Moving suits around in Swedish Club

[dcrc2]

New two-way club system for you. The idea is to have bids available showing unbalanced hands in all four suits, while (unlike the 2♣ bid in Swedish Club) still being able to sort out most of your major-suits fits below 2 of your main suit. To do this you have to give up the 5-card heart opening, but this structure allows you to continue to play 5-card spades:

 

1♣ = 11-13 balanced/4144 or 17+.

1♦ = 11+ with 4+ hearts, unbalanced or 5-3-3-2, possibly with a longer minor if minimum.

1♥ = 11+ with 5+ clubs, unbalanced, not 4 hearts if minimum.

1♠ = 11-16 with 5+ spades.

1NT = 14-16(17) balanced/4144.

2♣ = 11-16 with 5+ diamonds, unbalanced, no 4-card major unless intending to bid again over a 2♦ response.

2♦ = 11-16, 5+ diamonds and precisely 4 spades.

 

I haven't worked out all the responses, merely proved that they exist :) Still, I thought the structure was interesting enough to share with you.

 

There's also a slightly more natural version where

1♦ = 5+ clubs or (41)44

1♥ = 5+ hearts or 4H-5D or 44(14)

[relknes]

Are your 1♦ and 1♥ bids really unlimited, or did you mean 11-16?

[dcrc2]

Are your 1♦ and 1♥ bids really unlimited, or did you mean 11-16?

Personally I like to play 1♦ and 1♥ as unlimited (or 11-21) even in a "natural" multi-way club system. But that's a matter of taste; you could play them as 11-16.

[Zelandakh]

To achieve the base objectives, is it not simpler to play

 

1C = 11-13 bal or 17+ any (perhaps some or all 4441s here too)

1D = 10-16, unbal, no 5 card major

1M = 10-16, 5+ cards

1N = 14-16 bal

2C = 10-16, 5-4/5-5 minors

 

I cannot be bothered to work out the optimum placement of 4441s (am pretty sure this system exists and someone already did it) but this kind of structure achieves the stated aims at the cost of forcing a nebulous (0+) 1D opening.

[campboy]

There's also a slightly more natural version where

1♦ = 5+ clubs or (41)44

1♥ = 5+ hearts or 4H-5D or 44(14)

I assume the point of this version is that it is ok at EBU level 4 :) Anyway, sounds fun. If we can fill in some of the details I'd be up for trying it on a Tuesday sometime (Wednesdays being level 3).

[Wackojack]

To achieve the base objectives, is it not simpler to play

 

1C = 11-13 bal or 17+ any (perhaps some or all 4441s here too)

1D = 10-16, unbal, no 5 card major

1M = 10-16, 5+ cards

1N = 14-16 bal

2C = 10-16, 5-4/5-5 minors

 

I cannot be bothered to work out the optimum placement of 4441s (am pretty sure this system exists and someone already did it) but this kind of structure achieves the stated aims at the cost of forcing a nebulous (0+) 1D opening.

I have played very similar to this and it works well:

These are the opening bids:

1♣ Strong 17+, or 11-13 with a 4 card major (balanced or any 4441)

1♦ 11-16 with no 4-card major (or 6♦ + 5M)

1♥/♠ 11-16 >= 5cards

1NT 14-16 balanced

2♣ 11-16 >= 6 cards with no 4 card major

2♦ 5-9, 6 card major or minor suit near game hand

2♥/♠ 11-16, 4 major + >= 5cards in minor

2NT 20-21 balanced

 

4441 singleton club is troublesome forcing you to open 1NT with 14-16.

With 4M5m and 2-2 in other suits 14-16 it is usually better to open 1NT