1♥ and 1♠ openings

Meaning of the opening: 10-16 HCP, 5+ suit (5M-6m is possible)

Responses

- 1♠: folytatás 4+ suit, F1. If you have 3-card fit, then 5+ ♠. With a gameforcing hand 2♣ can be bid too.
- 1N: Nonforcing, but may have invitational hand ("semiforcing"). Denies 3-card fit and 4-card ♠, about. 6-12 HCP. (see also: 3m)
Opener:
  • pass: weak hand, 5332, 4-5-2-2, perhaps 4-5-(31) with singleton top honour
  • 2m: can be 3-cards with good hand (or with 4-5-(31)). Now:
    • 3m: game try, after 1♠ can be only 4-es suit, because if opener' minor is not 4 cards then she is strong enough to bid 3N (otherwise wuld have passed 1N)
    • 2♥ (new suit): 5 cards suit (not 6, we respond 2♦ with that hand), it should be bid with 5♥-2♠ too, opener should bid on with short ♥.
    • jump shift on level 3: SPL, mostly 6-cards fit, distributional game try (probably with minors)
    • 2♠ (new suit): 4-cards fit in m, game try
    • 3M: good 5+ fit, no shortness, Fx in the major, strong game try, but no good stoppers in the other 2 suits
  • 3 new: good 5-5 (3♠ good 6-5)
  • 3M: good hand and not bad suit
  • 3N: probably based on solid major, otherwise can't be strong enough
  • 4m: 6M-5m
- 2♣: folytatás Artificial GF, relay. It should be bid with most GF hands.
- 2♦: folytatás (on ♠): transfer to ♥. Can be weak with 6+ suit, otherwise INV+.
- 2M-1: 10-12 dp, 3 (rarely 4) cards support.
Opener calculates with a relative weak responder hand, her bids above 2M are according to CSLT, 2M is weakness.
Responder can bid on after 2M, according to CSLT too.
- 2M: 5-9 dp. (i.e. weak hand). CSLT on this (but only with big hands!). 0-5 is possible in NV / V.
- 2M+1: mini/maxi SPL: 4+ trumps, cca. 6-8 HCP or 14-15 HCP. Relay asks,
- S123: mini SPL
- S4 (3M+1): maxi SPL with a void,
- L567: maxi SPL with singleton. (these ones are the same on 3M signoff)
- 2N: (on 1♥): limit (11-12 dp.) raise with 4+ trumps (Bergen). Now:
- 3m: singleton, weak hand (perhaps responder likes it), or slam try
- 3M+1: slam try with 2-suited hand, bids the side suit on a relay
- 4m: void, slam try (ORKC)
- 3m: game try with a (good) 6+ suit, denies 3-card fit and 4-card oM (with that 1♠/1N)
- 3♥: (on 1♠): limit Bergen, same as 1♥-2N. On this 3N is slam try with 2-suited hand (bids the side suit on relay), 4x slam try with shortness (SPL, S1 = RKC, 4M is misfit)
- 3M: 4+ trumps, 0-7 dp, some shape (with a balanced trash you may bid 2M)
- 3♠: (on 1♥): natural, nonforcing, 7+ suit, cca. 6 playing tricks
- 3N: SPL oM
- 4m: SPL, can be void too. Cca. 11-13 HCP in case of 4 trumps and singleton (Now S1 = CYS, S2 = (O)RKC)
- 4M: may have relative strong hand when slam looks unlikely
- 4oM: natural
CSLT, that is Combined Short and Long suit Trial (after 1M-2M, 1M-[2M-1] and 1M-[2M-1]-2M).
- S1: long-suit game try. Possible shapes: 5422, 5521, 6421. (When opener bids it she has two shorter-than-3 suits). On this:
- S1: asks the long suit (helps in decision)
- 3M: very bad hand, cannot make game opposite anything
- 4M: accepts the game try regardless of the long suit (no need to help the opponents)
- S234: short suit game-try, with at most a singleton in the bid suit (5431, 5440, 5530, 6430 shapes)
- 3M: (after 1M-2M) preempt with very weak, but distributional hands. In the other two cases balanced (5332, 6322) game try based on general strength. After 1M-2M you cannot probably make game with this type of hand, but if you still decide to try for a game then bid one of your 3-card suits as a long one.
This method is played as far as we have all the steps, regardless of the opponents' bidding (i.e. if they overcalled after 1M, or doubled 2M).
1♠ - 2♦ transfer to hearts: weak hand with 6+ suit or game try with 5+ suit or special slam tries
?   Opener bids to the weak hand.
- 2♥: Can be short without a better bid. On this one:
  • 2♠: 5♥-2♠, game try
  • 2N: 1-5-(43), perhaps 2-5-3-3 with small doubleton and good stopperss
  • 3m: INV, 5-5 (can have doubleton ♠)
  • 3♥: 6-card ♥, INV
  • 3♠: ♠ Hxxx+ ♥HHxxx+, slam try, cca. 12-14 HCP. 3N asks the singleton
  • 3N: 2-5-3-3, offers a choice
  • 4m / ♥: one-suiter self-standing heart suit, SPL, slam try
- 2♠: 6-card ♠, at most doubleton ♥
- 2N: very good hand with singleton heart
- 3m: good 5-5
- 3♥: 4-card ♥ or strong hand with 3 cards
- 3♠: big hand with good 6+ ♠, which can played opposite a singleton
1♥ - 1♠
?  
1N: 11-15, responder's 2♣ is checkback: INV(+) hand with 5♠ or 5+♣, the rest is NAT (direct 3♣ is sign-off)
2♠ might be 3 cards (with a singleton). In case of four trumps at most 12 HCPs.
2N: folytatás4-card ♠ and a singleton, can be bid from 13 HCP
3♠ 4-5-2-2, good hand
4m: great hand, void (6430, perhaps 5440)

 

1♥ - 1♠ Opener: 5+♥-4♠, not minimal.
2N - 3♣ GI+ relay
?  
- 3♦: short ♣. On this one:
- 3♥ game try (in ♠, because we cannot have more ♥s, than ♠s)
- 3♠: sign-off (does not like singleton ♣ at all)
- 3♥: short ♦, weak
- 3♠: short ♦, strong
1M - 2♣ GF relay
?  
- 2♦ 6+ major. On this 2♥ is relay folytatás
- 2♥: (a) 5M-4+ ♣ (3♣...3N, at second round, like with oM) or
(b) 5332, 2N at second round, then the doubleton on further relay, the rest are NAT, asking for cue bid with good hand and support.
- 2♠ 5M-4+♦. On a 2N relay the same bids as direct 3♣...3N
- 2N: 5440. Bid your void on a 3♣ relay
The rest promises length in the other major. The same bids will show the same distribution after the second relay on 2♥♠
- 3♣...3N: 5-5 or 5-4 according to the compact two-suiter scheme
- 4x: very good 6+ major and lower range, SPL

Relay breaks:

  1. 1M-2♣ will be 5332 in most cases. If noone has bid NT and 3NT is a probable contract then the master hand can (and swith the right stoppers should) relay with 2NT, not with 2♠ in order to place the contract into the unknown hand. Thus if your hand is suitable for declaring NT and you would like to play something else only opposite a distributional hand the you'd better bid 2N. Partner must bid 3N with 5332 and weak 5422, and may bid 3N with 5431 containing honours in the short suits. Her other bid mean the same as on 2♠, the only difference being that 3♠ shows a good, concentrated 5422.
  2. 1M-2♣-2x-3M: prepares an exclusion ORKC (has a void). Slave hand should bid S1, except when bidding her own void. On step 1 the Master hand bids her shortness, the ace of that suit does not count. E.g.: on 1♥-2♣-2♥-3♥-3♠ 3N=void ♠, 4m=void m
  3. 1M-2♣-2x- (suit between 3M and 4M ): stronger SPL, than directly. On 2♦ (which shows 6-card major) can be 3-card support. Slave hand shows her attitude to slam by reponding according to ORKC.
  4. 1M-2♣-2♠-3♦: ORKC ♦, short in Opener's major
  5. 1M-2♣-2♥-3♣: slam try in ♣, short in Opener's major. Opener often has a balanced hand, thus she tells her ♣ count first, and with a ♣ side suit she gives ORKC response (considering wasted honours in her major). That is: S1 = doubleton ♣, S2 = 3-card ♣ (on these S1 = ORKC ♣), S3...S7 = ORKC response with 4+ ♣
  6. On 1M-2♣-2♥-2♠-2N:
    - 3♦ and 3oM: NAT (5+ suit) slam try, like in the 1-suiter scheme after 3♣
    - 3M: requests a cue bid (i.e. relay-CB)
1M - 2♣ GF relay
2♦ - 2♥ 6+ major
?  
- 2♠ One-suiter. Continuation according to the 1-suiter scheme.
- 2N: 4-card ♦
- 3♣ 4-card oM . Continuation according to the compact 2-suiter scheme. (with 7-4, and good major, bid your void on level 4 after the relay)
- 3♦...3N 4-card ♣ , short ♦ / singleton oM / void oM- / void oM+
There is a special continuation with short ♦: 
  • 3M: OCYS(M)
  • 3oM: OCYS(♣)
  • 4♣: OCYS(oM)
  • 4♦: ORKC(♦)
  • with 5-6 oM, if you prefer playing NT opposite a singleton ♦ you should ask with 3oM and then pass 3N (which denies void) or bid 3N, but bid 4oM on the responses that show void, it is to play.
- 4x: very good (at most 1 loser) 6+ major, upper range, SPL