Transfer preempts, defending against.

[kenberg]

A recent post asks about Namyats. In fact opening transfer bids, and transfer overcalls, at various levels are becoming more frequent. Last night there was an opening 3C bid on my right, showing diamonds. I have no interest in playing these (maybe someday, but not now) but if I am going to encounter them I want to deal with them effectively. In the particular case last night I had "plenty of nothin" and little interest in what the opponents methods were. But in general it seems that the added room we have with either doubling (or overcalling) immediately or waiting for the transfer and then acting should provide us with expanded opportunity to clarify our holdings. Only if we are on the same wavelength though.

 

So: What do you all recommend?

[Gerben42]

What I prefer is in fact a very simple approach, just need to agree on it first. I will take your example of 3♣ showing ♦.

 

3♣

* Dbl = Normal TO of ♦ OR balancing TO of ♦.

* 3♦ = 2-suiter (weaker than Leaping Michaels), if this is majors or ♠ + round suit depends on your regular agreements.

* Rest natural but no borderline hands

 

3♣ Pass 3♦

 

Defend as if there was a natural 3♦ opener to your right.

 

3♣ Dbl 3♦

 

Defend as if the auction went 2♦ Dbl 3♦, i.e. Dbl is responsive.

 

3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass Pass.

 

Dbl = Penalty

3M = Balancing overcall (i.e. not good enough for direct bid)

3NT = Wants to play 4♣ if pd does not stop ♦ (a kind of hand that might bid 3NT and hope for the best when no transfer was used)

 

3♣ Dbl 3♦ Pass Pass.

 

Dbl: I really meant dbl the first time

Suit: Big 1-suited hand

[MFA]

I play along the same lines.

 

(3♣) X (3♦) X is penalty for me (Gerben doesn't mention the sequence).

 

(3♣) 3♦. All those I play as 'Michaels. Here it would be both majors, not forcing above 3M.

 

Special against Namyats:

 

X of 4mi is a shape take-out of their major, but could be light depending on vulnerability. The point is to get across the hand type and perhaps even induce a sacrifice, while still being able to sell to 4M undoubled.

 

X of 4mi, X of 4M from partner: penalty (note we have shown shape, so no need to run)

 

X of 4mi, and again later X of 4M: Shape take-out with significant extras.

 

P of 4mi, and then later X of 4M: Full-strength takeout, but a more balanced hand type (strong notrump for instance).

 

This scheme exploits the big weakness of Namyats (the slow arrival to 4M) very nicely imo.

[pclayton]

These should be very easy to defend against. You have two doubles available, and you have a very cheap cuebid. This is our Namyats defense, and it should work the same for 3 level transfer preempts.

 

A direct double is takeout of their known suit. 3y(z's) - double - 3z - double is cards.

 

A delayed double is penalty. You lose the ability to 'balance' here.

 

A cue bid is two-suited (you can add in some leaping michaels sequences too).

[jdonn]

Yes some simple agreements certainly get you through, and you gain several optinos though what they are is up to you. Not mentioned but reasonable is the first round double as general values, the second round double as takeout whether or not you doubled on the first round.

[JanM]

These should be very easy to defend against. You have two doubles available, and you have a very cheap cuebid. This is our Namyats defense, and it should work the same for 3 level transfer preempts.

 

A direct double is takeout of their known suit. 3y(z's) - double - 3z - double is cards.

 

A delayed double is penalty. You lose the ability to 'balance' here.

 

A cue bid is two-suited (you can add in some leaping michaels sequences too).

These rules are generally what we play, except that the delayed DBL (TRFR)-P-(accept)-P-(P)-DBL for us is a strong balance hand (about a STR NT or better). That allows advancer to make an intelligent decision between defending when we have the balance of strength but not necessarily good trumps (vs Namyats we're very unlikely to have much in the trump suit) or playing the hand when one of us has values and the other shape. I'd bet that Phil and I would make a delayed DBL on the same hands, we're just using different language - to me a penalty DBL is one where I really want partner to pass, not where I want partner to use judgment :).

 

I think that it's much better to play the immediate DBL as takeout and the delayed DBL as balanced values because the immediate DBL of a transfer preempt is so safe - advancer isn't forced to choose either to defend their suit DBL'd or to play the hand; s/he can just pass without either shape or strength. If you reverse the meanings (DBL with values, delayed DBL T/O), advancer can't choose to let the opponents play the hand undoubled after the T/O DBL.

 

Note that these general rules work against both transfer openings and transfer advances of opening bids. Overcalls are different because we've already done something.

 

So, vs a transfer opening or transfer advance when we haven't bid anything:

 

DBL = T/O of suit(s) shown

Simple bid of suit shown = 2-suited

P then DBL = Balanced values (about STR NT)

Other bids natural, delayed bids lighter.

[awm]

It might be reasonable to play the direct cuebid as stopper-ask. These hands where you have a long minor suit over a 3M preempt (for example) seem to come up fairly frequently. This seems a bit better than showing two-suiters, for much the same reason that people use 2X (weak) - 3X as a stopper ask and not as a two-suiter. Perhaps one should also play non-leaping michaels here, since the strong one-suited minor hands can start with the "cuebid."

 

Suppose opponents open 3♥ (showing spades). I'd much rather play that 3♠ is a stopper ask and 4m shows that minor and hearts, rather than play 3♠ is hearts and a minor and 4m natural. The one-suited minor hand is much more likely to want to play in 3NT than the 5+/5+ hand.

 

Otherwise mostly agree with what others have said.

[jdonn]

I guess what it all comes down to is where over a normal preempt you can show

 

takeout

 

Here you get a choice between showing four of (between double and double, double and pass, pass and double, and immediate cuebid)

 

stronger takeout

minimum takeout

balancing-strength takeout

penalty

general strength

michaels (saving a level) or some 2-suited thing

stopper ask

 

You pick the ones you like and allocate them accordingly.