The Flaws in Standard American Bridge: Revised

By Ken Casey

This book is designed to highlight the flaws in Standard American bidding, i.e. the SAYC system. The book discusses the major failures of SAYC, namely the failure of the ACBL to adopt the Bergen point-count system, the failure to simplify reverses, the failure to find a 20-21p bid for all hands, and the failure to adopt the Casey-Jacoby Transfer convention and the Casey Rebid convention.

In addition, the book points out numerous minor failures such as the failure to find a means of bidding a direct game, the failure of SAYC to require takeout doubles to have a four-card major, and the failure to adopt Minorwood, a six-keycard kickback convention. The book also points out the ACBL’s failure to clarify certain issues, such as the failure to clarify O’s reply to R’s two-level response, the failure to clarify cuebids, and the failure to clarify Stopper-Ask bids. The book provides a solution for all these problems in a new system called Precision Diamond.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984510297

Ken Casey

Ken served as a Russian interpreter during the Vietnam War and then spent over 30 years practicing as a tax attorney. Ken also has an MBA in accounting and a CPA.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1: THE MECHANICS OF SAYC

THE HISTORY OF SAYC

In the 1980s, the ACBL (American Contract Bridge League) developed the Standard Yellow Card System (SAYC) to be used by players wanting a standard method which was free of complex bidding systems. The system is so named because of the original color of the yellow convention card. The idea was to reduce the number of alerts and announcements that were being made in tournaments. The ACBL updates SAYC; the last update was in 2008. When OKBridge and Bridge Base Online, came on the internet scene in the 1990s, SAYC became a convenient system to use for most players. SAYC is now formalized in a book by the ACBL called Bidding in the 21st Century.

The intent of producing a standardized system was a laudatory one. The one downside is that a more sophisticated and therefore more complex system is likely to produce better results. As a consequence, most tournaments players play a modified version of SAYC. A summarized version of SAYC is available online and is called the ACBL SAYC System Booklet. Below is a synopsis of SAYC.

ONE-LEVEL OPENING BIDS

In 1st or 2nd seat, one should open with 13+p. If you use HCP, go ahead and open with 12p if you meet the Rule of 20. Under this rule, you take the HCP count, add the number of cards in your longest suit and add the number of cards in your 2nd longest suit. If the total is 20 or higher, you open. For example, suppose you have ♠KJxx, ♥Ax, ♦QJxx and ♣Jxx i.e. a 4-4-3-2 distribution. You take your 12 HCP, add 8 for length and your total is 20, the magic number. If you had 4-3-3-3 distribution, you would not open.

Note that the Rule of 20 allows you to open with 11 HCP. For example, suppose you have ♠AJxxx, ♥Qx, ♦KJxx and ♣xx i.e. a 5-4-3-2 distribution. You have 11 HCP and 9 for length, making 20. Using Bergen points, you have 11½p as follows: 11 HCP, -1p for the ♥Qx, 1p for the 5-card spade suit and ½p for the 5-4 distribution, making a total of 11.5p, which is insufficient to open.

If R has a 5-card minor and a 4-card major and O has opened 1♣, R should bid the 4-card major 1st, prior to his 5-card diamond suit. Before 1990, it was common for R to bid the 5-card minor 1st but defenses have become more aggressive since then.

If you play SAYC, you are committed to the short club convention. In this convention, O opens 1♦ with a 4-card diamond suit unless O has a 5-card club suit. With 4-4 in the minors, O opens 1♦. With 3-3 in the minors, O opens 1♣. With 4-4-3-2 distribution, O bids 1♣ even though diamonds is the longer (and therefore better) minor. Under SAYC, you must have a 4+ card diamond suit to open 1♦.

In the 3rd seat it is permissible to open with 11 HCP. In the 4th seat, you may also open with 11 HCP if you have a 4-card spade suit. Using the Rule of 15, you take your HCP and add the number of spades you hold. If you hold 4 spades and have 11 HCP, you have the requisite 15 units to open.

In the balancing seat (the pass-out seat), you should double a contract in order to reopen the bidding if you have 4 cards in the other unbid major (or at least 4-3 in the majors if opponents are in a minor contract) and have 10+p. As in the case of a takeout double, you count dummy points so give yourself 3p for a singleton. For example, if the bidding goes (1♥)-pass-(2♥)-Pass-(Pass)-X, the double shows a 4-card spade suit and 10+ dummy points.

RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE IN A MINOR SUIT

With 6-10p, R bids his 4-card major up the line (even if R has a 5-card diamond suit). If R does not have a 4+ card major and R has 6-10p, R raises the opener’s minor with a 5-card club suit (O could have opened with only 3 clubs) or a 4-card diamond suit (O must have 4 diamonds to open 1♦) to the 2-level. If R does not have support for O’s minor suit and R does not have a major suit, R bids 1NT with 6-10p.

With 6-10p and a 6+ card suit, R should raise his major suit to the 2-level, e.g. 1♣-1♠-1NT-2♠. With 11+p and a 6-card suit, R should jump to the 3-level, e.g. 1♣-1♠-1NT-3♠; this is not a forcing bid. SAYC has not adopted the weak jump shift as a response to opener. However, if opponents open, the overcaller is free to make a weak jump shift with 6-10p and a 6-card suit.

If R has an invitational hand of 11-12p with a 4 or 5-card major and the partnership is playing New Minor Forcing, R bids his major at the one-level and then bids the new minor after O’s 1NT bid. If R does not have a major but has support for O’s minor, R raises O’s minor to the 3-level. If O opened 1♣, R needs 5 clubs to raise and if O opened 1♦ (showing at least 4 diamonds), R needs 4 diamonds to raise. If you play inverted minors, R bids 2♣ or 2♦ with 11+p. If you play normally, R makes a limit raise to 3♣ or 3♦.

To get more information on SAYC, you can download the following programs: Learn to Play Bridge 1 and Learn to Play Bridge 2. You may also wish to buy the ACBL student text on bidding, entitled Bidding in the 21st Century, or read Audrey Grant’s book, Better Bridge – Bidding. Finally, you may wish to download from the internet the 8 page booklet entitled ACBL SAYC System Booklet.

RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE IN A MAJOR SUIT

R’s 1st obligation is to support O’s major with 3 or 4-card support. O will open his 5+ card major with 1♥ or 1♠ with 13+p. With 6-10p, R should bid 2♥ with 3-card heart support. With 4-card support and 6-10p, many responders will use the Bergen preemptive raise of 3♣, asking O to bid 3♥. My preference is to use the Bergen 3♣ raise for any preempt by R, i.e. any time R has 4+ card support and 4-10 Bergen points.

With 11-12p in SAYC you use a limit raise, e.g. 1M-3M, with 3 or 4-card support. Previously the ACBL had recommended use of a limit raise of 3M only with 4-card support, using the delayed better minor bid combined with a delayed 3M rebid to show 3-card support. Many people today use the Bergen 3♦ raise with 4-card support and 11-12p.

With 13+p and 3-card support in SAYC, R temporizes with a 2-level minor waiting until his next bid to show heart support by bidding 3♥. If R raises to 4♥ immediately, O may think you have a preemptive hand and miss a slam contract. If R has 13+p and 4-card support, R should use the Jacoby 2NT bid, to be discussed later.

OPENER’S REBIDS AFTER O’S MINOR OPENING

With a minimal hand of 13-15p, O’s 1st priority is to raise R’s major with 4-card support. Thus if the bidding has gone 1♣-1♠-2♠, O shows 4-card support and 13-15p. If O opens a minor and has no fit for R’s major, O’s 1NT bid shows 13-15p.

With a medium hand of 16-18p, O’s 1st priority is to raise R’s suit to the 3-level, e.g. 1♣-1♠-3♠. When supporting R, O should revalue his hand as if O were the dummy; this is the prime time for reevaluation of one’s hand. Thus, if O has a singleton, O would give himself 3p for the singleton. If O has bid a suit that R raised to the 2-level, O’s raise of that major to the 3-level shows 16-18p. For example, if the bidding has gone 1♣-1♥-1♠-2♠, O should raise R’s 2♠ bid to 3♠ to show 16-18p.

O’s 2nd priority with 16-18p is to raise his own suit to the 3-level with a 6-card suit, e.g. 1♥-1♠-3♥. Otherwise, O should reverse in a new, higher-ranking suit at the 2-level (or a lower-ranking suit at the 3-level). For example, 1♣-1♠-2♥ or 1♠-2♥-3♣ shows a reverse. O may also show a new suit at the 2-level without reversing; this shows a wide range of 13-18p, e.g. 1♠-1NT-2♣.

With a maximum opener of 19-21p, O’s 1st priority is to raise R’s major to the 4-level with 4-card support. For example, 1♣-1♠-4♠ shows 19-21p with 4-card support. If O has bid a minor that R raised to the 2-level, O’s raise of that minor to 3NT shows 19-21p, e.g., 1♦-2♦-3NT since R has shown only 6-10p.

With a 6-card major and 19-21p, O raises his own major to the 4-level; this bid is based on the assumption that R is likely to have a doubleton, e.g. 1♠-1NT-4♠. If O has a balanced hand and no support for R’s major, O rebids 2NT with 18-19p.

If O has an unbalanced hand, O jump shifts into a new suit of 4-card length to show 19-21p. For example, if the auction has gone 1♣-1♥-2♠, O’s jump shift shows a 4-card spade suit and 19-21p. O must have 4 cards in the suit to which he jumps if his hand is unbalanced.

OPENER’S REBIDS AFTER O’S MAJOR OPENING

With a minimal hand of 13-15p, O should rebid 1NT or pass R’s 1NT response. The only exception is if O has 5-4 in the majors. In such case, O should open 1♠ and rebid 2♥ (showing 13-18p) with a 4 or 5-card heart suit. If R gives a negative response of 2♠ (showing 6-10p and 2-card support), O can then bid 3♥ to show 16-18p and a 5-card heart suit or pass with 13-15p. If O rebids his suit, O shows a 6-card suit with 13-15p. For example, 1♥-1NT-2♥ shows a 6-card suit with 13-15p. With 16-18p and a 6-card major, O would jump to 3♥, e.g.,