We play a Standard American natural system, with 2C as the artificial strong opening and a few gadgets. The basic framework is as suggested for Flint-Pender, described by Jeremy Flint about forty years ago. Key features include:
• 5-card majors with 1NT response forcing
• weak no-trump with three-suit transfer responses
• 1NT rebid has extended range, 13-17
This relatively simple basis allows for some accurate bidding, and easily accommodates some gadgets for fun and profit. Key conventions we employ include:
• 4th suit forcing
• Inverted minor suit raises
• Roman Key Card Blackwood, 1430 version
• Redwood 1430 when a minor suit has been agreed
1NT Rebid
The Flint-Pender formulation is that after 1plum – 1grape; 1NT shows 13-17hcp. Per the ACBL, this range has to be announced, since it is “non-standard” but overlaps what they consider to be standard.
Responses
Regardless of what suits have been bid, responder always has two artificial inquiries available.
2C – range inquiry. Opener bids 2D with 13-14hcp, 2NT with 17hcp, with 15-16hcp he bids two of responder’s major holding 3-card support, or two of the other major when lacking support. (If the bidding started 1C-1D, he bids two of his better major.)
2D – checkback Stayman, forcing to game. Responder is looking for a 4-card major that opener hasn’t mentioned, or for 3-card support for responder’s major.
1 Minor Opening
1 minor is natural, 3+ cards. We generally open the better minor, 1D holding 4-4 in the minors or 1C holding 3-3. Opener should have 11-20hcp in an unbalanced hand, or 15-20 balanced.
Responses
1major response may be weak (5+hcp) 4-card suit. With a balanced hand, opener will generally rebid 1NT (13-17) or 2NT (18-20), relying on subsequent inquiry mechanisms to return to a major suit if that is advisable.
1NT response to 1C shows about 8-10hcp. Holding 5-7hcp, responder may have to improvise a response in a 3-card suit to keep the auction open below 1NT.
Raises are inverted. Simple raise shows 10+hcp, 4-card support, and subsequent bidding revolves around stoppers for no-trump, unless or until one partner bypasses 3NT. Double raises are pre-emptive, 4-6hcp and often 5-card support.
Major-suit jump-shift responses are pre-emptive, based on a 6-card (or longer) suit and 0-5hcp. Jump-shifts to the other minor are pre-emptive raises of the opened minor, showing 7-9hcp and often 5-card support.
2NT response is natural and invitational, 11-12hcp. 3NT response is natural, 13-15hcp. In practice, both of these responses are very rare, and may be given an alternative (conventional) use if we find one we like.
1 Major Opening
1major opening is natural, 5+ cards, 11-20hcp usually.
Responses
1S over 1H may be weak (5+hcp) 4-card suit. With a balanced hand, opener will generally rebid 1NT (13-17) or 2NT (18-20), relying on subsequent inquiry mechanisms to return to a major suit if that is advisable.
2-over-1 suit responses are “meaty but not game-forcing”. In practice, most auctions will go to game, but it is possible to stop below game when responder is minimum (about 11hcp) and opener shows a minimum opening.
1NT response to 1major is forcing for one round, and handles many balanced responding hands plus unbalanced hands that are too weak for a 2-over-1 response. But part of the power of 1NT forcing is that it can handle some stronger responding hands. Responder can bid 1NT and then 2NT to indicate a 10-12hcp invitational hand, or 1NT and then 3NT to show 13-15hcp. 1NT and a jump to 3 of opener’s major would be a limit raise with 3-card support. And 1NT and then 4 of opener’s major, would show 3-3-3-4 distribution and game-going high-card strength, sometimes called a “pudding” raise.
Direct raises are standard limit raises.
Double-jump-shift responses, including 1H-3S and 1S-4H, are splinter raises, indicating a raise to game that includes 4+card support and a (bid) singleton.
Jump-shift responses are pre-emptive, based on a 6-card (or longer) suit and 0-5hcp.
The 2NT response is Jacoby-Roman, 12+hcp and 3+card support.
The 3NT response is currently undefined.
Other sequences
We don’t play Drury. However, 2-over-1 responses from a passed hand imply some support for opener’s suit (on the grounds that without that fit, no passed hand can be strong enough to give a 2-over-1), and if opener retreats to 2major, responder should realize that the opening bid is dead minimum or sub-minimum. By implication, opener should not simply rebid 2major when he is full value and doesn’t want to stop there.
1NT Opening
1NT opening is natural, 12-14hcp. Opener will very rarely have a 5-card major, but can have a 5-card minor in a 5-3-3-2 distribution. Rarely, 1NT may be opened with an off-shape hand, 5-4-2-2 or 6-3-2-2 where the long suit is a minor. Occasionally, opener might upgrade an 11-count with a 5-card suit.
Responses
2C is Stayman, generally either weak or strong, promises a 4-card major. New suits by responder at the two level are weak, at the three level are strong.
2D, 2H are major-suit transfers. Transfer then second suit is invitational+, forcing for one round. Transfer and single raise is 6-card suit, forcing to game, strong slam try.
2S is transfer to clubs. Opener completes the transfer with 3+ clubs, bids 2NT with a doubleton. Responder may pass 3C or bid 3D as weak takeout which opener must pass. Transfer followed by 3major is a splinter, game forcing, implying a strong 6-card minor suit (unspecified). Transfer followed by 3NT is game-forcing 5-5 with both minors.
2NT is natural and invitational, 11-12hcp.
3C, 3D are weakly invitational with a broken 6-card suit. Opener should only accept with good support.
3H, 3S are splinters, game forcing, with strong 4-4 or 5-4 in the minors.
3NT is natural, 13-18 balanced.
4C is Gerber.
4D, 4H are Texas transfers.
4S is unused.
4NT is natural, invitational to 6NT. If opener decides to accept, he may show aces as per Blackwood, and if responder then bids 5NT he must pass. Or opener may jump to 6minor to show a 5-card suit, offering a choice of slams.
5NT is forcing to 6NT, invitational to 7NT.
6NT and 7NT are natural.
2NT Opening
2NT opening is natural, 20-22hcp. Opener may have a 5-card major, and occasionally 2NT may be opened with an off-shape hand, 5-4-2-2 or 6-3-2-2 where the long suit is a minor. With 20hcp, opener has a choice between opening 1minor and rebidding 2NT or opening 2NT. Generally, responder will treat the 2NT rebid as 18-19 and the 2NT opening as 21-22, trusting opener to downgrade or upgrade 20-counts appropriately.
Responses
3C is Stayman.
3D, 3H are major suit transfers.
3S is a relay indicating a minor-suit hand.
3NT is natural
4C is Gerber
4D, 4H are transfers
4S is unused.
4NT is natural, invitational to 6NT.
5NT is forcing to 6NT, invitational to 7NT.
6NT and 7NT are natural.
2C Opening
The 2C opening is artificial and forcing to game in almost all sequences. Opener should have 23+hcp balanced, or 22+hcp unbalanced, or 18+hcp unbalanced in a hand that is within one trick of game. These unbalanced hands will have at most 4 losers, and usually 3 or less.
Responses
2H, 2S, 3C, 3D are natural positives showing 8+hcp and a suit of at least 5 cards headed by two top honors. 2NT is a natural positive showing 7-9+hcp balanced. Bidding continues naturally, and should almost always finish in a slam.
2D is a relay, negative or waiting, indicating that responder is unable to make one of the above positive responses. Opener’s rebids are essentially natural, with a couple of exceptions.
After 2C-2D, opener rebids:
• 2NT is 23-24hcp balanced
• 3NT is 27-28hcp balanced
• 2H is Kokish, either game forcing with hearts or game forcing balanced.
• Responder will normally relay with 2S, when 2NT shows 25-26hcp balanced, 3NT shows 29-30 balanced, and a suit bid is a natural second suit indicating that the 2H bid showed hearts.
• Responder can break the relay over 2H only with a very weak (0-3hcp) minor suit hand and no tolerance for hearts. Bidding 3C or 3D shows a 7+card suit headed by at best the queen.
• 2S, 3C, 3D are natural (5+cards)
• 3H, 3S show a 4-card suit with longer diamonds. This is a gadget to make sure that a 4-4 major fit doesn’t get lost when opener’s longest suit is diamonds.
After opener rebids 2NT, responder bids as after a 2NT opening. After opener rebids 3NT, 4C is Stayman, 4D, 4H are transfers.
2D, 2H, 2S Opening
We play standard weak 2s, a 6-card suit headed by two of the top three honors or three of the top five. Strength is 5-9hcp not vulnerable, 6-10hcp vulnerable.
Higher Openings
We play fairly sound standard pre-empts, plus the Gambling 3NT.
Competitive Bidding
We are playing overcalls as pretty standard. Simple overcalls are generally around 8-16hcp with a 5-card suit. Jump overcalls are weak with 6+cards, similar to a weak 2 opening. 1NT overcall is 15+-18hcp, systems on, in direct seat, about a king less in balancing seat.
We play Michaels cue-bids and the Unusual No-trump. Opponents’ minor openings showing 3+cards are treated as natural, and the UNT then shows the two lowest unbid suits. If the opponent’s minor suit may be two cards or less, the UNT shows both minors. Note that cue-bids are Michaels in both 2nd and 4th seats, but 2NT is generally Unusual only in 2nd seat, being natural and strong (about the same as a 2NT opening) in 4th seat.
We also play Leaping Michaels over opponents’ natural (not strong) 2-bids.
Our defence to 1NT is Landy.
When the opponents intervene in our auctions, we play in simple and fairly standard fashion. Doubles are negative through 3S, responsive through 2S. We don’t play support doubles or maximal doubles. Over an opponent’s takeout double, we play Jordan 2NT. Redouble usually shows 10-14hcp and a desire to penalize the opponents.
When the opponents intervene over 1NT, we play Lebensohl with slow denies.
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