Brian Davies
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Michael,
CRO = Colour-Rank-Odd. The acronymn is used in a number of contexts. Essentially three bids are used to describe six two-suited combinations. The “C” is two suits of the same Colour, the “R” is two suits of the same Rank and the “O” is the two Odd suits (Spade and Diamonds / Hearts and Clubs). Partner doesn’t know which two suits you have, but the idea is that the later bidding will tell you.
CRASH= same as CRO but different acronym. C is Colour, RA is Rank and SH is shape (Spades and Diamonds both have pointed tops, Hearts and Clubs have rounded tops).
TRUSCOTT is named after Alan Truscott.
As for HCP criteria, we are competing against a strong hand with little prospect of game our way, so the objective is to interfere in their auction and maybe play in a part score. Hand shape, suit quality and the vulnerability are as important as point count.
For what it’s worth I have my lead conventions set to:
- Ace from A,K
- 2 of nothing
- 4 highest
- Middle (Three cards)
It doesn’t mention doubletons, but I hope that this doesn’t means that it would lead the four from 84 doubleton!
There are some strange muddled comments here.
An “artificial 1C” would be a system like Precision (or Blue Club or Nottingham Club or …). The bid is used to show strong hands (often 16+ or 17+). The defence systems suggested above are reasonable.
A ” prepared 1C” is a term used for a natural club opening in (usually) a five-card major context. Much of the time the opener will have clubs, but might be fewer than four cards in clubs because they were unable to open a major with a four-card suit. The minimum club length is often three cards, but even if they have a lower minimum, it will be very rare.
The standard advice is to treat a prepared club as natural. I don’t know anyone who would use a defence such as CRASH over a prepared club. Suit overcalls and 1NT overcalls should be the same as if defending against an Acol auction. Some do play a 2C overcall as natural, but most would treat it as Michaels – again the same as against an Acol auction.
Note that an artificial 1C will be alerted in England. A Prepared Club doesn’t require an alert or announcement if it promises at least three clubs, supporting the idea that you just treat it as a natural club opening. If the minimum number if clubs is two (or fewer) this will be announced – but you shouldn’t be put off bidding normally.
Looking at the current Play Quiz (022), mentioned by Ken in the opening post, the hand has 15 points (three aces and a king) and it would be possible to open either red suit and plan to bid two no trump over a two club response. But I would still prefer to open one diamond because that leaves us better placed to pass if partner responds one no trump knowing that partner must have some clubs. If you open one heart you might be playing in a one no trump contract opposite: Q75 J7 QJ10854 52 on a club lead!
Hi Ken,
Discussion of 4441 hands with a singleton club has come up before in these forums:
I agree with you that I would always open one diamond. You are lying to partner whatever you choose, but lying about your heart holding is likely to be more problematic than lying about your diamond holding.
For completeness, I should add that there is always the possibility of passing with a twelve count and with 15+ you can rebid 2NT after a two club response, so either choice will work. So we are only really worried about 4441 hands in the 13-14 range. Another possibility is to open 1NT with thee hands!
2X might be a 5-card suit – depending on vulnerability, suit quality, the rest of the hand etc. We try very hard to interfere before they find their fit.
Sometimes you won’t know know until the second round of the suit. It would be rare for you to still not know on the third round. But usually you have the clues to work things out at trick one. Some tips:
– Listen to the auction. What shape are you are expecting declarer to hold? What else is possible? What does this imply for partner’s shape?
– Look at dummy and your own hand. Does this help to understand paryner’s shape?
– How high is the card? Don’t forget that you can see 26 other cards. If partner leads a six it might be “low” if you can see the 2,3,4 and 5 in your hand and dummy’s, but it might be a “high” card if you can see the 7,8 and 9.
– with a doubleton partner will lead their highest card, with longer holdings, the second highest. A 9 will always be a doubleton (or singleton) – never longer. An 8 will also be a doubleton or singleton if you can see the 9 in your hand or in dummy. If you can’t see the 9 then it might still be a doubleton if declarer has the nine – is that possible/likely? The lower the card, the more likely that partner has three or more – How many higher spot cards are unseen?
– Make a mental note of the card and look to see partner’s second card. Is it higher or lower?
I actually quite like your approach.
Whatever your method, I think that you should preempt aggresively if possible before they have shown their suit(s). With a strong hand you can afford to take things more slowly. We have played our method for years and I am not convinced that it is optimum – but for what it’s worth we play Truscott. Over 1C:
-1D = diamonds and hearts (suit bids show that suit and the next one up)
-1H = hearts and spades
-1S = spades and clubs
-2C = clubs and diamonds
Dbl = clubs and hearts (double shows the suit bid and the non-touching suit)
1NT = diamonds and spades (the other two non-touching suits)
2D and higher = single-suited.
Over 1C-1D the suit bids are the same but Dbl shows diamonds and spades and 1NT shows clubs and hearts.
Hi Ian, no it looks as if this setting uses first round controls before second round controls. Bernard has mentioned that this was the method that he used to recommend but he has now changed his advice.
If you want it to use Italian Style Cue Bids there are two options:
- Select another system – e.g. F-ACL-A – Advanced Acol Q-plus
- Change the setting on F-BERN-A. You will need to go into Configuration – Bidding System then select Modify. You click on the Slam tab and un-tick the box labelled “promises 1st round control”. Finally click on Ok.
Hope that this helps.
There are indeed two entries to the table if you play to drop the king doubleton. That is hardly the percentage play unless you have seen the East / West cards!
On a normal play there is one (slow) entry with the fourth round.
I can see why you would be uncomfortable with the overcall, it breaks the rule that we were all taught early in our bridge career.
But, whilst the hand does not have five spades, there are a lot of things going for the bid:
- There are 14 points and the hand might belong to North / South. We do not have any other way into the auction (both a double and a 1NT overcall tell even bigger lies).
- It stakes a claim to the vital spade suit. This is often the key to winning the part-score battle.
- It takes away space from opponents. They cannot bid 1D, 1H or even 1S! On this particular hand, West had a dilemma whether to double and show the four ropey hearts or bid 1NT to show the stop and the balanced shape. Arguably double might have worked better, but the overcall has created a problem.
- We want a spade lead if the opponents win the auction.
Like many “rules” in bridge, we sometimes judge it best to break the rule.
Question to Julian on over-calling on four-card suits: Over-calling on Four-card Suits
Looks like a horrid misfit. And a nasty trump split if you end up playing in hearts.
Much will depend on how you play a change of suit by responder after a weak two opening. Some do play a 2S response as weak non-forcing and others play it as constructive and non-forcing.
But for most (including me) a change of suit is forcing. With a misfitting 14, South is arguably too weak to make a forcing change of suit and North will play 2H. However, there is a good case to bid 2S anyway and try to improve the contract – sadly this is likely to mean that North plays in 3H (or South in 3S?).
Both North and South should be careful not to bid no trumps. There are no entries to the North hand.
