transfer responses to 1M

[dick payne]

Transfer responses to 1M

 

Transfer responses to 1NT are almost universal. Their objective is not, as some people think, to place the declaration in the other hand. After all it is better to put the known hand down in dummy and either hand could have tenaces. The advantage is that they double the vocabulary of bidding. A simple example is 1NT 2H 2S 2NT. Responder has shown a raise to 2NT with a five card heart suit. The immediate response of 2NT would have shown something different

The cost of transfers over 1NT is the natural weak response of 2D. Over 1M the cost is the natural non forcing response of 1NT. This is not a high price to pay, many 1C systems play 1M 1NT as forcing anyway

Responses to a bid of 1H showing 11-15 points and 4+ hearts

1H 1S - natural forcing

1NT - transfer to clubs

2C - transfer to diamonds

2D - transfer to hearts

2H - courtesy raise on four trumps and less than 8 points

2S - weak two 6-10 points

2NT - natural, three card heart support . Opener can pull to 3H or 4H

3C* - game try splinter 8-11 points

3D* - game try splinter 8-11 points

3H - pre-emptive five card support

3S - slam try splinter 14+ points

3NT - natural, three card heart support

4C/4D - slam try splinter 14+ points

4H - to play, no slam interest

 

* can be game going on 11-14 points, in which case responder will bid game in spite of a sign off

 

The rebids are counter-instinctive. Break the transfer if you like it.

1H 1NT

? 2C - any hand which does not like clubs, even a singleton Responder may be making a weakness take out into a six card club suit with no more than AJxxxx in clubs

2H - a six card heart suit

2D/2S - five hearts, four of this second suit and three of partner’s clubs

2NT - a sound raise to 3C, 14-15 points or equivalent distributional values, could be five hearts four clubs and a singleton

3C - a value raise to 4C if partner was promising 11 points (which he is not)

3H - six hearts and four clubs

 

1H 1NT

2C ?

2D - forcing, 4+ clubs 4 diamonds Responder can pass the rebids of 2H,2NT or 3C

2H - 8-10 points 4+ clubs 3 hearts

2S - natural, forcing

2NT - non forcing

3C - forcing

3H - forcing three card support

 

1H 2D

Primary heart support, shows any hand worth between two and a half hearts and seven hearts. Opener rebids 2H on any hand which has no interest in game opposite 8-10 points. Bidding another suit shows at least game interest. A jump to 4H is unhelpful if partner is interested in a slam. 3S,4C,4D are splinters

 

Slam Splinters.

Do not splinter on a Singleton Ace because partner will devalue Kxx or KQx

Opener discounts all cards in the splinter suit except the Ace. This will give him a RESIDUAL POINT COUNT

Qx / KQxxx / KQx / Jxx 1H 3D a residual 8 count

Ax / KQxxx / xxx / AQx 1H 3D a residual 15 count

 

With 8-9 RC sign off and sign off again if partner tries again

With 10-11 RC sign off and accept if partner tries again

With 12-13 RC cue bid but if partner signs off, pass

With 14-15 RC cue bid and go on even if partner signs off

 

28 points total residual count is worth a slam. If the splinter suit is xxx opposite x, the opponents have 10 points to win one trick and a further 2 points to try and win another. If the splinter suit is Axx opposite x, the opponents have six points wasted and a a remaining six points to try and take two tricks

4NT (the old faithful) is totally irrelevant. What is required is fillers in the three other suits. There can be a lay down slam with an Ace missing, and a hopeless slam with all the controls and no stuffing. 4NT is part of the cue bidding process.

Trump length will be vital Axxxx opposite Kxxxx does not expect a loser, but with Axxx opposite Kxxx there is bound to be at least one loser

[Zelandakh]

The problem is not the loss of a non-forcing NT so much as having to sort out all 3 strength ranges for each transfer range. You are also preempting yourself on some occasions with the only upside being the abilits to show a weak hand with a long minor at the 2 level - as an example, what are you responding and rebidding with a weak 3154?

 

The real point of the forcing 1NT is that is puts 2 of the 3 ranges into the cheapest call and then shows the last range naturally. In 2/1 the range to show naturally is the GF one, arguably the most important. My method is to turn this on its head and have the weak range shown naturally and the other 2 shown by the first step. Either way you end up with an efficient system. Your system could also be efficient too with some work; but that is the problem, who is going to put the effort into it to bring it up to the competitive standard of 2/1?

 

As a final aside, this is not the first transfer method to have been suggested. You might be able to short-cut some of the development work if you are able to research articles in major bridge journals and forums.

[aguahombre]

Here in ACBL land, after all that effort we would run into a big barrier ---the GCC.

 

However, we can use a transfer response structure after 1M Doubled and it can easily made into a total package because the lower starting point of "redouble" allows a full spectrum where all responses below 2 of opener's major are transfers and all holes are plugged.

[straube]

Over 1M the cost is the natural non forcing response of 1NT. This is not a high price to pay, many 1C systems play 1M 1NT as forcing anyway

 

I like a semi-forcing NT such that we can stop at the 1-level or opener can continue to show his shape. Once one hand has significantly started to pattern (e.g. opener showing a 5-cd major), it makes sense to let him continue patterning most of the time.

 

If I'm responding to 1S with x Axxxx Jxxxx Ax, I have values enough that we could make game somewhere (i.e. I have to do something), but I don't have enough to invite unless we have a fit somewhere. If I try to use a transfer method, which red suit do I transfer to? Do I pass opener's simple acceptance of the transfer bid or do I mention my other red suit?

 

If I make a semiforcing NT response and partner passes, I'll know that we 1) don't have game and 2) don't have a 9-cd heart fit so I'll be reasonably content. We're in a part score that ought to have some play. If partner rebids a red suit, I'll be happy. It's only if partner rebids 2C that I'll have a difficulty...but this is likely a misfit situation; we could lose if partner has 5314 and I had elected to transfer to hearts, but partner could also have had 5035 in which case I'm glad I didn't.

 

Lots of folks play transfers after (for example) 1M dbl but in this situation they have the extra bids of pass and redouble available (usually when they don't have direction) plus the idea of catering to weak long suits makes a lot more sense after an opponent has announced strength and our game prospects are less.

[Free]

Transfer responses are only good after transfer openings (like in MOSCITO), because you have 1 extra step. Over a natural 1M opening you don't have enough space to transfer to every suit and NT.

 

When opps double your natural 1M opening, you can in fact play transfers because, again, you gain 1 extra step (RDbl).

[glen]

Here is a structure:

 

http://www.bridgematters.com/idea3.htm

 

Two keys:

1) to get the forcing notrump type in, the cheapest response is either a transfer or a balanced hand (quasi-balanced, such as a 4-4-4-1 with singleton in opener's major)

2) opener's rebids are transfers

 

The pure transfer over the natural major opening does not work, as well described above

[Kungsgeten]

Magic Diamond use transfers over 1M: http://www.clairebridge.com/textes/MagicDiamond.pdf

 

I've played these over a Moscito opening, where it worked okay. Just like Free says I think it is harder over a natural opening.

 

I know of one pair who play Magic style 1M openings (their 1M is 10--14 with 4+M (not 4333 or 4332) and possibly longer minor) and they use transfers rebids over 1H--1S too.