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This Minor Suit Open Roadmap is used in uncontested auctions.  The Responder uses the same set of conventions for all seats since the minor suit open promises only 3+ cards or 2+ ♣’s if using the Short ♣ Convention.  Remember that the bidding system is structured to place the contract in a major suit, then NT, and finally in a minor suit.

The first two lessons are the most important since they create the foundation for the others.

6.01  1st/2nd Seat Minor Suit Open. Opening a minor is very different than opening a major.  Opening a minor should show a solid open with a guaranteed 2nd bid.  For hands that are defined as exception hands, the minor suit open should meet the Rule of 22 so that the open guarantees a minimum offensive and defensive strength is the most important criterion.  Defined exception hands, which do not meet the Rule of 22, because of having 3+ cards in both majors have a high probability of finding a major suit fit.

6.02  3rd or 4th Seat Minor Suit Open.  The primary factor in determining whether to open a minor in the 3rd or 4th seat is whether you can control the auction.  We require the 3rd seat to meet the Rule of 22 and the Rule of 15.  In the 4th seat, we require it to also meet the Rule of 15.  In addition, there is a group of hand exceptions that we open 1♦/♣ when we have at least 3 cards in each major.

6.03  Short ♣ and Responder Bid Summary:  Opening 1♣ when you are 4432 allows you to open 1♣ more often.  It also means that when you open 1♦ you guarantee 4+ ♦’s allowing you to better describe your hand.  You will have 3+ ♣’s 96% of the time you open 1♣. 

6.04  1C Open Escape Convention.  If you open 1♣ with 2 ♣’s, it is possible that Responder may have 0 to 3 ♣’s and very few points.  When this occurs, the Responder must bid.  Using the Escape convention guarantees that at worst you will end up in a 7-card fit.

6.05 Walsh.  Walsh is an offensive and a preemptive defensive bidding convention.  The Responder bypasses 4+ ♦'s with 11 or fewer points to show a 4-card major.  This prioritizes finding a 4-4 major suit fit.  If the Responder bids 1♦, the Opener will bid 1N bypassing a 4-card major with a balanced hand knowing the Responder will bid a Responder Reverse with a 4-card major and 12+ points.  Opener bidding 1NT keeps the opponents from bidding 1♥ or 1♠. 

6.06 New Minor Forcing (NMF).  NMF is used by the Responder after your partner opens a minor suit and the Responder bids a major major suit showing 4+ cards.  If Opener then bids 1♠ or 1N, Responder shows that he/she has a 5+ card major and 10+ points by artificially bidding the unbid  (or lowest) minor.

6.07  XYZ with Modified Walsh.  This is an extremely powerful and descriptive convention.  After three bids at the 1-level, it allows the Responder to describe very accurately his hand’s shape and strength within 2 points.  The key to this convention is modifying Walsh so that you will bypass bidding 1♦ with 4+ ♦’s only when Responder has a 4-card major and less than 10 points.  This allows the creation and use of a Mini Responder Reverse with 10-11 LPt in addition to the Full Responder Reverse with 12+ LPt.

6.08  Enhanced Inverted Minors.  This convention is used when you have no 4-card major and one three different point ranges:  (1) 10+ HPt and 4+ card support, (2) 7-9 HPt and 5+ card support, and (3) 0-6 HPt and 5+ card support.  The 2nd option allows 3NT to be investigated more easily with a mediocre hand.

6.09  2NT and 3NT.  2NT denies having a 5+ card major and shows 12-14 or 18+ HPt.  This allows the Responder to investigate slam using Gerber if the Opener bids 3NT.  Since Responder may have a 4-card major, Opener can initiate Stayman by bidding 3♣. 3NT denies a 4-card major and shows 15-17 HPt .

6.10  Reverse Flannery.  Reverse Flannery bids are used by the Responder to show a hand with 5-6 S’s and 4-5 H’s and either 7-9 LPt or 10 12 LPt.