[Free]

Currently I'm playing 1NT as 11-14 balanced, can contain any 5 card, with following responses:

2♣ = relay, either garbage/inv/GF (with full relay structure), starts like stayman, includes smolen
2♦ = trf ♥
2♥ = trf ♠
2♠ = trf ♣
2NT = trf ♦ or GF with 5-3M
3♣ = 55+m, to play 3m
4♣ = step Gerber (you never know helps)
4♦ = trf ♥ without slam interest
4♥ = trf ♠ without slam interest
4♠ = quantitative 5NT
4NT = quantitative

I'm looking for some useful meanings for the bids 3♦, 3♥, 3♠ and 3NT. We don't need to ask anything to partner since we have full relay system after 2♣, we can show any useful Major suit holding, so what kind of hands would you choose to show with those 4 bids?

[Gerben42]

I like to use 1NT - 3NT for "I want to see you play 3NT".
3♥/♠: Preemptive
3♦: Perhaps some hands that do not like to relay? Perhaps 5440?

[luke warm]

i use all 3 (actually all four, 3c is in there also) for invitational, 6+.. so 1nt : 2nt is a puppet to 3c for pass correct weak hands

[Double !]

Splinters: opening hand, usually 4441
Helps stay out of 3NT with x opposite something like Jxx in a suit.
So obsolete, but simple and effective

another possibility is 3M as pre-empt, and 3D as "flat stayman", stayman with flat hand.

[reisig]

I like 3♦ as 5-5+ Majors ..invit or better. And 3M =short with 3 suited

[Poky]

I would play your structure this way:

1NT:
...
2♠= clubs or (31)(54) GF
2NT= diamonds or 5-3 majors
3♣= 5♦5♣, weak
3♦= 5♠5♥ INV+
3♥= 4♠, GF (not to reveal opener's shape through Stayman)
3♠= 4♥, GF (not to reveal opener's shape through Stayman)
3NT= to play
4♣= TRF for ♥
4♦= TRF for ♠
4M= to play

[fred]

Poky, on Jun 2 2005, 12:49 PM, said:

1NT:
3♦= 5♠5♥ INV+
3♥= 4♠, GF (not to reveal opener's shape through Stayman)
3♠= 4♥, GF (not to reveal opener's shape through Stayman)
3NT= to play

In my partnership with Brad Moss we use:

3C=4414/4441/4405/4450
3H=1444
3S=4144
3NT=sign off

This won't work very well unless you have good methods after the 3C/3D/3H bids.

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[awm]

Relay systems work fine for finding your fits, but not so well for evaluating whether to play in your fits or in notrump, especially when the balanced hand is doing the describing. The most frequent example is when responder has a singleton somewhere; it's much more important to know what kind of cards opener has opposite the singleton, than to know how good of a fit you have in the other suits.

So I'd recommend using 3♦-3♠ as some sort of shortness-showing bids. 3NT is useful as a signoff, to avoid giving opponents all kinds of information about opener's hand when you're just going to play 3NT 99% of the time anyway.

With a number of partners I play the following structure for 3♣-3♠:

Each bid shows a hand short in the other suit of the same rank. They also show 4+ cards in the bid suit, and deny holding any five-card major. Of course, we have ways to show singletons with other distributions as well...

Opener can bid 3M over 3-minor to check back for a four-four fit. In any case, bidding the short suit indicates a hand with no wastage and maximum values, normally initiating a slam hunt. Bids which bypass the short suit will deny such a hand. 3NT by responder is always a "suggestion" and never a signoff (i.e. opener should pull with no stopper). If responder bids the short suit it's normally an ask about wastage. So for example:

1NT-3♠ (4♠, 0-1♥) we have:

3NT = to play, good heart stoppers, might even have 4♠ if heart ruff will be pointless
4♣/♦ = minor suit preference, responder can bid 4♥ if interested in slam opposite xxx hearts or the like, denies sufficient strength in ♥ to play opposite stiff
4♥ = nothing wasted in hearts, presumably agreeing spades, trying for a light slam
4♠ = suggests playing 4♠, not excited about slam prospects opposite partner's shortness

1NT-3♦ (4+♦, 0-1♣):

3♥/♠ = four card major, just looking for a fit, responder bids 3NT if no major fit (or 3♠ over 3♥) unless very slammish, 4♣ agrees the major and asks about wastage for slam
3NT = to play
4♣ = nothing in clubs (or just ace), no major suit, hunting for 6♦
4♦ = no 4-card major, some cards in clubs but not enough to play 3NT opposite stiff

[Free]

Tnx all

I'm planning:
- 3NT as a 'to play' bid
- 3♦ as inv+ with 55+M seems also very useful. Does anybody have good continuations?
- 3M as 3-suiters 4441 with singleton OM
- 2♠ used as ♣ or (31)(54) distributions

I also noticed I have some other bids left:
1NT - 2♣
2♦ - 3m/NT

and

1NT - 2♣
2♥ - 3m/♠ (2♥ shows a minimum hand with 4-5♥s)

and

1NT - 2♣
2♠ - 3m/♥ (2♠ shows a maximum hand with 4-5♠s)

What meaning would you give to such bids?
I was also thinking of using some kind of gambling bid somewhere, with a solid 7 card minor.
5440's are also not included yet.

To awm: yes, relays are great but sometimes you just don't have a good hand to relay, as you noticed . That's why I want to be able to both 'ask' and 'show' hands as responder.

[Free]

Transfer ♣ has 3♦/M rebids to show (31)(54) hands
Transfer ♦ has 3M rebids to show GF hands with exactly 5-3M

[hrothgar]

Quick suggestion:

From my perspective, there are a number of good COMPREHENSIVE NT strucutres available on the market. Keri is a good structure. I'm very partial to the Scanian system if you're willing to develop sufficient time to master it. (I'll note in passing that this structure is somewhat similar to the one that Fred recommends, using 3♦+ to show different three suited hands with game foricng values)

In all seriousness, its very difficult to recomment PART of a structure. Without spending LOTS of time learning the ins and outs of the rest of your structure its very difficult to make a reasonable suggestion for the bids of 3♣+.

In short, this time arround, i'm actually recommending going with the "conventional" wisdom. [Pun intentional]

[the hog]

I like the 3 level bids to be one under splinters in the Keri style. Though the frequency is not that high, we have actually bid some good Moysian M suit games and good minor games avoiding a doomed 3NT contract.

[keylime]

With us:

3C = both minors,weak
3D = both minors, mildly slammish or higher
3H = 3-1-(54)
3S = 1-3-(54)
4S = 16-17, x-x-4-4, balanced.

[luke warm]

these invitational hands start with 2c for me, so 1nt : 2c : 2d (or 2h/s, it's puppet)

3c=5/4 in majors (color of 5 card)
3d=4/5 in majors (color of 5 card)
3h= (xx)54 (ditto)
3s=(xx)45 (ditto)
3nt=5+/5+ minors

invitational one suiters are bid at 3 level, opener is expected to do something smart with Hx.. sometimes 'pass' is smart... weak one suiters go thru 1nt : 2nt puppet to 3c p/c