5.1.01  1st/2nd Seat Major Suit Open.  As they say, “The first step is the most important step.”  It is impossible for Responder to bid properly if there is not a rock-solid agreement and understanding of what the 1♥/♠ open means in terms of (1) the minimum number of cards the Opener has in the major, (2) the minimum number of quick tricks the Opener is promising, (3) and the losing trick card strength of Opener’s hand. Duh, what about points? What about them?

5.1.02  1♥-1♠ Special Forcing Convention.  This convention is used when your Partner opens 1♥ and you have a Heart singleton or void with 4+ ♠’s with 6+ LPt. Obviously, you bid 1♠.  But how do you control the auction?  How do you keep your Partner from bidding 2♥?  How does the Opener further describe his/her hand?  This convention provides elegant answers to these questions.

5.1.03  2 Over 1 Bids.  Contrary to what many teach, I do not believe 2 Over 1 is a system but a nice convention that fits nicely in the overall 1st/2nd Seat major suit open response system.  Its use allows the Responder to immediately tell Opener they are in a game-forcing auction. 2 Over 1 bids do not deny a 3-card major suit fit.

5.1.04  1NT Semi-Forcing with Lebensohl.  Why Semi-Forcing instead of Forcing?  What do you do if you have shortness in the bid major and a long suit of your own but not enough points to bid your suit on the 2-level?  How does it fit with the constructive and non-constructive single raise? These and other questions are answered in this lesson.

5.1.05  Constructive Raise.  The Constructive raise allows you to subdivide the 6-9 point range into 8-9 DPt with 3+ card support versus 6-9 LPt with 2 card support or 6-7 DPt with 3 card support.  The purpose of the Constructive Raise is for you to tell Opener when you have sufficient values for Opener to explore bidding game versus.  Learn why you should use a constructive raise with 3 and 4-card support instead of the traditional Bergen Raise.

5.1.06  Preemptive Raise.  The purpose of the Preemptive Raise is to obstruct the opponents' bidding.  The Preemptive Raise is made with 4+ card support and less than or equal to 5 DPt. With 9+ trump, based on the Law of Total Tricks, there is a high probability of making the contract.  There are several factors that you should consider: vulnerability, number of cards you have in the bid suit, Partner opened in 1st or 2nd seat, Partner opened 1♥ or 1♠, etc. 

5.1.07  3 Card Limit Raises. There are two types of limit raises.  One where you have some ruffing ability and one where you have no ruffing ability with a 3-433 balanced hand.  Being able to communicate between the two is critical for the Opener to decide whether to play a contract in 4♥/♠ or 3NT, especially in duplicate matchpoint play.

5.1.08  Wide Bergen.  What the heck is this?  The weaker Bergen raise to the 3-level showing 4+ card support and 7-9 DPt is fatally flawed because it forces the Opener to guess whether to bid game or not. As such, the weaker Bergen raise is included as a Constructive Raise.  Wide Bergen is used with 10-13 DPt, which makes getting clarification of Responder’s DPt point count strength easier. It also makes our bids that are equivalent to the Jacoby 2NT much more exact.

5.1.09  Modified Jacoby 2NT.  Jacoby 2NT is a great bid but sacrifices the ability to use 2NT to describe balanced hands with 2-card support.  Since Wide Bergen uses only one bid versus two bids in Regular Bergen, we no longer need to use 2NT the Jacoby bid.  Because Wide Bergen covers the 10-13 DPt range, Modified Jacoby is used with 4+ card support with 14+ DPt making it more exact. In addition, it tightens the Splinter’s point range to 11-13 DPt, making the Splinter more exact.

5.1.10  Five and Dime.  This is a simple convention that complements those discussed above.  The Five and Dime convention is used when there is a high probability of making a game and obstructing the opponents' bidding. It promises 5+ card support and 6-9 HPt.

5.1.11  Meckwell 2NT & 3NT.  Since 2NT is no longer used for Jacoby, we are going to use it to fill the last hole in the 1st/2nd Seat Major Open Response System:  It is used when we have a balanced hand with 12+ HPt, no 2-level biddable suit, and exactly 2 card support in Opener's bid major.  We treat 2NT as a forcing bid with 12-14 HPt or 18+ HPt and 3NT as 15-17 HPt.  Using 2NT in this manner allows us to explore slam if the Opener bids 3NT and the Responder has 18+ HPt.

5.1.12  Game Tries. The 3-Way Kokish Game Try is superior to other game try approaches.  It provides the ability to ask for help in two suits to explore bidding a game or a slam and to determine when to play in 3 or 4 of the major or 3NT.  It also includes the ability to ask for help in the trump suit, show shortness, and a 2nd strong 5+ card suit.  The Opener will generally be the initiator after a constructive raise.  Responder will be the initiator if Opener shows a 6+ card suit.  It is also used frequently in competitive auctions.

5.1.13  Enhanced Flannery. Several articles have been written defaming the Flannery Convention because it tells the opponents too much, which to me is an idiotic reason to stop talking to your Partner.  Enhanced Flannery is used by the Opener to describe hands with 5-6 ♥’s, 4-5 ♠’s, and 9-15 LPt.  Its use also has significant effects on other related parts of the bidding system.   Knowing how to handle these pesky-shaped hands is a valuable tool.

5.1  Partner opens 1♥/♠ in 3rd or 4th seat.  The figure below shows the bidding system conventions we recommend be used in this situation giver Partner has already PASSed denying the ability to open or preempt. There is a much smaller set of conventions that are only used when Responder has less than opening points (10-14 DPt or 10-11 HPt). Only 3 of the 12 conventions from the 1st/2nd seat set are used in the 3rd/4th seat set.  The primary consideration used in determining whether to open in 3rd and 4th is whether you can control the auction.

5.2.01  3rd Seat Major Suit Open.  Because the 3rd seat often opens with only 10+ LPt, the criteria to determine whether to open 1♥/♠ in the 3rd seat are different than the 1st/2nd and 4th seats. It is critical that you and your partner have a rock-solid understanding of the 3rd seat major open in terms of (1) the minimum number of cards the Opener has in the major, (2) the minimum number of quick tricks the Opener is promising, (3) and the losing trick card strength of Opener’s hand.

5.2.02  4th Seat Major Suit Open.  In the 4th seat, you should only open if you can control the auction.  Passing out the hand will yield a much bitter score better than letting the opponents enter the auction and finding a makable contract. Zero is better than a negative score!  Again, it is critical that you and your partner have a rock-solid understanding of the 4th seat major open in terms of (1) the minimum number of cards the Opener has in the major, (2) the minimum number of quick tricks the Opener is promising, (3) and the losing trick card strength of Opener’s hand.

5.02.03  Drury with Ambiguous Splinter and Game Tries.  The Drury Convention is the most important convention after your partner opens 11♥/♠ in the 3rd or 4th seat.  It is only used if the Responder has 3+ card support and 10+ DPt.  It is a check-back convention that asks: “Did you open light or with a full open? " A full open is defined as 14 + LPt.  The responses to Drury show the hand's shape and points.  The Opener can indicate a singleton or void using the Ambiguous Splinter option and also use the 3-Way Kokish Game Try convention.

5.02.04  2NT Responder Ambiguous Splinter.  If the Responder has 3+ card support, a singleton or void, and 10+ DPt, the Responder will use the Ambiguous Splinter Convention instead of Drury.  Its use allows the Responder to proactively provide the Opener the information that will be of most use to the Opener in determining whether to pursue game or slam or settle for a partial contract