Release 1.40
Last update 8 December 2004
Jiri Babor
Contents
Introduction
Opening Hand Evaluation
Summary of Opening Bids
Opening Reasonably Balanced Hands
Opening Distributional Hands
One Club Opening Bid
One Diamond Opening Bid
One Heart Opening Bid
One Spade Opening Bid
One No Trump Opening Bid
Two Clubs & Two Diamonds Opening Bids
One No Trump Opening Bid
Three Clubs & Three Diamonds Opening Bids
Potpourri
Dealing with Intervention
Suggested Defense to Bohemian
Conventions
Final Note
Modern bidding methods emphasize accuracy, controlled aggression and systematic harassment of the opposition.Bohemian gives you tools to do it all. It is a relay bidding system with a strong canapé element and several low level replacement bids. It combines adaptability of good natural systems with the precision of the best creations in the artificial part of the bridge universe.
The underlying philosophy is simple:
If you have an unbalanced hand of moderate strength (11 to 15 points) containing a major, show the suit at the lowest possible level regardless of its relative length. While the entire spectrum of balanced hands is well covered, the real emphasis is clearly on efficient bidding of distributional hands of moderate strength.
Minor-orientated hands are handled with an array of relatively specialized bids.
One No Trump takes care of all reasonably balanced hands in the 12 to 15 high card point range.
All big(ger) hands are handled via the One Heart opening bid.
And, of course, Bohemian offers a fair range of pre-emptive bids too.
Note: This release incorporates Bob McColl's suggestion: balanced 4432 shapes containing biddable majors are introduced using the One Club opener, and described further by a No Trump rebid - otherwise the chance of missing a good major fit would be just too great!
Let's start with a disclaimer: the simple 4-3-2-1 count is too coarse for, what are very often, quite subtle distributional evaluations. Fractional point awards would be required to achieve the desired precision, but these, in turn, would destroy the only redeeming feature of the count - its simplicity.Summary of Opening Bids
Add two points for every additional card in long suits of more unbalanced hands.
- So, add one point for any
- 6-card suit
5-4 two-suiter
4441 distribution
rebiddable suit
- Subtract one point for
- the 4333 shape
a suit without a high honour card
every singleton or doubleton honourDistributional point count adjustments give a fair estimate of the playing strength of an opening hand. On the whole, they are quite conservative, assuming reasonable distributions, but I implore you: use them with caution and re-adjust the count at a mere whiff of a misfit...
1C ... 11-15 points, 4+ hearts, unbalanced, or 4s4h32
1D ... 11-15 points, 4+ spades, unbalanced
1H ... 16+ points, any distribution, artificial, forcing
1S ... 11-15 points, minor 2- or 3-suiter
1N ... 12-15 points, reasonably balanced
2C ... 14-15 points, 6+ clubs
2D ... 14-15 points, 6+ diamonds
2H|S .. 6-10 points, rebiddable hearts|spades
2N ... long minor, or 5-5 in majors, pre-emptive
3C ... 11-13 points, 6+ clubs
3D ... 11-13 points, 6+ diamonds
3H|S .. standard pre-empts
3N ... gambling, solid 7-card minor, not more than Q outside
4C+ ... natural and pre-emptive, except
4N ... specific Ace-ask: 5C..none, 5N..any two, else bid the ace
Pass usually with less than 6 points.One Club Opening Bid
Make every effort to find a suitable pre-empt with 6 to 10 points. If nothing fits, check again, and only then pass reluctantly...
11 to 15 point range: the minimum of ten high card points is required for all low level suit openings (1 C|D|S and 2 C|D), regardless of the distribution.
Major single-suiters: simply open 1 C|D with 5 or more hearts | spades.
Major two-suiters: open 1 D, when spades are only a four-card suit, otherwise bid 1 C.
Major three-suiters: always open 1 C.
Minor-major two-suiters: bid 1 C|D with hearts | spades regardless of suits' relative lengths!
Minor single-suiters: open 3 C|D with 11 to 13 points and a rebiddable minor.
Open 2 C|D with 14 to 15 points and a 6+ minor.
Minor 2- and 3-suiters: Always open 1 S.
16 or more points: simply open 1 H !
Note: 5440 three-suiters are freaks that do not warrant special, separate sequences. If the five-card suit is weak, treat the hand as a standard 4441 three-suiter, otherwise disregard, temporarily, the weaker four-card suit and bid the hand as a two-suiter. Given a chance, show the neglected suit as a feature later!
The One Club opening bid promises 11 to 15 points with at least four hearts.
It can be a single-suiter with 5+ hearts, balanced 4432 shape with both majors, or an unbalanced two-suiter (5-4 or better, with any of the remaining suits, respective lengths initially unknown), or, finally, a major three-suiter.
Standard first responses to 1 C opening bid:
pass weak, long clubs 1 D relay, 7+ points, artificial and forcing, unlimited 1 H 0-7 points, negative, it does not show trump support! 1 S natural, not forcing 1 N 7-11 points, short hearts, support for the other suits, ideally 4144 2 C|D 6-card suit, not forcing 2|3|4 H good heart support, pre-emptive 2 S 10-12 points, good long spades, invitational 2 N 11+ points, 4+ hearts, forcing to 3 H level (Truscott) 3 C|D|S 11-12 points, very long suit, invitational.
Hint: As a rule, do not use the relay with a good trump support. Jump in hearts pre-emptively, or bid 2 NT instead.
Important: Since the response of 1 H basically denies a trump support and is, in fact, purely negative, the opener passes only if hearts is his long suit, otherwise he is obliged to show the long side suit (canapé), or to bid 1 N with 4432 or 4441 distributions.
The One Diamond relay is a flexible bid. It should be used with all relatively weak and balanced hands, when you are prepared to pass any rebid by the opener, or, on the other hand, with much stronger hands, when you want either to invite game or to show your own suit(s) in a forcing situation.
Opener's first rebids after the relay (1 C - 1 D):
1 H 11-15 points (!), 5+ hearts 1 S 11-15 points (!), major 2|3-suiter 1 NT 11-13 points, 4h4s32 2 C|D 11-13 points, 4 hearts and 5 clubs|diamonds 2|3|4 H 14-15 points, 6|7|8+ hearts, usually a single-suiter, occasionally with a weak 4-card minor side suit 2 S 14-15 points, 4 hearts and 5+ spades, strong canapé 2 NT 14-15 points, 4h4s32 3 C|D 14-15 points, strong canapé, should have a good minor 3 S 14-15 points, 6+ (self-supporting) spades
The things are still pretty cloudy after the opener's 1 H or 1 S rebid, and the second relay is often required to clarify, finally, both the point range as well as the hand distribution.
The second relay is also unconditionally forcing.
Let's have a look at the opener's second rebid. Once again, it's all pretty natural. So far, the bidding has gone 1C-1D, 1H-1S:
1 N 11-13 points, 5h332 2 C|D 11-13 points, 5+ hearts and 4+ minor 2|3 H 11-13 points, 6|7+ hearts, may have 4-card minor 2 S 5-5 in hearts and a minor, better than a minimum 2 N 15 points, 5h332 3 C|D 14-15 points, 5+ hearts and 4+ minor
And similarly, after 1C-1D, 1S-1N relay sequence:
2 C|D 11-13 points, major 3-suiter 2 H 11-13 points, 5-5 in majors 2 S 11-13 points, 4 hearts, 5+ spades 2 N 14-15 points, 5-5 in majors 3 C|D 14-15 points, major 3-suiter 3 H|S 14-15 p, 5-6|6-5 in spades and hearts
The One Diamond opening bid and its treatment is very similar to the One Club opening bid above. The bid always shows a distributional hand with at least four spades and 11 to 15 points.
The standard first responses:
pass weak, long diamonds 1 H relay, forcing, 7+ points, unlimited 1 S 0-7 points, negative, it does not show trump support! 1 N 7-11 points, spade shortage, support for the other suits, ideally 1444 2 C|D|H 6-card suit, not forcing 2|3|4 S good spade support, pre-emptive 2 N 11+ points, 4+ spades, forcing to 3 S level (Truscott) 3 C|D|H 10-12 p, long suit, invitational Important: Once again, since the 1 S response is purely negative and does not promise any trump support, the opener passes only with 5 or more spades. Otherwise (s)he is obliged to show the long side suit (canapé). <>
Opener's rebids after the first relay (1D-1H):
<>
1 S 11-15 (!) points, 5+ spades 1 N 11-13 points, 5s332 2 C|D 11-13 points, 4 spades and a 5-card minor 2 H 11-13 points, 4 spades, 5 hearts 2|3 S 14-15 points, 6|7+ spades, usually a single-suiter, occasionally with a weak (4-card) minor side suit 3 C|D|H 14-15 points, a strong canapé, the long suit should be good
<>Now let's have a look at some common relay sequences in more detail:
1D - 1 H,
1 S - 1 NT,
2 C|D 11-13 points, 5 spades and 4+ minor
And after the second relay 1 D - 1 H,
1 S - 1 N, ... second relay
2 C|D ... 11-13 points, 5 spades and 4+ minor 2 H ... 5-5 in spades and a minor, better than a minimum 2|3 S ... 11-13 points, 6|7+ spades, may have 4-card minor 2 N ... 15 points, 5s332 3 C|D ... 14-15 points, 5+ spades and 4+ minor
The One Heart opening bid is made on 16 or more points, and it guarantees at least 15 high card points. It is a strong, unlimited bid, obviously forcing.Conventions
The lowest two responses, 1 S and 1 N are both basically weak, artificial bids. All higher responses sort of mimic the one- and two-level opening bids, only one level higher!
Standard first responses:
1 H - 1 S ... up to lousy 8 points, relay, encompasses all weak hands not biddable
- 1 N ... 0-5 points, any 6+ suit, asking the opener to bid 2 C
using the following 1 N bid!
- 2 C ... 8+ points, 4+ hearts, distributional
- 2 D ... 8+ points, 4+ spades, distributional
- 2 H ... 9+ points, reasonably balanced;
- 2 S ... 8+ points, both minors, distributional
- 3 C|D .. 8+ points, 6+ minor
1 H - 1 S,
1 N ... 16-18 points, reasonably balanced 2 C ... good 8 playing tricks in any suit, or 22-23 hcp and balanced 2 D ... 16+ points, any 4441 shape (modified Roman 2 D) 2 H|S ... 16+, natural 2 N ... good 19-21 hcp, reasonably balanced 3 C|D ... 16+ points, natural 3 H|S ... 16+ points, long (semi-) solid suit 3 N ... 24-25 points, reasonably balanced
After 1 H - 1 S, 1 N the bidding proceeds just like after a strong NT opening:
1 H - 1 S,
1 N - 2 C ... Stayman
- 2 D|H ... Jacoby trasfers
- 2 S ... range ask
- 3 C|D|H|S ... 5-7 points, good 6-card suit
One No Trump response announces a worthless hand (0-5 points), with a long suit. It requires opener to bid 2 C with an average hand. This can be left in or converted into the long suit. Only when very strong, opener bids his suit or No Trumps. Any such rebid is, of course, forcing!
Modified Roman Two Diamonds:
1 H - 1 S,
- 2 H ... relay
2 D ... any 4441 shape
- 2 S ... weak, natural, fishing for the cheapest resting place
- 2 N ... 6-8 points, invitational to 3 N
- 3 C|D|H|S ... 5-7 points, 6+ suit
1 H - 1 S,
2 D - 2 H,
3 C|D|H|S... 20+ points, suit below singleton (4414|4144|1444|4441)
2 S ... 16-19 points, 4441 or 4414 or 4144 2 N ... 16-19 points, 1444
1 H - 1S,
2 D - 2 H,
2 S - 2 N, ... second relay
3 C|D|H ... 4414|4144|4441
After opener has identified his range and singleton, the next bid by the responder, if not in the short suit, is to play, except that four of a minor asks opener to bid five only if he has two honours.
After 1 H - 1 S, 2 D - 2 S opener passes with a fit in the 16-19 point range, or bids 2 NT with a misfit. If strong with a fit, he again bids the suit below the singleton.
After 1 H - 1 S, 2 D - 3 C|D|H|S opener passes with a misfit, or bids game, if strong.
ONE SPADE OPENING BID
The One Spade bid is a specialized replacement bid, promising both minors and 11 to 15 points, specifically: a minor two-suiter (5-4 or better), or
a minor three-suiter (1444 or 4144).
First responses:
1 S - pass ... long spades, weak
- 1 N ... relay, artificial, preferably 7+ points
- 2 C ... negative (0-7 points), does not promise club support!
- 2 D ... negative (0-7 points), better diamonds than club!
- 2 H|S ... good suit, not forcing
- 2 N ... pre-emptive with good support for both minors
- 3|4|5 C|D ... pre-emptive
- 3 H|S ... long (semi-) solid major, invitational
First rebid by opener after 1 N (relay):
1 S - 1 N,
2 C|D ... 11-13 points, 5-card suit (bid the better suit if 5-5) 2 H|S ... 11-14 points, 1-4-4-4 | 4-1-4-4 shape 2 N ... 14-15 points, at least 5-5 3 C|D ... 14-15 points, two-suiter, bid long(er) minor 3 H|S ... 15 points, 1-4-4-4 | 4-1-4-4 shape
Any subsequent change-of-suit by the responder is basically natural and forcing.ONE NO TRUMP OPENING BID
This bid covers all reasonably balanced hands in the 12 to 15 point range. Except for the extended span, it is virtually identical to the standard Acol One No Trump opener:
1 N - pass ... nothing to add
- 2 C ... Stayman
- 2 D|H ... Jacoby transfers
- 2 S ... range ask
- 2 N ... long minor (puppet)
- 3 C|D|H|S... natural, game force
- 3 N ... to play
- 4 C ... Gerber
- 4 H|S ... to play
- 4 N ... quantitativeTWO CLUBS AND TWO DIAMONDS OPENING BIDS
THREE CLUBS AND THREE DIAMONDS OPENING BIDS
All these opening bids are natural, showing a rebiddable minor and a 11 to 13 point range at the two level, and a good 6+ suit with 14 to 15 points at the level of three. They usually indicate a single-suiter, but occasionally can be used with a (negligible) 4-card side suit:
Since both the strength as well as the distribution are already closely specified, there is no need for further relays and the bidding develops naturally.
A new suit by the responder bellow the game level is always forcing, and the opener usually shows a feature, if it can be done economically.TWO HEARTS AND TWO SPADES OPENING BIDS
A Weak Two bids, nominally showing 6 to 10 points and a 6-card suit, but routinely made with a re-biddable 5-carder. Then, especially vulnerable, it must be close to a maximum !
2 H - pass ... nothing to add - 2 S ... a relay (modified Ogust) - 2 N ... natural, invitational - 3 C|D ... natural, not forcing - 3+ H ... pre-emptive - 3 S ... invitational - 3 N ... to play
Similarly,
- 3 C|D|H ... natural, not forcing
2 S - pass ... nothing to add - 2 N ... relay (modified Ogust)
- 3+ S ... pre-emptive - 3 N ... to play
The relay sequencies after the 2 H opening bid (modified Ogust):
2 H - 2 S,
2 N ... 5-card suit only 3 C ... min suit, min points 3 D ... max suit, min points 3 H ... min suit, max points 3 S ... max suit, max points 3 N ... solid suit
2 H - 2 S,
2 N - 3 C, .... second relay 3 D ... min points 3 H ... max points
And after 2 S:
2 S - 2 N,
3 C ... 5-card suit only 3 D ... min suit, min points 3 H ... max suit, min points 3 S ... min suit, max points 3 N ... max suit, max points
2 S - 2 N,
3 C - 3 D, ... second relay 3 H ... min points 3 S ... max pointsTWO NO TRUMP OPENING BID
A three-way bid, replacing the standard long minor pre-empts, or
showing a wild and weak major two-suiter (5-5 or better) .
Standard responses:
2 N - 3 C ... fishing for the best resting spot - 3 D ... artificial, forcing relay - 3 H|S ... natural, invitational - 3 N ... to play
2 N - 3 C,
pass ... long clubs 3 D ... long diamonds 3 H ... both majors
2 N - 3 D,
3 H ... both majors 3 S ... long clubs 3 N ... long diamondsPOTPOURRI (OF BIDDING NOTES)
This is a rather loose collection of hints, amplifications and afterthoughts...
Point Ranges
Perhaps four broad bidding ranges can be identified: 0-5 (pass quickly!), 6-10 (for the pre-empts), 11-15, and 16+ points.
The most important, 11 to15 point range is again subdivided into two 11 to13 and 14 to 15 point intervals. In fact, the 11 to13 range becomes very often an 11 to 14 point range to allow a bid more latitude for relays and to maintain a bit of safety at the same time...
For the same reasons, the lower subinterval of 16+ point range is now virtually extended to 19 points!
To Relay or not to Relay
The relay bids are used to extract information about the patner's hand. Usually just one or two relay rounds are required to describe both the basic shape and the strength of the hand, and when these are known within fairly narrow limits, all subsequent changes of suit by the original interrogator are natural and forcing:
1 C - 1 D,
or
2 H ... 6+ hearts, 14-15 points - 2 S ... natural and forcing
1 D - 1 H,
2 C ... 11-13 points, 4 spades, 5+ clubs - 2 D ... natural and forcing
But:
1 D - 1 H,
1 N ... 11-14, 4h4s32 - 2 S ... not forcing, a mere preference.
And obviously, when a relay response is available, all non-relay responses to the low level opening bids are basically natural and non-forcing. Quite often, they also imply a poor support for the opener's suit.
Once an unfinished relay sequence is interrupted by a natural response, it cannot be restarted again! Any such non-relay continuation is also usually stronger than a direct bid of the same denomination. Just one example:
1 D - 1 H,
1 S - 2 C ... stronger than direct 1 D - 2 C, about 11-12 points, highly invitational
Bidding of Pronounced Two-suiters
Both the minor and major extreme two-suiters (at least 5-5) have already been adequately covered. The mixed two-suiters are a bit trickier. An observant reader (not many of those around here these days) would have noticed a couple of idle sequences after the 1 C and 1 D opening bids. Those sequences do not make much sense otherwise, and could therefore be used to show the extreme hands:
1 C - 1 D,
1 H - 1 S,
- 2 N, ... which one?
2 S ... 5-card minor
3 C|D
And similarly:
1 D - 1 H,
1 S - 1 N,
- 2 S, ... preference!
2 H ... 5-card minor
- 2 N, ... which one?
3 C|D
Since these sequences push the bidding quite high, I recommend their use with close-to-maximum hands only. With a minimum hand, it is probably safer to select the better suit and show it first, or, when the long suits are roughly equal, give preference to a major...DEALING WITH INTERVENTION
The use of negative doubles up to the Two Spades level, as well as responsive doubles to the Three Diamond level, inclusive, are strongly recommended. In principle, the negative double is then a substitute for the first relay, thus leaving all the other bids (except for cue-bids, of course) as natural and non-forcing. But a multi-step (more than one, dummy!) intervention effectively destroys the normal relay sequences, and the bidding proceeds according to the standard negative double rules:
* double of a bid of up to 2 S is unlimited, 8+ points, forcing, while suit bids are strictly limited
* double of higher interventions are mainly for penalties, change-of-suit bids are forcing
* later changes of suit by the negative doubler are always forcing
The redouble serves as a direct substitute for a relay, with some saving of the bidding space.
An interesting corollary of canapé: in competitive situations, when his partner remains silent, the opener must consider showing the long side suit even with close to minimum values !SUGGESTED DEFENSE TO BOHEMIAN
1 C|D - x ... weak take-out, 11-14 points, or 19+ - 1 H|S ... strong take-out, 15-18 points - 2 H|S ... Michael's (5-5, the other major + a minor)
1 H - x ... both majors - 1 N ... minor-major two-suiter - 2 N ... both minors
1 S - x ... take-out, both majors
Otherwise natural and aggressive!
Note: the shorthand symbol '|' separates alternatives (logical 'or').Balanced hands: all 4333 and 4432 distributions.
Biddable suit: a 4-card suit with at least two honours, or a high honour (A, K, or Q).
Canapé: when a player shows two suits in a distributional hand, the second suit is always at least as long as the first one.
Distributional point (dp) count: the total of all point adjustments required to express the current playing strength of a hand. It usually varies as the bidding develops.
High card points (hcp): Milton Work point count is employed (A=4, K=3, Q=2, J=1).
Playing points (pp): the sum of the high card points and the distributional point count.
Reasonably balanced hands: all balanced hands and semi-balanced minor single-suiters (5332).
Rebiddable suits: 5-card suits containing at least two top honors, any QJTxx combination, and all 6-card suits headed by a high honour card.
Relay: initially the cheapest available response to a one- or a two-level suit opening bid. It is always a purely conventional bid, asking the opener to describe his hand further.
- Replacement opening bids:
- One Club shows a hand with at least four hearts
One Diamond shows a distributional hand with at least four spades
One Spade shows a distributional hand with both minors.Semi-balanced hands: all 5332 distributions.
Truscott (extended): Since the standard balanced 2 NT limit bid does not make much sense in response to a basically distributional opening of 1C or 1 D, it always shows here a primary trump support (4+ hearts|spades) and at least a good raise to the three level. The opener rebids 3H|S only with an absolute minimum; normally (s)he shows a side suit, or makes an advanced cue-bid with a stronger hand.
Unbalanced (distributional) hands: all hands not reasonably balanced, including semi-balanced major single-suiters.
Final Note
I have spent hundreds of hours, literally, testing the system and shaping it into its present form. I do not claim it's perfect. Many areas would certainly benefit from a bit of tuning, some may require a lot of additional work, but on the whole, I know it works!Make some changes, if you must, I do not really care. But give it a go. I am sure you and your partner will enjoy it.
In any case, I am always interested in any sort of intelligent feedback!
Jiri Babor
26 Kerkwall Drive
Lower Hutt
NEW ZEALAND
Ph 64-4-567 0510
Email: jbabor@paradise.net.nz
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