Non-Natural System Discussion Forum https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/index.php Mon, 25 May 2026 12:21:16 +0000 30 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91932-convention-card/
How do other strong 1C bidders fill out this section whether or not you have a variable 1D opening?]]> Mon, 25 May 2026 12:21:16 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91932-convention-card/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91881-3-suited-hands/ If you open 3 suited hands with a 2C or 2D bid, what techniques do you have for searching for slam ? For us, opener shows the shortness (after an ask) by bidding one under the shortness whereupon Responder can bid the shortness as a control asking bid. I think there must be other, perhaps better ways, as just knowing controls and shape may not be enough for Responder to make the right decision. I appreciate any responses Tue, 05 May 2026 16:29:45 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91881-3-suited-hands/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91870-love-this-game/

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2♣ strong
2♦ A or K
3♣ clubs]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:06:43 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91870-love-this-game/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91869-weak-nt-openings/
I am curious to hear, from those that play or have a lot of experience playing weak No Trump what ranges they use in what seats and colors. Would anyone care to respond? Thank you]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:44:49 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91869-weak-nt-openings/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91838-critique-please/
I'm thinking Opener's responses are 3H or 3S, both showing a Spade fragment and minimum or maximum HCP respectively. This leaves, 2NT,3C,3D, and 3NT as available bids all which deny a Spade fragment.

We can presume the spade bidder has spades stopped and the Opener has the minor stopped, so I give the following meanings to Opener's 3rd bid:

2NT shows a maximum hand, the lower unbid suit stopped
3 of Opener's minor shows a minimum hand, suggesting playing
3 of the other minors shows the higher suit stopped, maximum hand
3NT shows maximum hand and both unbid suits stopped.


What could go wrong ?]]> Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:51:25 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91838-critique-please/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91820-natural-auctions-in-a-relay-system/ ♣)

There are various opening structures.

In our method a 1♥ opening shows 4+♥, denies four spades, 11-15 pts
Over that, 1♠ is GI relay (11+), which messes a bit with the spade suit.
This impacts the responding structure and continuations.

1NT response is 6-10, which is a bit wide. 7-10 would be better.
A flat 6-7 count with three hearts can pass 1♥. However

♠QT65 ♥93 ♦KT6 ♣J954

is a bit awkward, particularly vulnerable, or at matchpoints. Opposite ♥Q852, maybe -200 vs nothing.
4-1-4-4 is even worse.

There are arithmetic issues. Opener with a flat 15-count will wonder about the 15 + 10 3NT that "everyone" else is bidding after a 15-17 1NT opening. Against that, raising with a 15-count will more often look silly, watching partner fail in 2NT with 15 opposite 6.

11+ hands relay, which leads to

1♥ - 1♠
2♣ - 2NT

where 2♣ is balanced. 2NT on 11 + 11 is not a good look. With that in mind, same flat 11-counts pass, rather than open 1♥. On marginal hands, we look at the 4-card heart suit. How will you feel if partner raises on three?

This is where the Precision 1♦ excels, with the nice split of 11-13, 14-16, 17+.

Another candidate for 1♥ - 1NT is a hand with five spades:

♠KT765 ♥64 ♦Q94 ♣K42

2-level responses are non-forcing "less than invitational", 6-carders, maybe a chunky 5-carder for 2m. Think "weak two".
They work well enough but the suit needs to be up to scratch because opener will sometimes pass with a singleton.
We have been known to make these bids with 3-card heart support but probably shouldn't.

♠KT43 ♥62 ♦J5 ♣AJ654

is an instructive hand. You don't fancy 2♣, so respond 1NT.
That won't be good if partner has a singleton club. What if partner bids 2♦?

The likely shapes for 2♦ are 3-5-4-1 and 3-4-5-1. Which is it?

With 2-2 reds, responder has to guess well to avoid the 4-2 fit.
Rather than guessing, we insist that opener's 2♦ rebid over 2♣ shows five of them.

When will responder raise to 2♥ with three trumps?
This is not Acol, where a 1♥ opening is either five of them, or a good hand or good suit.
Our 1♥ opening is a 4-carder roughly half the time, could be four small.

With that in mind, the three 4333s will almost always prefer 1NT.
The 5332s will tend to raise, more so with a heart honour and small doubleton.
2-3-(5+3) will always raise because the opponents are known to have 8+ spades. (1♥ denies four spades)
3-3-5-2 has the option of 1NT, then 2♥ over 2♣ by opener.
What about 3-3-2-5, or 4-3-2-4? (The balanced hands with a doubleton diamond)

Opener will always remove 1NT (to 2m) with a singleton. The four 5422 shapes have a choice. See later.
Responder can have a problem with 2-2 reds.

1♥ - 1NT
2♦ - ?

2♦ could be 5-4 either way (compare 1♥ : 2♣ : 2♦). What does responder do with

♠KT43 ♥62 ♦J5 ♣AJ654 ?

Our agreement is that responder always bids 2♥ with 2-2 reds (4-2-2-5 or 5-2-2-4)
Half the time that will be right. The other half, opener will want to escape the 4-2 fit.
2♠ shows 3-4-5-1, which will be fine because responder has a least four spades.
2NT on 1-4-5-3 is not great but "no fit, notrumps" plus responder can remove to 3♣ with five.

What of 2-4-5-2? Perhaps that hand should pass 1NT.
If you choose to rebid 2♦ and see 2♥, follow up with 2♠ and hope for the best.

This agreement means that a hand with three hearts and a doubleton diamond should always raise directly, because preference over diamonds shows 2-2.

Similar principles apply after 1♥ : 1NT : 2♣

Here responder can bid 2♥ with 3-2 (or 3-3) in opener's suits.

With 4-2-5-2 or maybe 5-2-4-2, responder bids 2♦ over 2♣ to show 2-2.

We play 1♥ : 2NT as GOOD limit plus with 4 trumps.
3♣/♦/♠ are invitational, good 6-carders.

3♥ is mixed. Typically 5=card support or chunky four, or short spades,

Transfer openings are popular these days, so

1♦ = 4+ hearts, maybe not denying spades(?).

It's great for responder to be able to respond 1♠ with spades.
1♥ as a relay is good too. Right-sides heart contracts.

Transfer openings give the other side more competitive options, which is not great.

Also, responder can't sit in 1♥. This is a more serous issue.

We like our 1♥ - 2♥ to show a good hand, say 7-10 TP.

With transfer openings, a weaker responder chooses between pass, 1NT & 2♥ A bit of a lottery.]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:59:22 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91820-natural-auctions-in-a-relay-system/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91819-balanced-heart/ I remember i found years ago a system which was using the opening of 1 heart to gather all balanced hands fron 12 to 17H, maybe also 4441 15-17 (this i am not sure).
Do any of you know from which system it was and where to find the developments - impossible for me to find on the net?
Thanks]]> Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:38:28 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91819-balanced-heart/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91749-bid-to-2-level-quickly-with-strong-balanced-hands/ I used to be against it, but a few analysis shows that 2NT opening is a big winner versus natural 1 minor, and probably also a winner versus precision 1C.
So now I wonder if bid to 2 level quickly with a strong balanced hand is theoratically very sound?
It just prevents opponents from making a cheap overcall which matters much more than staying in 1NT or slam auction.
This also applies to meckwell 1C-2D 8-10 balanced sequence which now I believe is better than putting 8-10 balanced into 1D or 1H——I lost in a few occasions when fourth seat was able to overcall.]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2026 05:08:17 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91749-bid-to-2-level-quickly-with-strong-balanced-hands/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91653-dcb-query/

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3♥ = 6-1-3-3
4♦ = 7 QPs (3/2/1)
4N = ♠ - yes, ♦ - 0/4+ QP (so 0 this time)
5♦ = ♣ - 0/4+ QP, so A-Q.
5♠ = ?

With DCB, we switch to positive cueing (PCB) with singletons.
Our agreement with stiff honours devalues K & Q:
A = 3 QP
K = 1 QP, then cue to show it
Q = 0 QP, then ignore?

So this is the question.

DO you ignore stiff queens completely? Or
Do ignore them when counting QP but still cue them as stiff A/K/Q?]]> Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:41:27 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91653-dcb-query/ https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91612-weak-no-trump-statistics/
With that background, on 412 hands, we have opened 1NT 57 times and we have opened a balanced 1D hand 19 times

Starting with the 1NT opening hands, we played the hand 42 times (not necessarily in NT) and defended the hands 15 times (the opponents got the bid). Our average score respectively was 60% and 57% (total 59%)

When I break the 1NT opening by HCP, the data is less credible, so I calculated the average and the median with the median being probably a better statistic

10 HCP opened 16 times for an average 58 and a median 54
11 HCP opened 11 times for an average 69& ands a median 81
12 HCP opened 13 times for 59 and 65
13 HCP opened 12 times for 53 and 58
for 14 and 15 HCP, opened 5 times for 55 and 47%. The reason we open 1nT with 14 or 15 HCP so infrequently is because we would have to be in 3rd or 4th seat and be vulnerable.

Out of the 57 times we opened 1NT, we had a 5 card Major (5332) 6 times, played 5 times, defended once and out scores were 25,38,48,54,72, and 74 so I don't think including 5 card Majors in our 1NT bid has had any impact yet.

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With regards to the 1D opening, the vast majority of times when we open 1D with a balanced hand we have 14 or 15 HCP (to have less means we are in 3rd or 4th seat vulnerable with 10-12 HCP and partner has already passed)

The data I have is a small sample: 10 times we defended and 9 times we played the hand. When we defended, our median score was 29% and when we played our median score was 63. The samples are so small as to really be non-credible, but it is apparent that opening 1D with 14 or 15 is allowing the opponents to more easily compete.


Out of the 19, 9 times we had 14 HCP and 10 times we had 15 HCP. Interestingly, 5 out of the 19 we had a 5M332 distribution and got the bid 4 times. It does not appear that putting 5M332 hands into the 1D bid has been a negative on this very small sample

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Possible conclusions ...1) SO far, putting 5M332 hands into 1D or 1NT does not seem to have hurt us and thus gives our 1M openings an advantage. 2), Opening 1D with 14 or 15 HCP allows the opponents to compete

Contemplation: change my 1NT opening range to 10-14 or 11-15 in 1st or 2nd seat or white. If partner is a passed hand, continue with 13-15 when red

I welcome any comments or questions.]]> Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:33:18 +0000 https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/91612-weak-no-trump-statistics/