Big Club System Idea

[mikestar]

An idea for a Precision-like system with 4 card majors.

 

1C=all 16+ hands. Response and rebid structure according to preference.

 

1D/1H/1S=10-15, not 4=3=3=3, 4=4=3=2, or 5=3=3=2. Can be 4 cards with 4=4=4=1 or club canape; otherwise 5+ if two-suited or 6+ if one-suited.

 

1NT=12-15, 4=3=3=3, 4=4=3=2, 5=3=3=2, may have 5CM.

 

2C=10-15, 6+ clubs, one-suited.

 

2D+=Available for your premptive system.

 

Point ranges approxiamte, more extreme shape opens lighter. The 12 point minimum for 1NT includes 11 pointers with fair 5-card suits.

 

My preliminary idea is that the major openings may lose a little vs Precision because of the possible 4CM, but some of the loss comes back because the 5=3=3=2 hand is gone. 1D is not even slightly nebulous now and 2C can be quite accurate as well as rare.

 

1NT is overloaded, but I think playable. The increased frequency of the fairly premptive weakish NT may pay for some of the loss of accuracy.

 

Since the one bids can't be genuinely balanced, artificial NT rebids by opener may be of use in clarifying distribution.

 

Has anyone played anything similar?

[Gerben47]

Actually, yes. 4-card majors in Precision are very playable. I don't know about the 12-15 NT range though, I think this kind of system allows for more precision (and agression: 10-12 NT!) than that.

 

Have a look at the system of Auken - von Arnim for example:

 

1♣: 16+

 

1♦: 10 - 15, 3+ cards or 3-3-2-5 outside NT range

 

1♥/♠: 10 - 15, at least 4 cards, may be canape with longer minor (Includes balanced hand with 4-card major outside NT range)

 

1NT: 10 - 12 1st 2nd NV / 14 - 16 otherwise, includes 5M332

 

2♣: 10 - 15, 6+♣ without 4-card major

 

Rest: preempts.

 

Their Convention Card can be downloaded under http://bridgebase.com/yeshoney/ and probably many other places.

 

Gerben

[Free]

If you play 5+ card M for 2-suiters, how do you open a 2-4-2-5 or a 3-4-1-5? Not 1D, 1H, 1S, 1NT or 2C! :) If you don't want to change the 1-level openings to all 4+ cards, you should change the 2C opening to 6+C OR 5+C & 4 card M.

 

One of the big advantages of MOSCITO (here I go again) is that the NT range completely covers the limited opening bids (like you propose). That way, you can play 1D, 1H and 1S all 4+ card without any problems, and still use the 2C opening for 6+. Big Club systems work best with 4+ card Majors imo...

[mikestar]

Let me clarify my proposal: I would be opening 4-card majors on two suiters, but only if the long suit is clubs. 3-4-1-5 opens 1H, but 3-4-5-1 opens 1D.

 

With no balanced hands in the 1 bids, the rebids after 1H-1S (for example):

 

1NT=only 4H (either x-4-x-5+ or 4-4-1-4)

2C=5+H,4+C

 

Higher rebids natural, 2NT might be strong 3-6-x-x.