e Helvic Wriggle Transfer Defence to 1NTx he Helvic Wriggle is one of many so called wriggles. However locally it "e Transfer Defence to 1NTx has the usual advantages of transfers, the Tis very popular, and much more popular than the alternatives. player making the transfer bid is guaranteed another bid. It also means that It is quite complicated to learn. It’s claim to fame is that it allows responder opener’s hand remains concealed, and has the opening lead coming from to describe many hand types. Speci!cally? LHO. q Any hand with a long suit "ese defensive transfer bids are proper transfers in that responder promises 5 or more cards in the suit into which they have transferred. q Any hand with 2 four card suits, touching or not touching To conserve bidding space a redouble is a transfer to clubs, clubs a transfer to Note: Even responders pass is conventional and therefore alertable. diamonds, etc. Again the spade suit is not used. So this is the system: 1NT x ? 1NT x ? q Redouble = I have a long suit. Partner please bid clubs. q Redouble = I have a long clubs, please bid them I will then pass or correct q 2♣ = I have a long diamonds, please bid them q 1 of a suit = I am 4-4 in this suit and the one immediately above q 2♦ = I have a long hearts, please bid them q Pass = I am 4-4 in non touching suits, please redouble I will then bid the lowest of my non touching suits q 2♥ = I have a long spades, please bid them Notes: q Pass = I do not have along suit/I am strong 1) A responder’s bid of 1♠ has no conventional meaning Notes: A keen partnership could potentially agree a special meaning 1) A responder’s bid of 1♠ has no conventional meaning e.g. I have a 55 hand, A keen partnership could potentially agree a special meaning 2) If responder is strong and wants to play in 1NT redoubled, they 2) Most partnerships do not discuss or agree on any follow up bids. must !rst pass, and subsequently pass opener’s redouble But if they do what follows amounts to a scramble, see below n summary: "e Helvic Wriggle does not allow the partnership to play in 1NT x P p I1NT doubled. ? e DONT Runout Opener’s partner has passed and is presumed to be weak and without a In the USA the DONT convention is a popular defence to a 1NT long suit. opening. A slightly modi!ed version can be used a#er 1NTx. Here is the q 2 any = Long suit scheme: q Redouble = No long suit, please bid your lowest ranking 4 card suit q Pass = Please bid your long suit. Note: Responder can convert the redouble into penalties by passing Otherwise bid clubs, and I will pass or correct Compared to traditional methods the transfer system does not cater for q 2 any = I have this suit and a higher one, di&erent hand types. But it does avoid opener’s hand being on the table, q Redouble = We have the balance of power and is potentially better able to handle strong hands: if they ever occur! Simpler than Helvic! Page 4 Page 5 Discussion Summary: a!er an immediate double In years gone by, when rubber bridge was routinely played for money, it 1NT x ? was common practice, even with Acol, to play a strong no trump when q Redouble = 9 or more points vulnerable. 16 to 18 HCP was common. Some still play that way. And the q 2 any = Weak with a long suit, 5 or more reason is to avoid losing lots of points when a weak no trump opening is q Pass = Neither of above, i.e. 4333 or 4432, & weak doubled when vulnerable. However playing Acol with a weak no trump when not vulnerable, and strong no trump when you are, means that you 1NT x p p have, in eect, to learn two dierent bidding systems. Since most people ? €nd learning one system a challenge, switching systems virtually every hand q 2 any = my 5 card suit is now well out of fashion. q Redouble = no long suit. Partner: we need to €nd a 4-4 €t Outside the UK virtually everyone plays a strong no trump, usually 15-17 Please bid your lowest ranking 4 card suit■ points. Personally I strongly prefer that system, and then penalty doubles are less frequent. But you still need an escape sequence. 1NT is Doubled by Opener’s RHO Whatever level you play at you need to have a way of escaping from 1NTx. 1NT p p x is is because there are very few points le‚ to share out a‚er one player has ? announced opening strength, and another has said they are stronger than that. So most of the conventions do not bother about showing strength, A‚er a balancing double opener knows that partner does not have 11 points they are entirely concerned with escaping into a better scoring suit contract. or assuming that transfers are being played, a long major. Nevertheless opener usually wants to try and €nd a safer haven than 1NTx. If they have Most regular duplicate players use a convention. e two documented here. a long minor it makes sense to bid it. Otherwise there are 2 bids available: e Helvic Wriggle & Transfers, are the two that local bridge players are Pass & Redouble. e easiest and most natural system is that Pass = no long most likely to suggest. suit. Since partner gets another bid there is no need to have a meaning for Which is the best convention? e Helvic takes some eort to learn, and redouble. Moreover you need to leave the bid available to partner. remember, so it is very error prone. And unlike RKCB it doesn’t get used 1NT p p x very o‚en, and since there are many dierent sequences you get little P p ? reinforcement by regular usage. Perhaps that is why the simpler transfer Opener’s pass denied a 5 card suit method appears to be gaining advocates. q 2 any = Long suit Personally I am keen on neither of these systems. I €nd the traditional system q Redouble = No long suit, please bid your lowest ranking 4 card suit works, is logical, and is therefore easy to remember at the table. It enables q Pass = We have the balance of power, lets penalise them either partner to show a 5 card suit, it enables a 4-4 €t €nding sequence, and it includes the possibility of playing in 1NTxx. It is not clear to me that the Summary of "e Logic: two conventions described suƒciently reward the memory involved . A‚er a double the €rst priority is to show a long suit, unless strong Note: Regardless of your system, if the opponents re-enter the bidding, you When neither has a long suit you start a scramble, looking for a 4-4 €t are o the hook. So it does not matter how many rounds of bidding are On the €rst round responder redoubles to show strength. A‚er a balancing involved. If the opponents blink, any further bidding by your side is optional. double responder’s redouble is used to keep the bidding open for a scramble. Page 6 Page 3 1NT Doubled Recommendations e Traditional Defence on ntroduction. When your side opens 1NT (weak) and RHO doubles, it Iis for penalties. In standard bidding it announces a hand stronger than Coping With 1NTx opener’s. Typically 16 or more points with a good suit to lead. Sitting opposite to partners doubled opening bid of 1NT with an even earn the traditional system. Most social players know to make a weakness stronger hand on your right, there are very few points outstanding. Your fair Ltakeout. And if their partner passes the double opener will know to share is about 5. make a weakness takeout if they can. Only the better players will know the full system, but if their partner were to make a redouble most experienced Occasionally you will have 9 or more points, in which case you know that players would be able to work out what to do. your side is stronger than theirs, and you let partner have the good news. You do this by redoubling. !is is easy to read: they doubled to say I am stronger If you learn the traditional system the internal logic will help you to than opener, you redoubled to say, but our side is the strongest, we intend remember it. And that is very important. Coping with 1NTx is not even to punish you. a once a month situation. So you need a system that you can quickly and accurately deploy, as and when it is needed. Usually you have a weak hand and know that the opponents have the balance of power. !en it is your duty to try and place the contract in something At $rst sight the scramble to $nd a 4 card $t might seem rather sophisticated safer. If you have a long suit, 5 will do, you bid it. E"ectively you have made and di%cult. In practice it is easy. And anyone that has learnt the Baron a weakness takeout. style responses to 1♠ a&er a 1NT opening, will already know the system. Moreover if neither partner has a 5 card suit their hand shape is either 4333 Without a long suit you pass. However this lets partner know two important or 4432, the latter being more than twice as likely. And with 4432 opposite things: to 4432 or even 4441, one would be very unfortunate not to $nd a $t. q Your side does not have the balance of power. If you know and understand the traditional system, switching to the transfer q You do not have a 5 card suit method is easy. And if you are asked to use the Helvic Wriggle a) you can It is now your LHO’s turn. If they bid, your side is no longer in danger. If argue your corner and b) you will $nd it easier to understand than if you had they pass it is your partner’s turn. If opener has a long suit they bid it. But if no knowledge of alternatives. not they must redouble. You should alert this as it does not announce that To use a modern cliche, the bottom line is this. If you know and understand they have found some extra picture cards! Instead it is just a manoeuvre to the traditional methods you can hope to escape om 1NT doubled, even keep the bidding open. If the original doubler now passes it is your turn to if you have not discussed the situation with your partner. And if you make another bid. $nd yourself wanting to play with a partner that wants to use a particular In this position it is already established that neither member of the convention, you have a *ying start. Finding a good partner is not easy, so it partnership has a long suit. It is now time to start looking for a 4-4 $t. !is is is important to be as accommodating as possible. the scheme. You bid your lowest ranking 4 card suit. If partner passes, that’s In summary I recommend you learn and use the traditional and natural it. If partner does not have 4 of that suit, they bid their lowest ranking 4 card system. !en delay learning a convention until you have had a disaster from suit . It’s called a Scramble: usually it works! which it would have saved you. Page 7 Page 2 xtended discussion. An early part of playing bridge is learning that when Epartner opens 1NT, and you have a rotten hand, your !rst duty is to try and rescue partner. If you have a suit with 5 or more cards you bid it, as a weakness takeout. So when partner opens 1NT, and RHO doubles for penalties, and you have a weak hand, it should be almost instinctive to make weakness takeout. About two-thirds of the time you have the cards to do that. And should you pass opener will !gure you to have a balanced hand without a 5 card suit. Should the next player pass, and o"en they bid, opener will bid their 5 card suit, if they have one. #e result is that 8 times out 10 your side escapes from 1NTx without having to learn anything new! Many players go no further than this. However should the weakness takeout manoeuvre fail, and the opponents fail to themselves make a weakness takeout, Defence To 1NT Doubled an experienced player will want to do something; and redoubling is the only bid available. And when partner hears sees the redouble card it is crystal clear that it cannot be natural, it must have a special meaning. It must surely be an SOS asking for co-operation in !nding a 4-4 !t. #at is how I learnt the system. It’s logical, and you can work it out at the table. Lesson Aims Notes • #e Traditional Method • Two Conventional methods, locally popular • #e Helvic Wriggle • Transfer Defence to 1NTx

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