Dirk Kuijt

awm I admit to being corrected on the various percentage chances. My intuition failed me on this score, not for the first time. I'll confess that I don't have any software that would allow me to make similar calculations, and so had to guess. What program did you use? Is it publicly available?

A couple of clarifications for awm: I agree that the 3♣ bid is not a thing of beauty. However, it is not in any way forcing. It shows clubs and a strong hand, but if partner has a blizzard, he can and should pass. As for how many clubs a 3♣ bidder has, I would guess at least 6 90% of the time, though I admit that I have no statistics to back me up. As responder, I would play opener for 6. If you hold ♠xxx ♥Kxxxx ♦x ♣Jxxx over partner's 1♦ opener, you should pass. That much is clear, though I know one can easily lay out hands where 4♥ is cold. It is less clear to me that 1♦ will be a disaster, if the opponents let you play. Remember that 1♦ is the opener with all the one suited diamond hands as well, and the fewer diamonds you have, the more likely it is that opener has the one suiter, rather than a canape. In any case, you are certainly on as firm ground as a Meckwell Precision responder: the LC opener will have at least 4, while the Precision opener may have a singleton (or fewer in some versions).

Trying to answer a few questions: With 18-19 HCP and 3=3=2=5, I would open 3♣, or stretch to 2N. I don't want to be opening 2 card suits at all, and I don't want responder to worry about a diamond opener having only 3 diamonds. LC definitely would not open that hand with 1♣. 1♣ is really reserved for 12-14 balanced only. Yes, with 5M-4♣ and 17 HCP or more, you will have to treat the hand as a major one-suiter. Not the best, but not a horrible description. 4441 types get treated as two suiters. If you have both majors, then try to show those; if you have one major, then show your major and better minor. I admit this has flaws. I confess that I don't get the worry about being preempted over 1♣. The hand definition is narrow enough that I don't see it as a problem, unlike the any shape strong 1♣. Being preempted after a canape opening, especially when opener has hearts and the opponents have spades, is a risk, though lots of systems lose suits when the opponents have spades and can preempt. In general, I think responder is on fairly firm ground over interference (I don't think that responder is ever on solid ground after interference in any system), since opener has either a good new suit to bid or a 6+ card suit to rebid. Opener will never have some 5332 hand where responder has denied support for the five card suit. I admit that I will have to think more about slam sequences and forcing raises.

My analysis LC Advantages: 1. 11 of the 12 two suiters are shown at or below the level of 2 of opener's first suit. 2. The two suiter's strength can be shown as minimum, intermediate, or game forcing 3. Opener's rebid over the neutral response is always a "real" suit, unlike 2/1 rebids with 5332 hands 4. Opener can raise freely after 1♣-1M with three. 5. Responder can make negative doubles with a wide variety of hands, since opener will have another long suit to bid, or a 6 card suit to rebid. LC Disadvantages 1. 4441 hands aren't handled very well. You have to treat the hand as a two suiter, and one of the suits can easily be lost and another overstressed. 2. The bad two suiter combination is 5♦-4♣. You can treat this as balanced, with 2=2=5=4, or as a diamond one suiter. With a weak diamond suit, this is not good. 3. The 2♦ strong opening is one level higher than the standard 2♣. 4. Slam bidding is awkward, at best, after 1x-1y-3N 5. Many normal preemptive bids are devoted to something else. LC Differences (unclear as to advantage or disadvantage) 1. Opener frequently buries a 5M suit in a 5332 hand. An LC pair can easily lose a 5-3 fit, though they won't lose a 5-4 fit. Richard Pavlicek's statistics suggest that playing NT with a 5332 hand with three card support wins about as much as it loses. 2. Since opener will often be opening with a 4 card suit, responder can get jammed out of the auction by preemption, possibly losing a good fit in opener's long suit. On the other hand, as noted above, responder can make negative doubles freely.

A system that I'm looking for feedback on. Little Canape (LC) combines a "little club", unbalanced suit bids (if less than 18HCP), and canape. The system works best when opener gets to make an unimpeded rebid, so responder tends to "stay out of the way" with less than game forcing strength, though responder always can show spades cheaply. 1♣ 12-14 balanced; normally all 4333, 4432, and 5332, even with 5M 1♦, 1♥, 1♠ almost always at least a 4 card suit, always in the majors If two suited, the second suit will normally be longer. If one suited, the suit will normally be 6+ cards. May be balanced only if 18-19 HCP, may have only 3♦ only if 18-19 HCP and 3=3=3=4. 1N 15-17 balanced; normally all 4333, 4432, and 5332, even with 5M 2♣ 12-16, 6+♣, always a one suiter. 2♦ game forcing, except 22-23 balanced 2♥, 2♠ show 12-16 with 5+M and 4+♣ 2N 20-21 balanced 3♣ 17+ ♣ one suiter 3♦, 3♥, 3♠ normal preempts After 1♣ P any awful hand, or clubs up to about 10 HCP 1♦ Stayman, but responder's second round 2♦ is just a weak diamond one suiter. 1♥, 1♠ 5+ cards, forcing, but may be no more than 6HCP. Opener raises with 3+, bids 1♠ over 1♥ with 4+, otherwise bids 1N 1N to play 2♣,2♦ game forcing with the suit After 1♦, 1♥, 1♠ The next step is neutral, basically denying the ability to show anything else below. It promises 6HCP. The neutral bid may have as much as 15HCP in a balanced hand. 1♦-1♠ shows 5+ ♠, 6+ HCP 1♦-1N shows 5+ ♥, game forcing 1♦, 1♥, 1♠-2m shows 5+, game forcing 1♠-2♥shows 5+, game forcing 1♥-1N shows 5+ ♠, 6+ HCP Major suit raises are fairly traditional: single raise weak, double raise invitational, 2N forcing. Responder must remember that opener will likely have only a 4 card suit 1♥-2♠ invitational with 5+♠, tends to have tolerance for ♥ 1♠-3♥ invitational with 5+♥, tends to have tolerance for ♠ 1M-3m invitational with 5+ in the other major, tolerance for the bid suit Opener's rebid: With the balanced 18-19, opener jumps to 3N. With an unbalanced hand and enough strength to force to game over a neutral response, opener rebids 2N Responder must relay with 3♣, and opener bids or rebids his long suit, 3N shows ♣ With a one suiter, rebid, or jump rebid (invitational) the suit. With a two suiter, bid or jump rebid (invitational) the second (longer) suit. However, if opener has 3M and responder has shown that major, then opener should raise, in preference to anything else.