[MickyB]

I've been playing a 16+ strong club with Symmetric Relay responses:

1♦ negative
1♥ 4+♠, unbal (not 3 suiter short in hearts)
1♠ 4+♥, unbal, not 4 ♠ or 3 suiter short in spades
1NT Bal, including any 5332
2♣ Diamond single suiter or 3 suiter short in a major
etc

The 1NT response often wrongsides the contract. Relay breaks can be used to let opener describe his hand to responder, but only if he is balanced. If he is unbalanced then responder has to describe, which is usually worse than the unbalanced hand describing.

My idea is to switch the 1♠ response with the 1N and 2♣ responses.

1♣:1♠ = bal, diamonds or 3 suiter
1NT:2♣ = diamonds or 3 suiter, then as 1♣:2♣ before
2♦+= balanced, as 1♣:1NT, 2♣:2[DI}+ before

1♣:1NT = ♥ single suiter or ♥ and ♣ 2 suiter
1♣:2♣ = ♥ and ♦ 2 suiter

Is this an improvement?

What should relay breaks mean after 1♣:1♠? It seems they should show unbalanced hands, particularly ones with spades (so 4♠ isn't played by the fully described hand).

I have 3 ideas so far:

Spade single suiters and S-minor 2 suiters, in line with the normal scheme.

Any unbal hand with 4 spades, similar to the scheme after 1♣:1♥ but 1 step up and some of the 2 suiters rotated to get the described hand into dummy.

Any unbal hand with a 4 card major, 2 steps up on normal schemes, but showing exactly 10 slam points (A=3, K=2, Q=1). Thus the 2 steps that are lost before are recovered by being able to go straight from shape resolution to denial cues.

Which of these would be best? Or something completely different?

Thanks

[hrothgar]

Here is a nice simple relay break scheme that can easily be incorporated into a game forcing response strucutre. The scheme is based on the concept that relay breaks should be used to show showrtness responder's primary suit. The goal is to quickly identify misfits.

The strong club opener will break with one of three hand types:

A single suited hand
A Two suited hand
A Three suited hand

In each case, opener will hold a singleton or void in responder's primary suit.

Arrange the "remaining" three suits suits using standard ordering

Step = Relay ask
Step + 1 = 4+ cards in suit A
Step + 2 = 4+ cards in suit B
Step + 3 = 3 suited hand
Step + 4 = Single suited hand with suit C

After Step +1 = 4+ cards in suit A
Step = Relay and then

Step = 2 suited with A + C
Step + 1 = Single suited with suit A
Step + 2 = 2 suited with A+B, reverser
Step + 3 = 5+/5+ with A+C
Step + 4 = 5431
...

After Step +2 = 4+ in suit B
Step = Relay and then

Step = Single suited with B
Step + 1 = Two suited with B+C, reverser
Step + 2 = 5+/5+ with B+C, reverser
Step + 3 = 5431
...

[Dean]

A simpler idea is to switch just the 1S and 1NT responses.

1C : 1S = flat or reds
1C : 1N = Hearts or hearts and clubs


1C : 1S
1N : ?
2C = Reds (now 2D=R and 2H=reverser, 2S=5+/5+, 2NT onwards = non reverser exact pattern)
2D and higher = standard flat relay structure

1C : 1N
2C : ?

2D = Heart single suiter (now 2H=R, 2S=high shortage, 2N= mediuam etc)
2H and higher = hearts and clubs (2H=reverser, 2S=5+/5+, etc)

[the hog]

A better idea still is to play
1C
1H = S
1S = H
1N = some minor....Now 2c* 2D = C 2H = long D 4C, 2S+ = C resolving
2C = flat 13+
2D = flat 9-12
2H = long C 4D
2S+ = D resolving

[MesSer]

1C-1S
1NT-2C = 5-4 hand
2D = with a 4-card major or extra strength
2H/2S/3c/3d = shortness and marmic
2NT = min bal.
Don't know if that's what you're looking for. Probably isn't but you might find something of interest.