Text prepared for my friends from BBO. Topics: 1) cue-bids and splinters, 2) Blackwood and others slam askings, 3) strong 2 opening, 4) mini-multi and Polish two-suiters, 5) inverted minors, 6) lebensohl. "cue-bids and splinters" splinters - splinter is a non-natural jump to the 3- or 4-level, it shows shortness in the bid suit (0 or 1) and strength enouth to think about slam, it agrees the last-bid suit as trumps (needed good support) - examples: 1-1 - 3-4 = shortness in, we play 1-4 = shortness in, we play 1NT - 2-2 - 3 = shortness in, we play 1-1 - 1-4 = shortness in, we play. cue-bids - cue-bid is used to inform partner of slam interest as well as 1 st -round (ace or void) or 2 nd -round (king or singleton) stopper in the bid suit - it's a bid at 4-level or higher (or 3 if hearts are trumps) if trumps have been set or if this bid can't logically be a natural bid (in the latter case, it sets the last-bid suit as trumps), - for finding stoppers is used the principle of cue-bidding up the line, i.e. showing the cheapest stopper independent of the quality of its (1 st or 2 nd ) - continuation of showing cue-bids by partner's has to ensure a stopper in the omitted suit - repeating of a cue-bid promises 1 st -round stopper - in the example: 1-1 3-3 4-4... hearts are agreed by opener / spade cue-bid / diamond cue-bid but lack of club stopper / 1 st -round stopper in spades and a club stopper /... opponents intererfere by overcalling or doubling - overcalling: - other cue-bid = a stopper in the overcalled suit - PASS = lack of stoppers in the suit - doubling: - redouble = ace of this suit - next cue-bid = opponents won't be able to take 2 tricks in the suit (shortness or the queen) - PASS = asks about quality of the cue-bid, usually showing fast losers, cue-bidder s calls: - redouble = 1 st -round stopper - other cue-bid = 2 nd -round stopper (singleton or King-Queen), - returning to trumps = no chance this time (King without the Queen). Of course it is worth reading some examples (there are mamy examples in the Internet).
"Blackwood and others slam askings" I would like to describe now a newest version of Blackwood and some related topics. Blackwood 1430 If we set trumps, there are 5 key-cards (4 aces and the king of trumps) and 4NT asks about the number of key-cards. Responses: 1 st (5 ) = 1 or 4 key-cards 2 nd (5 ) = 0 or 3 key-cards 3 rd (5 ) = 2 or 5 key-cards without Q of trump 4 th (5 ) = 2 or 5 key-cards with Q of trump. After 5 / one can ask about Q of trumps: 1 st step (omitting agreed suit) = have you the queen of hearts? Responses: - the trump suit = no, - 5NT with no kings or side suit with king (sometimes only queen) = yes. One can also ask about number of side kings: 5NT = how many side kings? Responses in turn: 0 or 3 / 1 / 2. when 4NT is not Blackwood? When the last bid is a natural NT: 4 = how many aces? [responses in turn: 0 or 4 / 1 / 2 / 3] 4NT = natural invitation to 6NT 5NT = natural invitation to 7NT. When opponents interfere at high level, then 4NT plays other roles. exclusion Blackwood Let's assume that a trump suit is agreed and we have a void. If we want to ask about aces but the ace of void, we jump in the void suit at level 5 (exceptionally 4 when hearts are trumps). Responses are the same as in Blackwood 1430. opponents' interference If an opponent intererferes by overcalling or doubling, one can use DOPI / ROPI: DOPI: dbl = 0 or 3, pass = 1 or 4, and so on (as in Blackwood) ROPI: rdbl = 0 or 3, pass = 1 or 4, and so on (as in Blackwood). 5NT as Blackwood 5NT is Blackwood only when one couldn't bid Blackwood at 4-level. 5NT as asking for top trumps 5NT, if it was not Blackwood, is asking for top trump honors (Ace, King, Queen), when it doesn't conflict with other conventions (it's neither Blackwood nor asking for kings, usually it's simply a jump). Responses: 6 = 0 top trumps 6 = 1 top trump 6 = 2 top trumps 7 in trump suit = all 3 top trumps.
"strong 2 opening" It's a brief description of standard bidding after a strong 2 opening. opening 2-22+ pc or 9 tricks in opener's hand. responses - with 8+ pc one can show naturally (except for 2 ) his own good 5+ suit or bid 2NT with a balanced hand, it's GF - otherwise, artificial "waiting" 2 is called. waiting 2, what next? - opener's rebid in major/minor suit is forcing to 3/4 of the suit respectively, afterwards the cheapest minor suit (or 3 over 3 ) is a "double-negative" showing 0-3 pc. when opponents interfere - double by responder shows 0-3 pc - pass by responder is GF - free bid by responder shows 8+ pc and a good 5+ suit - double by opener is for takeout. "inverted minors" It's an alternative proposal for limit raises method of bidding after openings 1 / at 1 st or 2 nd hand. When we don't have any major suit, with a fit in partner's minor the following responses are used: - 2 / = 10+ pc, forcing - 3 / = 5-9 pc, preemptive. Further auction is natural or semi-natural (stopper-showing). opener's rebids after 2 / - 3 / = minimum without stoppers, bad hand for NT - 2 of a new suit (or 3 after 1-2 ) = natural suit 4 or stopper, forcing (doesn't promise extras) - 2NT = 12-14 pc, balanced hand with stoppers in both majors - 3NT = 18-19 pc, balanced hand, to play - jump shift = splinter. responder's rebids after 1 / - 2 / - 2 of a new suit - 3 / = minimum, unbalanced shape - new suit = stopper, forcing - 2 nd opener's suit = good fit 3 in the suit, game try - 2NT = 10-12 pc, balanced hand - 3NT = 13-15 pc, to play.
"mini-multi and Polish two-suiters" It's a description of an optional method of openings at 2-level, based on two conventions: "mini-multi" and so-called "Polish two-suiters". I think this method is better then standard "weak 2". Moreover, everyone can easily replace "weak 2" with the method and it won't cause side effects for his system. mini-multi - it's artifitial opening 2 used for showing a weak hand (6-10 pc) with 6+ hearts or spades - responder's 2 / is of type "pass or correct" - responder's 2NT is an asking for quality of the opening, opener can bid: - 3 with a maximum opening, over this 3 asks for the suit with the request to show it in inverted order, thus 3 / shows / respectively (this method allows to play the final contract from the responder's hand) - 3 / with a minimum and hearts/spades respectively, then 3 / is to play. Polish two-suiters - they are 2 and 2 openings used for showing a weak hand (6-10 pc) with 5 of the bid suit and a side 5 suit, but 2 = hearts + any side suit, while 2 = spades + a minor - responder can - pass or raise the known suit with a support, this is preemptive bid, to play - bid 2 (over 2 ) = pass with spades or show the other suit - bid 2NT = asking for the other suit, then opener shows a minor naturally, but spades (over 2 opening) are showed by 3 - bid a new 6+ suit naturally (but 3 over 2 ) which is forcing for 1 round.
"lebensohl" This is mainly used - after opponents' overcalls 2 / / of partner's 1NT opening - after opponents' weak 2 opening and partner's take-out double. when opponents interfere over 1NT Over opponents' double ''system on'' is played (Stayman, transfers, and so on), redouble is typically "SOS", forcing opener to bid 2, then pass or correct to 2. Similarly, ''system on'' is played if opponents overcall 2, then Stayman is replaced with double. The lebensohl convention 2NT is used after 2 / / overcalls. The idea is simple, namely the slower auction, that is starting with 2NT, shows a stopper in RHO's suit (''slow shows''), whereas bidding directly denies a stopper ("direct denies"). - 2 in any suit = natural 5+, non-forcing - 2NT = relay, the opener is forced to bid 3, after that: - 3 in a suit of lower rank than overcalled = natural 5+, sign-off - 3 in a suit of higher rank than overcalled = natural 5+, invitational - 3 in the overcalled suit = Stayman, showing a stopper in the overcalled suit - 3NT = to play, showing a stopper - 3 in a suit of lower rank than overcalled (i.e. non-jump) = natural 5+, invitational - 3 in a suit of higher rank than overcalled (i.e. jump) = natural 5+, GF - 3 in the overcalled suit = Stayman, asking to bid a 4-card major, denying a stopper - 3NT = GF, denies 4-card major, pass or correct with no stopper in the overcalled suit. over a weak 2 opening Over opponents' weak 2 opening and partner's take-out double the lebensohl is used in the same way to enable a better indication of strength. For example after [2 ] - dbl - [pass]: - 2NT = 0-7 pc, forcing to 3, then pass or correct to another suit (to pass), but correcting to 3 is an invitation with 8-11 pc, because with a weak hand 2 should be called instead of 2NT, remark: with a very strong hand the doubler may omit 3 and bid his own suit - 2 = 0-7 pc, natural - 3 in a suit = 8-11 pc, natural - game bid = sign-off - 3 = natural, GF. Przemysław Szczepaniak [16.06.2010]