUBLES/REDOUBLES
ALL HI-LEVEL (higher than 3-level) SOS REDOUBLES
OPENER FORCING BIDS:
1C OPENING
2C OPENING
SUPPORT DOUBLE/REDOUBLE
CUE-BID IN OPPONENT'S SUIT
RESPONDER FORCING BIDS:
NEW SUIT FORCING
JUMP REBID OF RESPONDER'S NEW SUIT
SIMPLE INVERTED MINOR RAISE 1C => 2C ..... 1D => 2D (alertable)
BERGEN 3C OR 3D RAISE OF MAJOR SUIT OPENING (alertable)
LEBENSOHL 2NT RELAY TO 3C (alertable)
NEGATIVE DOUBLE
TRANSFER BIDS
STAYMAN
CUE-BID IN OPPONENT'S SUIT
NOT FORCING:
Opener bidding NT or a new suit or jumping.
Responder bidding 1NT or 3NT
Any player making a simple non-jump rebid of their suit or partner's suit.
j. Who is the CAPTAIN?
A preemptive bidder can never be the captain.
The first partner to limit their hand's point range to within
3 points is the subordinate partner to the captain.
The no-trump opener is NEVER the captain.
The responder who immediately raises the opener's suit
or bids NT on his first bid is NEVER captain.
"Stay in your lane Bro"
The CAPTAIN is the partner who determines the max bid
level to which the partnership can go. He is the one
who ask for aces.
k. In the absence of a fit,
either no-trump is the best contract,
or being in a trump suit belonging to the weaker hand.
l. Always take pause in passing up 3NT.
Quite often a 5-3 fit
will make 3NT, but fail to make 4 in the suit. And without any
suit length mismatch, a 4-4 fit will most likely fail.
m. The partner who should play the contract
is he who can best absorb
the opening lead. Usually it is the stronger of the two hands.
n. GENERAL RULE Regarding Opponent's "Double."
If you like the double,
NEVER REDOUBLE except to tell partner you have a misfit.
If given at the very lowest level(s), it promises 10+ points.
If given at a higher level, it is an SOS REDOUBLE for partner to
pick another suit.
Back To
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
D1. OPENING BIDS & THE POINT COUNT SCALE.
a. In opening the bidding,
indeed in making any bid, three things are considered:
SHAPE, LOSERS, & POINTS.
b. The following chart shows how to open the combinations of shape & points.
It should be noted that the point count range spreads up to 24 are in increments
of 3. The opener's point range spread impacts the responder's invitational
point range by virtue of the fact that the responder's invitational point range
must be the compliment of the opener's point range relative to 25 points.
So, with a minimum opening point range of 13-15, the responder's game
invitational point range is 12-10 points. Any bigger point spread makes it
impossible for responder to logically invite opener to game with any degree
of accuracy.
c. With respect to INDIVIDUAL HAND SHAPES, there are 6 types:
BALANCED, SEMI-BALANCED, 3-SUITED, 2-SUITED, COMPANION SUITED, & 1-SUITED.
This matrix outlines how to opening bid the 6 hand shapes vs point count.