The Precision Diamond Bridge Bidding System: 2Nd Edition 2020

By Ken Casey

The second edition of this book incorporates the 2/1 Game Force bidding system. The book is designed to improve your bidding in 5 steps. The 1st step involves maximizing your use of the 2/1 system whenever you open with a major suit. The 2nd step involves your use of the New Minor Forcing convention to find a 5-card major in responder’s hand.

The 3rd step involves adoption of the strong 2 bid, a bid of 20-21p with an unbalanced hand (one with a singleton or void). By tweaking reverses, this allows the opener to show an unbalanced hand by bidding at the 2-lelvel with 16-17p or at the 3-level with 18-19p.

The 4th step involves optimizing your slam bidding with conventions to show the trump Queen. It also involves the use of the Redwood kickback convention minor suit contracts and the use of the Fourth Suit Forcing convention to ascertain whether the opener has 4or 5 cards in this 2nd bid suit.

The 5th step involves the use of bids to hamper the opponents from finding their 4-4 spade fit. This involves the use of the Casey overcall and the use of the Casey-Jacoby Transfer for R’s 5-card majors. Finally, the use of inverted minors is discussed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796058949

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

THE STANDARD

AMERICAN SYSTEM

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 since 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., 1♥ - 1NT - 3♥.

With a medium hand of 16-18p, O should reverse, e.g. 1♥ - 1NT - 2♠ or 1♥ - 2♦ - 3♣. With a balanced hand and 18-19p, O should bid 2NT over R’s 1♠. What happens if O bids 2NT over R’s 1NT bid, e.g. 1♥ - 1NT -2NT? Since O’s 2NT bid is not a jump bid, it does not mean 18-19p. Instead, O’s raise to 2NT is an invitational game bid, showing 16-17p. If R bids at the 2-level, O’s 2NT bid shows 13-15p with a balanced hand; O’s 3NT bid shows 16-18p, e.g. 1♠ - 2♣ - 3NT. With 19-21p, O should jump shift into a new suit.

1NT OPENING BIDS

In SAYC, an opening bid of 1NT shows a balanced hand and a range of 15-17 HCP. A balanced hand is one with no voids, no singletons and no more than one doubleton. It may seem surprising but there is no specific ACBL rule of law stating that you cannot have a singleton when opening 1NT or 2NT. A singleton Ace is certainly permissible.

While it is not a regulation, the following clarification from the ACBL’s Rulings FAQ states as follows: There is not now, nor has there ever been, any regulation which prohibits a player from opening (or overcalling) a natural NT with a singleton if sound bridge judgment dictates doing so. What is prohibited is any agreement that such bids do not promise balanced hands. Players may use their bridge judgment to open or overcall 1NT with a singleton provided that: It is a rare occurrence, i.e., no more than 1% of the time, partner expects you to have at least two cards in each suit, and there are no agreements which enable the partners to discover a singleton.

According to Ruth Harrison in her book, The Player’s Guide to the Rules of Duplicate Bridge, a player may occasionally bid 1NT or 2NT provided he has no partnership understanding. An implicit partnership understanding may arise from frequent usage. Certain hands, namely those with a singleton spade, should be opened 1NT with 15-17 HCP by O to avoid the likely response of 1♠ by R. For example, suppose O’s hand is ♠K, ♥KJxx, ♦Axxx, & ♣A10xx. If O opens 1♦ and R responds 1♠, O has no good rebid. R cannot bid 2♥ since that would be a reverse and R cannot bid 1NT because that would show 13-15p, which would understate the value of the hand.

The experts indicate that it is permissible to open 1NT (or 2NT) with a singleton honor, especially with 4-4-4-1 distribution. With a 5-4-3-1 distribution, it is best to have a singleton in a major suit to bid 1NT due to the impossible rebid situation. Suppose you have 1=4=3=5 distribution. If O opens 1♣, R will almost certainly bid 1♠. O then has an impossible rebid situation since a 1NT response undervalues O’s hand and a 2♣ response would show a 6-card club suit. So long as there is no partnership agreement, there is no penalty for bidding the singleton. However, repeated use of an opening 1NT with a singleton is considered to lead to an implicit and illegal partnership agreement. Since there is no specific rule of law, you are technically free to bid 1NT with a singleton anytime you want but if the director is called, be prepared to protest the adjustment to your score.

The question arises whether you should open 1NT with a 5-card major and 5-3-3-2 distribution. Prior to 1970, the majority view was not to open 1NT with a 5-card major. The prevailing view today it that this is a perfectly acceptable practice. Statistical studies have shown that you will do better at 3NT with a 5-3-3-2 distribution than at a 4♥ or 4♠ contract. The reason is that with a 5-3-3-2 distribution, you may not be able to ruff anything. Similarly, you will do better at 3NT if O has a 5-4-2-2 distribution and R has a 4-3-3-3 distribution; again it is unlikely that you will be able to ruff anything. My recommendation is that you open a 5-3-3-2 major with 1♥ or 1♠ and if R raises you, bid 2NT or 3NT to show the balanced distribution.

The next question is whether you should open 1NT with a 5-card major and 5-4-2-2 distribution; technically it meets the ACBL requirements. The answer is no. The 5-4-2-2 distribution should be considered an unbalanced distribution because O is likely to get a ruff with his 4-card side suit. One reason people do not like to bid 1NT with a 5-card major and 5-4-2-2 distribution is that you often miss out on 5-3 major fits if the responder has fewer than 8 HCP since R will pass O’s 1NT opening in such case. For example, suppose O has 17 HCP and R has 7 HCP. O will end up playing 1NT since R will pass. O will probably make 2NT, when O might easily make 3♥ or 3♠, a superior contract.

Let’s pose an example which was taken from William Root’s Commonsense Bidding. O has 17 high card points (HCP) and R has 7 HCP as follows. Root recommends opening 1NT, which R would pass. Many others would open with 1♥ and the bidding would proceed as indicated. O’s 2♣ bid shows at least 3 clubs.