[muggle]

When you're a regular partnership that is bored with standard bidding, that's when you add conventions. Keep adding until you start forgetting. They have cool names too - flip-flop, snap dragon, voidwood, ogust, two-way checkback, BART, lebensohl, leaping Michaels, UvsU, transfer preempts (I tried it, it was fun) ... Fill up your convention card with so much print no one will bother reading it.

Another direction to try is weak NT or variable NT. That is ACBL legal and adds a novel and dangerous (for opps and sometimes yourself ) twist to your game.

[Gerben42]

ACBL legal doesn't help much in the UK.
None of the conventions mentioned above do much either.
Surely allowed is playing a Fantoni - Nunes style system which is basically natural (1♣ can be 2 cards).

I think this is a good system to learn judgement and surely something out of the ordinary:

http://www.geocities...idge/mosca.html

Note perhaps that reversing the majors after 1minor as well as the 1S/1NT inversion might not be allowed (don't know enough about your regulations) but you don't need to play these. A simple forcing 1S response showing 4+S and forcing NT will work also.

Luis also plays something similar with his regular partner but probably has different agreements here but again transfer responses to 1C might again be illegal... The original convention card is here:

http://www.geocities.com/gerben47/conventi...ntoni-nunes.pdf

[Free]

Kalvan14, on Nov 2 2005, 01:24 AM, said:

Stay away from relays systems, unless your brain clicks in a particular way

Apparently you never played symmetric relays

[david_c]

Gerben42, on Nov 2 2005, 11:41 AM, said:

ACBL legal doesn't help much in the UK.
None of the conventions mentioned above do much either.
Surely allowed is playing a Fantoni - Nunes style system which is basically natural (1♣ can be 2 cards).

Sorry Gerben, we're not allowed to play that either (at EBU L3): 1♥ and 1♠ have to be non-forcing.

[MickyB]

You live in the UK and you play something other than Acol. This is definitely a good start

Polish Club and MOSCITO are level 4 (maybe 40% of competions); Transfer responses are level 3 (ok for 95%+ of competitions).

I think transfer-walsh (1C:1D showing hearts, 1C:1H showing spades) is the way to go - I've enjoyed playing it in different guises over the years. I'm now playing something resembling the Welland-Fallenius system, which uses a 14-16 1NT opener and can usually show both 11-13 and 17-20 balanced at the one level, meaning responder can safely bid on rubbish Send me a private message if you want to know more. It works fine whether you want to learn 2/1 first, afterwards or not at all.

[Gerben42]

Quote

Sorry Gerben, we're not allowed to play that either (at EBU L3): 1♥ and 1♠ have to be non-forcing.

Can they do that? You cannot regulate natural bids like that, or? I had a look at your Level 3 regulations and only says something about minimum opening strength not maximum. How about agreeing you are allowed to pass but partner will be mad at you if you do?

[Al_U_Card]

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All you need is the will, the aptitude and time.....

[Kalvan14]

Free, on Nov 2 2005, 06:16 AM, said:

Kalvan14, on Nov 2 2005, 01:24 AM, said:

Stay away from relays systems, unless your brain clicks in a particular way 

Apparently you never played symmetric relays

True. I never played symmetric relays.
However, I played other relay-based systems, and frankly I found them boring.
Additionally, very seldom you are allowed an undisturbed auction. So you saddle yourself with a very precise system which will not be used often enough.
It's a matter of taste, in anycase. Please do not construct my opinion as a libel