Bridge Bidding System: 5Th Edition 2022

By Ken Casey

This book incorporates the 2/1 Game Force bidding system for opening majors. The Casey Reverse will enable the responder to know the opener’s point count within a 2p range after the opener’s rebid. In addition, the Casey Overcall will improve your part scores by hampering the opponents from finding their spade fit. The book will also help you reach a new level by improving your slam bidding. The advantage of using the Casey 2/1 Bidding System is that you will open a minor suit 12.6% more often than with Standard American.

Ken has published more than 15 bridge books. There are 5 core books as follows: Tournament Bridge for Beginning Players (4th ed. 2020), Tournament Bridge for Intermediate Players (5th ed. 2021), Tournament Bridge for Advanced Players (4th ed. 2021), Tournament Bridge for Notrump Contracts (4th ed. 2020) and Tournament Bridge Tips on Defense (4th ed. 2020). In addition, Ken has published two books on bidding, The Casey Simplified Precision Club Bridge Bidding System (2nd ed. 2021) and The Casey 2/1 Bridge Bidding System (5th ed. 2022).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664188525

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 Casey 2/1

Bridge Bidding System,

5th Edition 2022

KEN CASEY

Copyright © 2021 by Ken Casey.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 08/23/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

832920

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

THE STANDARD AMERICAN SYSTEM

1: THE MECHANICS OF SAYC

THE HISTORY OF SAYC

ONE-LEVEL OPENING BIDS

RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE IN A MINOR SUIT

RESPONSES TO OPENING BIDS OF ONE IN A MAJOR SUIT

OPENER’s REBIDS AFTER O’s MINOR OPENING

OPENER’s REBIDS AFTER O’s MAJOR OPENING

1NT OPENING BIDS

RESPONDING TO 1NT OPENING BIDS

THE STRONG OPENING 2♣ BID FOR 22+p HANDS

SHOWING A 6-CARD SUIT BY O IN SAYC

2: CHARTING SAYC

CASEY 2/1 FOR MINOR SUIT OPENINGS

3: ADVANTAGES OF THE CASEY 2/1 BIDDING SYSTEM OVER SAYC

ADVANTAGES OF USING CASEY 2/1

4: THE CASEY REVERSE

THE COMPLEXITY IN SAYC’s SYSTEM OF REVERSES

THE CASEY REVERSE: A NEW SUIT REBID BY O AT THE 2-LEVEL=15-17p AND A NEW 3-LEVEL REBID=18-19p

THE CASEY REVERSE: O’s RAISE OF R’s MAJOR TO 2♥/♠ SHOWS 11-14p, TO 3♥/♠ SHOWS 15-17p & TO 4♥/♠ SHOWS 18-19p

THE CASEY REVERSE: OVER R’s 2-LEVEL MINOR, O’s RAISE TO THE 3-LEVEL=15-17p & RAISE TO THE 4-LEVEL=18-19p

OVER R’s 2-LEVEL MINOR, O’s BID OF 2NT=11-14p AND O’s BID OF 3NT=18-19p WITH A BALANCED HAND

THE CASEY REVERSE: IF O RAISES HIS OWN SUIT TO THE 3-LEVEL, O SHOWS 15-17p; TO THE 4-LEVEL, O SHOWS 18-19p

THE CASEY-JACOBY TRANSFER: R’s 2♦ BID SHOWS 5♥s AND R’s 2♥ BID SHOWS 5♠s WITH 8+p

THE CASEY-JACOBY 2♠ TRANSFER: R’s 2♠ BID SHOWS 5♦s (OR 4♦s IF O OPENS 1♦) & 11+p

THE CASEY REBID CONVENTION

IS THERE A NEED FOR A SPECIAL REVERSE WITH 20-21p IF O OPENS A MINOR?

5: THE 1♣ or 1♦ OPENING: 11-14+p

SIMILARITY BETWEEN CASEY 2/1 AND SAYC

THE ADVANTAGES OF OPENING 1♣ or 1♦ LIGHT

ARE OPENING 1♣ & 1♦ BIDDERS MORE LIKELY TO BE DOUBLED?

WHEN THERE IS NO MAJOR FIT

QUIZ

ANSWERS

6: THE 1NT OPENING: 15-17p BALANCED

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYC AND CASEY 2/1

DO YOU OPEN 1NT WITH 15-17 HCP or 15-17 Bergen points?

DO YOU BID 1NT WITH A WORTHLESS DOUBLETON?

DO YOU BID 1NT WITH A 5-CARD MAJOR, e.g., 5-3-3-2?

THE STAYMAN CONVENTION: BIDDING 2♣ WITH 9+p

GARBAGE STAYMAN: LESS THAN 9p WITH A SINGLETON OR DOUBLETON IN CLUBS BY R WITH TWO MAJOR SUITS

JACOBY TRANSFERS (JT)

THE JACOBY 2♠ RAISE SHOWING 6♣s or 6♦s

WHAT HAPPENS IF R HAS 16+p WITH A 5-CARD MAJOR?

7: THE 2NT OPENING: 20-21p BALANCED

SHOWING A BALANCED HAND

8: THE STRONG 2♣ OPENING

RESPONDING WITH 8+p

RESPONDING WITH 0-3p

THE TWO-OVER-ONE GAME FORCE SYSTEM FOR 5-CARD MAJORS

9: THE 2/1 GAME FORCE SYSTEM

THE HISTORY OF THE 2/1 SYSTEM

THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE 2/1 SYSTEM

THE GREAT DEBATE: THE CASE FOR & AGAINST 2/1

GRANT & RODWELL’s 2/1 GAME FORCE SYSTEM

HARDY VERSUS LAWRENCE VERSUS THURSTON STYLE

10: THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE TRADITONAL 2/1 STYLE

THE FIRST DEFECT: 2/1 DOES NOT APPLY TO R’s 2♠ BID

THE 2ND DEFECT: 2/1 DOES NOT APPLY TO R’s 1♠ RESPONSE

THE 3RD DEFECT: 2/1 APPLIES TO 1♦-2♣ SEQUENCES AS WELL AS MAJOR OPENINGS

THE 4TH DEFECT: R MUST 1st TEMPORIZE WITH 3-CARD SUPPORT IN O’s MAJOR

THE 5TH DEFECT: 2/1 FAILS TO ADOPT THE FAST OR SLOW ARRIVAL CONVENTION

THE 6TH DEFECT: 2/1 APPLIES CUEBIDDING TO SHOW A CONTROL, INSTEAD OF LACK OF A CONTROL

11: THE NON-APPLICATION OF THE CASEY 2/1 SYSTEM

THE NON-APPLICATION OF CASEY 2/1 TO O’s 1♦-2♣ SEQUENCE

THE NON-APPLICATION OF CASEY 2/1 TO A DIRECT RAISE

THE NON-APPLICATION OF CASEY 2/1 TO THE CASEY-JACOBY TRANSFER

12: THE CASEY GAME FORCING 2♠ CONVENTION

TRADITIONAL 2/1 GAME FORCE: R BIDS WITH 13+p

IN CASEY 2/1, R MAKES A GAME FORCE 2♠ BID WITH 5♠s & 13+p

13: THE FORCING 1♠ OR 1NT RESPONSE WHEN R HAS 6-12p

THE CASEY 2/1 SYSTEM WHEN R HAS 6-12p

RESPONDING WITH 6-10p AFTER O’s 2-LEVEL REBID IN CASEY 2/1

RESPONDING TO O WITH 11-12p IN CASEY 2/1

THE FAILURE OF SAYC TO ASCERTAIN IF R’s 1♠ BID = 5♠s

THE CASEY 5-3 SPADE FIT CONVENTION

RAISING O’s MAJOR: THE DIRECT RAISE CONVENTION

WHAT IF O IS 5-4 or 5-5 IN THE MAJORS AFTER R’s 1NT RESPONSE

MARATHON BIDS BY O IN 2/1 OVER R’s 1NT RESPONSE

ARE THERE ADVANTAGES TO BIDDING 2/1 INSTEAD OF SAYC?

14: THE CASEY FAST ARRIVAL CONVENTION

MECHANICS OF THE SLOW OR FAST ARRIVAL CONVENTION

FAST ARRIVAL APPLIES IF O RAISES R’s 2♥ to 4♥

FAST ARRIVAL APPLIES IF O RAISES R’s 3♥ TO 4♥

FAST ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R RAISES O’s 4♣ TO 5♣

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R RAISES O’s 2♠ TO 3♠

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R RAISES O’s 3♦ TO 4♦ or 3♣ to 4♣

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF O RAISES R’s 3♦ TO 4♦

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R CUEBIDS (OR BIDS 4♣) AFTER O RAISES HIS SUIT FROM 1♠-3♠

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF O CUEBIDS OR BIDS 4♣ AFTER R RAISES HIS SUIT FROM 2♠-3♠

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R CUEBIDS OR BIDS 4♣ AFTER O RAISES HIS SUIT FROM 2♥ TO 3♥

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF O BIDS 1♠-3♥, SHOWING 5-5 IN THE MAJORS

SLOW ARRIVAL APPLIES IF R RAISES O’s 4♦ to 4NT

THE OCCASIONAL AMBIGUITY CREATED IN 2/1 BY NOT USING FAST ARRIVAL

THE PROBLEM WITH CONTROLS: THE COOPERATION PROBLEM

15: THE CASEY WORTHLESS SUIT CONVENTION

SHOWING A WORTHLESS SUIT BY CUEBIDDING

MINOR SUIT IS RAISED: NEXT SUIT BID SHOWS LACK OF CONTROL (UNLESS IT IS MINORWOOD)

MAJOR SUIT IS RAISED: NEXT BID SHOWS LACK OF CONTROL

O’s MAJOR SUIT IS REBID AT 3-LEVEL: NEXT SUIT BID SHOWS LACK OF CONTROL

THE PROBABILITIES OF GOING DOWN WITH A WORTHLESS SUIT

16: THE CASEY 2/1 GAME FORCE SYSTEM

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CASEY 2/1 AND GRANT & RODWELL’s 2/1 GAME FORCE SYSTEM

O’s SUPPORT OF R’s MINOR

R’s SUPPORT OF O’s MINOR

BIDDING A MAJOR SUIT SLAM

THE CASEY CONVENTIONS

17: USING BERGEN POINTS INSTEAD OF GOREN POINTS OR HIGH CARD POINTS

THE BERGEN POINT COUNT SYSTEM

CAN DECLARER GIVE HIMSELF POINTS FOR SHORTNESS?

ASSIGNING POINTS FOR A SOLID SELF-SUFFICIENT SUIT

CAN R GET POINTS FOR 4 OR 5-CARD SUPPORT IN O’s MAJOR SUIT?

18: BEST BIDDING COMBINATIONS

SHOULD YOU OPEN LIGHT WITH A WEAK-TWO BID?

WITH 29 COMBINED POINTS, IS IT BETTER TO BE IN 3NT OR A MINOR SUIT GAME WITH AN UNBALANCED HAND?

SHOULD YOU BID SLAM IN YOUR 4-4 FIT OR YOUR 5-4 FIT?

WHEN BIDDING SLAM, IS IT BEST TO USE RKB 3014 OR 1430?

HOW SHOULD VULNERABILITY AFFECT YOUR BIDDING?

IF O OPENS IN 3RD HAND, DOES DRURY APPLY?

HOW DOES O SHOW 5-5 IN THE MAJORS?

19: THE CASEY DIRECT RAISE CONVENTION: NO TEMPORIZING

THE CASEY LIMIT RAISE IN THE DIRECT RAISE CONVENTION

JUMPING TO GAME WITH 13-15p IN THE DIRECT RAISE CONVENTION

EXAMPLES WHERE R TEMPORIZED OR FAILED TO USE THE BERGEN POINT COUNT SYSTEM

THE CASEY-JACOBY 2NT CONVENTION WITH 16+p

20: THE CASEY-JACOBY TRANSFER (CJT) TO SHOW R’s 5-CARD MAJOR

THE WORST FLAW IN SAYC

THE CASEY-JACOBY TRANSFER (CJT) MECHANISM

THE SUPER-ACCEPT MECHANISM

HOW DOES R SHOW A 5-5 DISTRIBUTION IN THE MAJORS USING THE CASEY-JACOBY TRANSFER?

HAMPERING OPPONENTS FROM FINDING THEIR 4-4 MAJOR SUIT FIT

21: THE CASEY-JACOBY 2♠ TRANSFER AND INVERTED MINORS

THE CASEY-JACOBY 2♠ TRANSFER SHOWING 5+ DIAMONDS

INVERTED MINORS

HAMPERING OPPONENTS FROM FINDING THEIR MAJOR FIT

HOW DOES O REACH A SLAM AFTER R BIDS A MINOR AT THE 2-LEVEL?

22: THE CASEY OVERCALL

TO SHOW 5 HEARTS, O CUEBIDS E’s SUIT AT 2-LEVEL AND TO SHOW 4 HEARTS, O BIDS 1NT

R SHOULD USE THE LIMIT RAISE CUEBID IF W DOUBLES O

HOW DOES O RESPOND TO E’s 1♣ OPENING WITH NO MAJOR OR MINOR AND 11+p?

23: INTERFERENCE BY THE OPPONENTS

DOES W’s 1-LEVEL OVERCALL POSE INTERFERENCE?

THE STOLEN BID CONVENTION

DOES W’s 2-LEVEL OVERCALL POSE ANY SIGNIFCANT INTERFERENCE OVER O’s 1♣ OPENING?

DOES W’s 2-LEVEL OVERCALL POSE SIGNIFICANT INTERFERENCE AFTER O OPENS 1♦?

OPENING PREEMPTS BY OPPONENTS AT THE 3-LEVEL

BIDDING WHEN DEFENDER OPENS: THE LEBENSOHL CONVENTION

AN OVERVIEW OF THE LEBENSOHL CONVENTION

24: CHARTING THE CASEY BIDDING SYSTEM

SLAM CONVENTIONS

25: THE CASEY SLAM CONVENTIONS

THE CASEY TRUMP QUEEN CONVENTION

THE CASEY-MINORWOOD KICKBACK CONVENTION

THE CASEY SPLINTER BID

THE CASEY-MINORWOOD EXCLUSION BLACKWOOD

THE CASEY-JACOBY 2NT RAISE CONVENTION

26: THE CASEY TRUMP QUEEN CONVENTION

CHARTING THE TRUMP QUEEN CONVENTION

ODDS ON GOING DOWN, LACKING THE TRUMP QUEEN

THE PROBLEM WITH THE KANTAR TRUMP QUEEN-ASK BID

27: THE CASEY-MINORWOOD KICKBACK CONVENTION

CHARTING THE MINORWOOD CONVENTION

THE MINORWOOD RESPONSES WITH 6 KEYCARDS

LOCATING A KING AT THE 5-LEVEL

28: THE KANTAR SLAM BIDS

THE TRUMP QUEEN-ASK BID

THE CASEY-KANTAR ♠K-ASK BID

THE KANTAR 4NT BID, ASKING FOR 1ST KING UP THE LINE (SKA OR SPECIFIC KING-ASK BID)

THE KANTAR SPECIFIC SUIT ASK BID: AFTER THE KEYCARD RESPONSE, R ASKS FOR 3RD ROUND CONTROL

THE CASEY-KANTAR 5♣ CONTROL ASK BID

THE KANTAR Q-ASK BID: R BIDS 5NT ASKING FOR 1ST QUEEN UP THE LINE

29: SHOWING A VOID

NUMBER OF POINTS NECESSARY FOR A SLAM

NUMBER OF POINTS NECESSARY FOR A SLAM WITH A VOID

MAKING 7♥ WITH ONLY 7 HCP

MAKING 7♠ WITH ONLY 6 HCP MISSING THE TRUMP K&J; S MAKES 7♠ WITH 3 VOIDS

MAKING 7♣ WITH ONLY 8 HCP MISSING THE TRUMP KJ9; S MAKES 7♣ WITH 3 VOIDS

THE CASEY SPLINTER BID FOR MAJOR OPENINGS

EXCLUSION KEYCARD BLACKWOOD (EKB or VOIDWOOD)

CASEY-MINORWOOD EXCLUSION BLACKWOOD

USING THE CASEY-JACOBY 2NT CONVENTION TO SHOW O’s VOID

30: CHARTING THE CASEY SLAM BIDDING SYSTEM

MISCELLANEOUS BIDDING SITUATIONS

31: DOUBLES

TAKE OUT DOUBLES

NEGATIVE DOUBLES

THE REDOUBLE

RESPONSIVE DOUBLES AFTER A MINOR SUIT RAISE BY OPPONENTS

PENALTY DOUBLES

LEAD-DIRECTING DOUBLES

32: CUEBIDDING THE OPPONENT’s SUIT

THE MICHAELS CUEBID

THE LIMIT RAISE CUEBID

THE WESTERN CUEBID

THE SPLINTER CUEBID

33: COMMON BRIDGE CONVENTIONS IN SAYC

THE SHORT CLUB CONVENTION

UNUSUAL 2NT

MICHAELS

JACOBY 2NT

THE OGUST CONVENTION

CAPPELLETTI

FOURTH SUIT FORCING (FSF)

34: OTHER USEFUL CONVENTIONS

4-WAY TRANSFERS

HELP-SUIT GAME TRY (HSGT)

STOLEN BID: SYSTEMS ON

REVERSE DRURY

UPSIDE-DOWN ATTITUDE SIGNALS

BOSTON: LEADS ARE BOTTOM OF SOMETHING; TOP OF NOTHING

35: PROCEDURAL RULES

36: IRREGULARITIES IN BIDDING

INSUFFICIENT BID

BIDDING OUT OF TURN

MISTAKEN EXPLANATION OF BID

THE WRONG OPPONENT MAKES OPENING LEAD

PENALTIES FOR A REVOKE (WRONG CARD PLAYED)

37: PLAYING IN A TEAM EVENT

38: FILLING OUT THE CONVENTION CARD

GENERAL APPROACH

NOTRUMP OPENING BIDS

MAJOR OPENING

MINOR OPENING

TWO-LEVEL OPENINGS

SPECIAL DOUBLES

SIMPLE OVERCALL

DEFENSE VS NOTRUMP

JUMP OVERCALLS

OPENING PREEMPTS

OVER OPP’s T/O DOUBLE

DIRECT CUEBID

VS OPENING PREEMPTS, DOUBLE IS

SLAM CONVENTIONS

CARDING

39: HAND RECORDS

40: DUPLICATE BRIDGE SCORING

CONTRACT POINTS

BONUS POINTS FOR PARTSCORE, GAME OR SLAM

OVERTRICK POINTS

PENALTY POINTS

BONUS FOR MAKING DOUBLED CONTRACT

41: OVERALL SCORING

42: SIGNALING COUNT

SIGNAL YOUR COUNT WHEN DECLARER LEADS

43: THE SUIT PREFERENCE SIGNAL

ON W’s LEAD OF THE ♣ACE, N HAS ♣Jx; E’s ♣4 SIGNALS FOR ♦ LEAD

ON W’s LEAD OF THE ♦ACE, E PLAYS HIGH SIGNALING FOR A SWITCH TO ♥s

ON W’s LEAD OF THE ♥K, N HAS ♥Ax; E’s ♥9 SIGNALS FOR ♠ LEAD

ON W’s LEAD OF THE ♣Ace, N HAS ♣Kx; E’s ♣2 SIGNALS ♦ STRENGTH

ON W’s LEAD OF THE ♠ACE, E PLAYS THE ♠Q (SHOWING THE ♠QJ); W LEADS THE ♠2 ASKING FOR ♣ RETURN

W PLAYS ♠Q UNDER S’s ♠ACE ON 2ND TRICK AS SUIT PREFERENCE ASKING FOR ♥ LEAD

W WITH ♥Axx42, PLAYS ♥2 ON 3RD LEAD ASKING E FOR ♦ LEAD

WHEN W LEADS AN APPARENT ♠ SINGLETON, E’s ♠10 RETURN ASKS FOR ♦ LEAD

PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

44: PROBABILITY CONSIDERATIONS

PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS

REMEMBERING PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS FROM THE TABLE

COMBINING BRIDGE PROBABILITIES

THE PROBABILITY OF A 1-1 SPLIT WITH 2 CARDS OUTSTANDING

THE PROBABILITY OF DROPPING THE Q WITH 4 OUTSTANDING CARDS

THE PROBABILITY OF DROPPING THE Q WITH 5 OUTSTANDING CARDS

THE PROBABILITY OF DROPPING THE J WITH 6 OUTSTANDING CARDS

THE PROBABILITY OF TAKING ALL 4 TRICKS WHEN DUMMY HOLDS THE A10xx AND S HOLDS THE KQx

RESTRICTED CHOICE: FINESSING WITH AJ10 AFTER E TAKES THE Q

THE LAW OF VACANT SPACES

THE LAW OF CHANGING ODDS

THE LAW OF TOTAL TRICKS

COMBINATION FORMULAS

MATCHPOINT AND IMP STRATEGY

THE PROBABILITY OF A HCP DISTRIBUTION

THE PROBABILITY OF A PATTERN DISTRIBUTION

PROBABILITY OF MAKING SLAM WITH A VOID

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

DEDICATION

If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Issac Newton

My favorite books on the Precision Club system are David Berkowitz & Brent Manley’s Precision Today, Charles Goren’s Precision System of Contract Bridge Bidding, Terence Reese’s Precision Bidding & Precision Play, Barry Rigal, Precision in the 90s, Rick Brown’s Natural Precision, Dennis Dawson’s Santa Fe Precision, Daniel Neill’s Standard Modern Precision, Groetheim and Sontag’s The Viking Precision Club, and Walter Orchard’s Precision 101.

My favorite books on the 2/1 System are Audrey Grant and Eric Rodwell’s 2 Over 1 Game Force, Mike Lawrence’s Workbook on the Two-Over-One System, Max Hardy’s Two-Over-One Game Force, Max Hardy’s Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century, Paul Thurston’s 25 Steps to Learning 2/1, and Marty Bergen’s Understanding 1NT Forcing.

My favorite books on slam bidding are Marty Bergen’s Slam Bidding Made Easier, Ron Klinger and Andrew Kambites’ Understanding Slam Bidding, Ron Klinger’s Improve Your Slam Bidding, Alan Mould’s Step-By-Step Slam Bidding, Irwin Landow’s Innovative Slam Bidding, Warren Watson’s slam Bidding: for the Exciting Game of Bridge, Bill Treble’s The Bid Payoff: Slam Bidding at Bridge, Patty Tucker’s Slam Bidding conventions, Robert Munger’s Kickback: Slam Bidding at Bridge, and Eddie Kantar’s Roman Keycard Blackwood. If you buy Marty Bergen’s book on Slam bidding, you also get a full explanation of the Bergen point count system, which I find to be the best point count system.

My favorite books on conventions are Barbara Seagram & Marc Smith’s, 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know, William Root & Richard Pavlicek’s Modern Bridge Conventions, and Audrey Grant’s Popular Conventions. For the Lebensohl convention, see Ron Andersen’s The Lebensohl Convention Complete.

PART ONE

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 with 6-10p. 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♥. This is an optional approach in Casey 2/1.

With 11-12p in SAYC you use a limit raise, e.g., 1♠-3♠, with 3 or 4-card support. Previously the ACBL had recommended use of a limit raise of 3♠ (or 3♥) only with 4-card support, requiring R to temporize with 11-12p. Today, 2/1 still requires R to temporize, using the forcing 1NT bid with only 3-card support of O’s major.

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. In SAYC, 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 should 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