Strong Club, Stronger Diamond system

[osocanoso]

Have started playing this with my regular pard with good results:

 

1♣ 15-19 hcp any shape OR 20+ with 4+ hearts

 

1♦ 20+ any shape

 

1♥ 4+ hearts unbalanced 11-15 may have five card minor

 

1 ♠ 4+ hearts unbalanced 11-15 may have five card minor

 

1 NT 11-14 balanced

 

2 ♣ 5-5 minors 3-10 hcp

 

2 ♦ ekren 4+ cards in each major, 3-10 hcp

 

2 ♥ 6+ hearts 5-10 hcp

 

2 ♠ 6+ spades 5-10 hcp

 

2 NT 6+ minor 5-10 hcp, responder bids 2 clubs pass or correct with most hands

 

Responses to 1 club:

 

1 ♦ waiting

 

1 ♥ 7+ hcp, 4+ hearts forcing to 2 NT

 

1 ♠ 7+ hcp, 4+ spades forcing to 2 NT

 

1 nt 11+ hcp, no four card major, no five card minor

 

2 ♣ 7+ hcp, 5+ clubs, forcing to 2 NT

 

2 ♦ 7+ hcp, 5+ diamonds, forcing to 2 NT

 

higher level responses are weak jump shifts

 

Responses to 1 ♦

 

1 ♥ waiting

 

other bids show 9+ and are natural

 

Opener's continuations are natural

 

Using the club bid for strong hands with hearts addresses the issue of wrong siding the contract after a 1 diamond opening.

 

This system is quite natural, allows us to preempt a lot, and keeps the bidding low on all strong hands without the ambiguity of the strong club opening. When opps interfere, responder already has an accurate picture of the partnerships assets. The accuracy of the opening bids makes it compatible with whatever conventional continuations you want.

[nullve]

Three questions:

 

* Does 1♦ deny 4+ H?

* What do you open with 11-14, 3-S3-H, unbal.?

* You seem to live in the US, so are you allowed to play the 2♣, 2♦ and 2N openings?

[wank]

devoting one of your lowest openers (1d) to a very small set of hands is, one would think quite clearly, very inefficient.

[Cyberyeti]

devoting one of your lowest openers (1d) to a very small set of hands is, one would think quite clearly, very inefficient.

 

When I did something like this (although not that like it), we moved the bids around so 1N was the big bid for that reason.

[Kungsgeten]

This looks a bit like "Nalle"; a strong club system played by a Swedish pair. They do not use 1D as strong though, but instead a nebulous bid with all unbalanced hands without a 4+ major. I guess you could perhaps combine your 20+ 1D opening with that, or switch it with the 1C opening in order to stay lower. Nalle does this:

 

1C = 15+ any

1D = 10-14 unbalanced, no 4+ major

1M = 10-14, 4+ major, unbalanced or 5M332. Longer minor possible.

1NT = 11-14, denies 5M332

2C+ = Various weak hands

 

You could perhaps do this:

 

1C = 20+ any or 11-14 unbalanced, no 4+ major

1D = 15-19

Others = As original post

 

I think 2C as 5-5 minors is too infrequent for such a low bid. Why not Ekren style?

[osocanoso]

Three questions:

 

* Does 1♦ deny 4+ H?

* What do you open with 11-14, 3-S3-H, unbal.?

* You seem to live in the US, so are you allowed to play the 2♣, 2♦ and 2N openings?

 

Hi thanks for asking

 

1 ♦ denies four hearts

 

3-3-(5-2) is opened 1 NT

 

3-3-(6-1) is opened 1 NT if the stiff is an ace or king and the hand otherwise qualifies or 1 club then 2 clubs or 2 diamonds or 2 nt if it is an ugly 11. I need to explain that better, I'd forgotten.

 

 

 

I live in Spain

[osocanoso]

This looks a bit like "Nalle"; a strong club system played by a Swedish pair. They do not use 1D as strong though, but instead a nebulous bid with all unbalanced hands without a 4+ major. I guess you could perhaps combine your 20+ 1D opening with that, or switch it with the 1C opening in order to stay lower. Nalle does this:

 

1C = 15+ any

1D = 10-14 unbalanced, no 4+ major

1M = 10-14, 4+ major, unbalanced or 5M332. Longer minor possible.

1NT = 11-14, denies 5M332

2C+ = Various weak hands

 

You could perhaps do this:

 

1C = 20+ any or 11-14 unbalanced, no 4+ major

1D = 15-19

Others = As original post

 

I think 2C as 5-5 minors is too infrequent for such a low bid. Why not Ekren style?

 

 

Competing in a minor often requires going to the 3 level, thus the requirement for extra cards in the suit

[WGF_Flame]

what do you open with a one minor suiter ?

there are 2 nice systems called nail and snail which use 1c and 1d for strong hands, 1h 1s like yours.

[Zelandakh]

3-3-(6-1) is opened 1 NT if the stiff is an ace or king and the hand otherwise qualifies or 1 club then 2 clubs or 2 diamonds or 2 nt if it is an ugly 11. I need to explain that better, I'd forgotten.

Then your description of a 1♣ opening as "15-19 hcp any shape OR 20+ with 4+ hearts" is a lie?