home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- MINOR SUIT TRANSFER BIDS
-
-
- There is no reason that transfer bids cannot be extended to show
- the minor suits after a 1NT opening: A 2S response shows clubs and
- a 2NT response shows diamonds. How do you raise 1NT to 2NT? Just
- bid 2C, Stayman, then bid 2NT. Minor suit transfers apply whenever
- Jacoby transfers do, as specified in the discussion of Jacoby
- transfers.
-
-
- The 2S Response
-
- Opener Responder
- 1NT 2S - transfer to clubs
-
- Note that minor suit transfers have an added dimension: There is
- room for a bid between the transfer response and the transfer suit.
- After the 2S response, opener can bid 2NT or 3C without going past
- the transfer suit. Which should she bid? It depends on her hand,
- especially her club fit. If she would accept an invitation to game
- based on a long broken club suit, she bids 3C. If not, she bids
- 2NT. For instance, responder could have S-J2 H-32 D-Q87 C-A98763.
- He needs a fine club fit and quick tricks outside in order to
- produce game in notrump.
-
- The 2NT response to the 2S transfer does not necessarily show a
- minimum notrump opening. Opener can have a maximum, but a poor fit
- in clubs. Nor does the 3C response show a maximum notrump. Opener
- could have something like S-AQ2 H-K107 D-A76 C-K543, a hand that
- will produce game opposite six clubs to the ace with a finesse at
- worst.
-
- With a bad hand, responder will pass opener's 3C bid, or correct
- a 2NT bid to 3C, which opener must pass. With an invitational club
- hand, responder will bid 3C over 2NT (since opener would decline
- an invitation), and will bid 3NT over 3C.
-
- Suppose responder has a strong hand, with clubs plus another suit
- or a notrump shape (5-3-3-2, 6-3-2-2). Responder can force to game
- with anything but a 3C rebid:
-
- Opener Responder
- 1NT 2S - transfer to clubs
- 2NT 3C is a sign-off
- 3D/3H/3S is forcing to game
- 3NT is a mild slam try
- 4D/4H is a splinter bid
- 4NT is a stronger slam try
- 4S is an artificial notrump raise
-
- The 3NT bid must be a mild slam try, in view of opener's non-
- acceptance of an invitational club bid. Otherwise, why didn't
- responder bid 3NT immediately over 1NT? When opener bids 3C to show
- a good club fit, responder must bid 4NT to make a slam try in
- notrump; a 3NT rebid would be interpreted as a sign-off.
-
- The splinter bids show a singleton in the splinter suit, good
- clubs, and a slammish hand. Opener signs off in notrump when
- holding duplication (secondary strength) in the splinter suit.
- Spades are never used as a splinter bid when 4NT is a natural
- notrump raise. Instead, a 4S bid is a notrump slam try that implies
- a need for a fit with clubs if they are to be useful in a notrump
- slam (e.g., five clubs headed by only one of the top three honors).
- Conversely, the 4NT raise implies fairly strong clubs.
-
- Transferring to a minor and then bidding a major implies a strong
- aversion to a 3NT contract, perhaps because of extreme weakness in
- the other two suits, or maybe because slam is possible if opener
- fits the minor well. If 3NT looks okay, use Stayman and forget the
- minor if slam is unlikely.
-
- Either minor could be longer (e.g., 5-4, 4-5) when responder shows
- both minors this way, so opener should be slow to raise either
- minor without four-card support. Responder may not be greatly
- interested in slam, since he has not gone past 3NT. Possibly he is
- afraid that 3NT might fail because of weakness in one or both
- majors. Suppose responder has S-Q83 H-6 D-AK93 C-J9762. He responds
- 2S, transfer to clubs, and then bids 3D next. If opener has just
- one major stopped, he should bid it. With both majors stopped, he
- usually bids 3NT:
-
- Opener Responder
- 1NT 2S
- 2NT/3C 3D
- 3H/3S - showing a suit stopped
- 3NT - both majors stopped
-
-
- The 2NT Response
-
- Opener Responder
- 1NT 2NT - transfer to diamonds
-
- After a 2NT diamond transfer, opener bids 3D to show a diamond fit,
- otherwise bids 3C.
-
- A "new suit" bid by responder is forcing to game, showing a second
- suit:
-
- Opener Responder
- 1NT 2NT - transfer to diamonds
- 3C/3D 3H/3S/4C - forcing, suit-showing
- 4H - splinter bid
- 4S - artificial notrump slam try
- 4NT - natural notrump slam try
- 5C - asking bid
-
- Splinter bids cannot be made at the five level; see chapter ASKING
- BIDS in the book "Strong Bidding." Showing a club suit after the
- diamond transfer requires more strength than the other way around
- (clubs, then diamonds), which can be done at the three level. Also,
- clubs will not be the longer suit when the minors are shown this
- way. As said above, the 4S artificial notrump slam try implies that
- the diamond suit needs a good fit to be useful for slam. Converse-
- ly, the 4NT bid implies that the diamond suit is fairly strong.
-
- Note that 4S is never used as a splinter bid in situations where
- it is needed as a notrump slam try bid (unlike a Super Gerber 4S
- bid, which takes preference over the notrump slam try meaning).
-
- The 2NT transfer is also used with a weak two-suiter in the minors.
- Whether opener rebids 3C or 3D, responder passes, probably ending
- up in the right spot.