STRONG AND FOUR Apr/2020 Table of Contents 1 SYSTEM OVERVIEW ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 OPENING BIDS ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 DEFENSIVE BIDDING ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 GAME CONVENTIONS ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 SLAM CONVENTIONS .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 PLAYING CONVENTIONS ..................................................................................................................... 3 2 OPENING ONE OF A SUIT ....................................................................................... 4 2.1 CHOICE OF OPENING BIDS .................................................................................................................. 4 2.1.1 Limited hands (12-16) .............................................................................................................. 4 2.1.2 Strong hands (16-20) ............................................................................................................... 4 2.1.3 What hands to open ................................................................................................................. 5 2.2 RESPONDER'S FIRST BID .................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 1-over-1 .................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 2-over-1 .................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.3 Other responses ...................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 OPENER'S SECOND BID ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 With a balanced hand, 12-14 (4333/4432/5332) ..................................................................... 7 2.3.2 With a balanced hand, 18-19 ................................................................................................... 7 2.3.3 With an unbalanced hand, limited values ................................................................................ 7 2.3.4 With an unbalanced hand, strong ............................................................................................ 8 3 FURTHER BIDDING ................................................................................................. 9 3.1 REVERSE/JUMP ................................................................................................................................. 9 3.2 NEW SUIT AT THE 3-LEVEL ............................................................................................................... 10 3.3 TRIAL BIDS ...................................................................................................................................... 10 3.4 FOURTH SUIT ................................................................................................................................... 12 3.4.1 Fourth suit is doubled............................................................................................................. 14 3.5 SPECIAL AGREEMENTS..................................................................................................................... 15 3.5.1 Responder's jump in the first round ....................................................................................... 15 3.5.2 Responder's cheapest jump .................................................................................................. 16 3.5.3 Passed hand bidding ............................................................................................................. 17 3.5.4 Fast arrival ............................................................................................................................. 18 3.6 SPECIAL SEQUENCES ....................................................................................................................... 20 3.6.1 One ./// - One NT ......................................................................................................... 20 3.6.2 One ./// - Two NT ......................................................................................................... 21 3.6.3 One x - One y - Two NT ......................................................................................................... 23 3.6.4 One x - One y - One NT ......................................................................................................... 25 3.6.5 One x - Two y - Two NT ......................................................................................................... 29 3.6.6 One x - One y - Three y ......................................................................................................... 30 3.6.7 One x - One y - Two x ............................................................................................................ 30 3.6.8 One x - One y - Three x ......................................................................................................... 30 4 SLAM CONVENTIONS ........................................................................................... 31 4.1 SIMPLE BLACKWOOD ....................................................................................................................... 31 4.1.1 When 4 NT is natural ............................................................................................................. 31 4.1.2 4 NT in a cuebidding sequence ............................................................................................. 31 4.1.3 Two Aces and a void.............................................................................................................. 33 4.1.4 One Ace and a void ............................................................................................................... 33 4.1.5 Three Aces and a void ........................................................................................................... 33 4.1.6 Interference ............................................................................................................................ 33 4.2 RKCB ............................................................................................................................................ 34 4.2.1 Jump to Blackwood from the 2-level...................................................................................... 35 4.2.2 Jump to Blackwood from the 3-level...................................................................................... 35 4.2.3 RKCB from the 4-level ........................................................................................................... 36 4.2.4 RKCB when clubs are trump ................................................................................................. 37 4.3 SPLINTER ........................................................................................................................................ 37 4.4 CUEBIDS ......................................................................................................................................... 38 4.4.1 3 NT in a cuebidding sequence ............................................................................................. 38 4.4.2 A cuebid is doubled ............................................................................................................... 39 4.5 “LAST TRAIN” ................................................................................................................................. 40 4.6 GRAND SLAM FORCE ....................................................................................................................... 41 4.7 FIVE OF A MAJOR ............................................................................................................................. 41 4.8 ASKING BIDS ................................................................................................................................... 41 5 ONE NT OPENING ..................................................................................................43 5.1 ONE NT - TWO . ............................................................................................................................ 43 5.2 ONE NT - TWO ............................................................................................................................ 44 5.2.1 Special agreements ............................................................................................................... 45 5.3 HIGHER RESPONSES TO 1 NT .......................................................................................................... 45 5.4 ONE NT IS DOUBLED ....................................................................................................................... 46 5.5 TWO ./ IS DOUBLED ..................................................................................................................... 46 5.6 INTERFERENCE ...............................................................................................................................