What is your agreement? A Bridge Tip The “Undercall” Club Convention - Extended

By Neil H. Timm

How many times have the opponents opened a club and you have overcalled a major and then they make a to show the other major? Or, you make an and win the contract and the weak hand is on lead? Is there a convention that you can use that can prevent the often-used negative double or ensure that the strong hand leads? The answer is YES; but before discussing the convention lets look at an example.

In the second seat, after the bid of 1♣, you pick up with favorable vulnerability the following hand:

♠AQJ873 ♥432 ♦ J87 ♣A what do you bid?

With an opening hand and six spades, most would overcall a spade to show a good suit and lead directing! However, if you win the contract, the weak hand is on lead. In many situations it is better to get the strong hand on lead. Thus you want your partner to play the contract. To accomplish this goal you may use the “Undercall” Club convention, which is based upon transfers.

The convention applies ONLY over the opening bid of 1♣. In the second (overcall) seat your overcall bids are: Opener 1♣:

1♦* = transfer to hearts (5+ hearts 10-15 and 1st or 2nd round control) 1♥* = transfer to spades (5+ spades 10-15 and 1st or 2nd round control) 1♠* = transfer to diamonds (should have 10-15 and 1st or 2nd round control) 1NT* = shortness in clubs and 10-15 HCP (Take-Out – some play it as 15-18) X= 16+ HCP with stopper in clubs (some play it as Take-Out) 2♣* = both majors and 10-15 HCP weak 2♦* = transfer to hearts (5/6+ hearts and strong 16+ HCP) 2♥* = transfer to spades (5/6+ spades and strong 16+ HCP (Optional 2♥= /Flexible Flannery 11-15). 2♠* = 5-5 in the majors and strong (16+ HCP) 2NT* = 5+hearts and 5+diamonds; however, if you play Flannery it is a transfer to Spades (16+HCP) 3M* = transfers to game in major 3NT= to play with stopper

*=alert

What do you gain by using the transfer bids?

1) You get partner to declare the hand in your long suit, putting the strong hand-opening bidder on lead. 2) With diamonds you their one-level overcall by bidding 1♠. 3) You escape a penalty double if partner happens to hold length in the suit you bid with shortness in the suit you have shown. 4) You get to make two bids (usually) for the price of one, since most of the time partner will bid your suit or something else and you get to make another bid (standard transfer advantage). 5) By transferring into your , it may take away their negative double.

Now let’s look at the complete deal and employ our new “Undercall” club convention. Dealer East N-S vulnerable.

♠ AQJ87

♥ 43

♦ J87

♣ A

♠ 2 ♠ 64 N ♥ AQ75 ♥ J108

♦ KQ10 W E ♦ 654

♣ K10873 S ♣ Q8642

♠ K1095

♥ K96

♦ A932

♣ J5

Not playing the Undercall Club Convention, North would overcall a spade and N-S would reach a part score or game in spades and make eight or nine tricks with east leading the jack of hearts. Playing the Undercall Club Convention, the bidding would proceed as follows.

West North East South 1♣ 1♥* Pass 1♠ Pass 2NT** Pass 4♠ All Pass *=alert **Short Suit (SSGT) – alert

Or, one may bid: West North East South 1♣ 1♥* Pass 2♠** Pass 4♣*=splinter Pass 4♠ All Pass *= alert **Super accept

With south playing the contract, west leads the king of diamonds. South wins the ace, cashes the ace of clubs, leads a to hand and ruffs a club, draws a second trump and leads a diamond toward dummy; ending in hand. A heart is discarded on the 13th diamond. If west started with two diamonds, he is end played. If west started with four diamonds, he gets out with a diamond and declarer wins the jack, leads a third trump to hand and plays a diamond, throwing a heart. Now west is end played. Four spades bid and made --- but only from the south side.

It is true that even if south plays the hand, a club or spades lead with defeat 4♠, but only if west defends perfectly. After winning the first round of diamonds, he must shift to a heart, leading away from AQxx. It is not that easy!

What do you lose by playing the Undercall club Convention?

You lose the ability to hear partner bid 1♥ or 1♠ as he could after a 1♦ overcall. Also, if you bid 1♠ with diamonds, committing your side to the two level, you will need a better diamond suit than for a 1♦ overcall.

As in Precision, can you refuse the transfer? Yes, if they pass, bid 1NT without a fit (a or only one card in the transfer suit, with two/three cards – accept the transfer). Or, you can bid your own 5+-card suit. And, if they interfere you can pass without support, or perhaps bid your own suit. Finally, you can bid 2♣ to ask the over caller (partner) to bid his second suit.

Let’s look at few more examples: The opponents’ open 1♣ and you hold the following hands:

(1) ♠ 975 ♥ A75 ♦ AK1096 ♣ 75 (2) ♠ K75 ♥ A75 ♦ AK1096 ♣ 75 (3) ♠ A75 ♥ A75 ♦ AK1096 ♣ 75

For hand (1) you would bid 1♠ as a transfer to diamonds (lead directing); however, with hand (2) you would bid 1NT as takeout (tells partner you have an opening hand and can support all suits), and with hand (3) you would double. You would your bids in hands (2) and (3) if you play 1NT as a strong hand, and double for takeout!

Finally, with the following hand: ♠ AKQJ7 ♥ 7 ♦ 987652 ♣A, you would bid 1♥ and (if necessary) perhaps bid diamonds later (e.g. if partner bid 2♣).

This is the basic Undercall Club “Transfer” Convention; it is best played only over a ONE CLUB OPENING BID (Provided the club bid is not the strong ). However, you may also play transfers over other 1-level opening as follows.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY OPEN 1♦? Can we extend the transfer bids? Yes! One can again use transfer bids:

Opener You 1♦ 1♥* = transfer to spades (5+ spades and 1st or 2nd round control) 1♠* = transfer to clubs (should have 10-15 HCP 1st or 2nd round control) 1NT* = shortness in diamonds and 10-15 HCP (Takeout) X= 16+ HCP with shortness in diamonds 2♦*= both majors and 10-15 and weak 2♥* = transfer to spades (5/6+ spades and strong 16+HCP)/Flexible Flannery (11-15 HCP) 2♠* = 5-5 in the majors and strong (16+ HCP) 2NT* =5+hearts and 5+diamonds /playing Flexible Flannery Transfer to Spades (16+ HCP) 3M = Transfer to major game with 16+HCP

*= alert

WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY OPEN 1♥?

Opener You 1♥ 1♠* = transfer to clubs (should have 10 – 15 HCP with an ace or king) 1NT* = shortness in hearts and 10-15 HCP (Takeout) X= 16+ HCP with stopper in hearts 2♥*= transfer to spades 5/6+ spades and strong (16+HCP) 2NT* = 5-5 in the minors. 3♥*=Transfers to game in spades with 16+ HCP

AND FINALLY if they 0pen 1♠

Opener You 1♠ 1NT* = shortness in hearts and 10-15 HCP (Takeout) X= 16+ HCP with shortness in diamonds 2♠=hearts and a minor 2NT* = 5+clubs and 5+diamonds 3♦* = transfer to game in hearts with 16+ HCP 3NT=to play

The convention proposed here is an extension of the Undercall club convention discussed by the Granovetter’s in their book: “Bridge Conventions in Depth” (2003) by Matthew & Pamela Granovetter. .

Another Option

Source: Ann Roth – Bridge Buffs (2016)

The basic framework is Two Over One with Weak NT (12-14), standard five card 1 / openings, five card 1 opening (virtually), 1 opener with as few as two, transfer responses to 1 , and some specialty responses to the 1 and 1 openers. This treatment has some elements of .

Possible responses: Option 1 1 Clubs, or 2+ clubs balanced 15-19 including 3=3=5=2 1 4+ hearts 1 4+ spades 1 No 4-card major, usually long diamonds 1NT GF club support (or possibly artificial GF 12+ HCP) 2 GF diamonds 2 1 weak major 6+, like multi, no game opposite 15-17 balanced 9+, short hearts, not 4 spades, maybe 3=1=4=5, looking for 3NT opposite

2 15-17 balanced 2♠ 9+, short spades, as above 2NT Limit 5+ club raise 3 Natural preemptive 6+ clubs Option 2 ======1 Clubs, or 2+ clubs balanced 15-19 1 4+ hearts 1 3 hearts, unbalanced, maybe 1=3=4=5 1 <3 hearts, natural, unbalanced, maybe 4=1=4=4 1NT <4 hearts, balanced, maybe 4 spades, 15-17 2 4 hearts, 15-17 balanced or good unbalanced 1 Unbalanced, 5+ unless 4=4=4=1 1 < 12, 4+ hearts 1 < 12, 4+ spades 1NT < 12, natural 2 Artifical 12+ GF

The 1 – 1 bid is a transfer to 1NT, and having no four card major is heavy in minors, usually with diamonds, since responder didn’t raise clubs. This transfer is a godsend. With natural methods the 1NT response to minors can be very awkward, especially for weak NT. If the range for 1NT is in the good 5 to bad 10 range, or even 11 as it sometimes is with two over one players, then opener with a balanced 15 to 17 must invite with 2NT which will be too high opposite minimum responses. The 1 transfer permits opener to right side with 1NT, and responder can pass if minimum for his bid. 1 – 1NT is game forcing with clubs, and 1 – 2 is game forcing with diamonds. You can play around with meanings for higher responses 1 – 2 and higher. I kind of like 1 – 2 to also be a transfer to hearts, showing a decent 6+ suit and not enough to make game opposite a strong NT1 opener, maybe the likes of xx/QJ10xxx/xx/xxx, similar to a weak jump overcall. Ditto 2 is a transfer to spades. 2 might be some kind of limit club raise.

Regardless of shape, with 12+ HCP, responder bids 2 , so a game force is established immediately and the partnership can probe for the right contract. Responses of 1 , 1 and 1NT are natural with a maximum 11 HCP. Typically, opener will have a holding like 3=4=5=1. After a 2 forcing-to-game auction, he will start to describe his hand. With this specific holding he would bid 2 . After a limited 1 or 1 response, his rebid will be much like a Standard-American rebid … he will raise even holding just three trumps (he will be unbalanced with ruffing values), rebid his suit with extra length, rebid NT with some hands, jump raise and reverse with the right strong holdings, and so on. What are some problem hands? Three-suited hands can be awkward, but they are awkward in other systems as well. A holding of 4=4=4=1 must be opened 1 , despite holding just four diamonds. A holding of 4=4=1=4 can be opened 1 because you are prepared if responder shows a major suit, or if he bids 1 (no majors … you rebid 1NT with the right HCP range {but what if you are After 1 , always unbalanced, almost always 5+ diamonds, a 2 response is an artificial game force. say Axxx/Axxx/x/Axxx and too weak for a 1NT rebid?}), but what do you do with 1=4=4=4 or 4=1=4=4 if you open with 1 and get a 1 (no majors) response? You have a large hole in one of the majors, and often your best rebid will be 2 despite holding just four of them.

The transfers give the declaring side an additional benefit (the 1 and 2 ‘raises’), but at the same time they give the opponents an extra kick at the can. Using standard methods, after 1♣ – 1♥, opener’s RHO cannot show diamonds at the one-level. But after 1 – 1 (4+ hearts), opener’s RHO can use Double to insert a cheap lead-directing diamond bid, and he can use 1 as the ‘’ showing the other two suits. So the opponents have gained a bid. However that in turn gives declarer an extra bid … he can Redouble the Double to show something, and he can Double the 1 bid to show something else, so at the end of the day, the declaring side ultimately gains one additional bid, I think.

The advantages to using transfers are significant.

• More of your contracts will be right sided. Opener will declare almost all of our 4-4 major fits. Without transfers, opener with a balanced 18-19 HCP hand in most systems will be dummy in far too many situations. • • You can assign different meanings to low-level acceptances by opener. • After 1 – 1 , opener’s 1 and 2 rebids can mean different things. • • The often-awkward response of 1m – 1NT is avoided, by using 1 as a transfer to 1NT. (Not playing transfers, when playing 12-14 NT, hands in the 15-17 range are opened in a minor. Responder lacking a major will bid 1NT with 6-10 or so. Opener, if he has 15-17 balanced, must raise to 2NT which will often be too high opposite a minimum responder. Transfers avoid this with 1 -1 // 1NT-Pass) • Your 1 openers are much better defined, usually 5+ and unbalanced. • You can often settle in a 2 or 2 contract, which is difficult to do using standard methods. Check backs are not required in the sequences 1 – 1 /1NT – 2 /2 . • The standard response of 1 – 1 is replaced by 1 – 1 which has a nice preemptive effect. • The system is used over 1 – Pass – ??, and 1 – 1 – ?? (Where DBL now shows hearts, other responses unchanged), and 1 – DBL – ??, with some adjustments for RDBL.

Disadvantages are very manageable.

• After 1 , opener’s position is less clear. • You lose the ‘natural’ 1 – 1 response.

Another intriguing option is to use a 1 – 1NT response as 12+, game forcing, any shape. You might want that to mean your other one-level responses are limited to 5-11, or perhaps you just limit your 1 response to that range. Then you might want a 2 rebid by opener to be Stayman (in 1 – 1NT// 2 ). Or you might play the 1NT game force as denying a four-card major, otherwise shape unknown.