BridgeMatters

This blog provides supplementary thoughts and ideas to the www.bridgematters.com site. If you haven't seen the main site, there is a lot there including the Martel and Rodwell interviews, photos, and articles. This blog is focused on advancing bridge theory by discussing the application of new ideas. All original content is copyright 2009 Glen Ashton.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

The Heart Shift - Create a new system

"I will possess your heart" - Death Cab 4 Cutie

1H as 15+ gives us the opportunity to create new systems by using the "heart shift" on almost any big club system.

This shift is:

1) Expand 1S up to 18
2) Move hands that used to open 1H to 1C
3) Move minimum (for 1C) balanced hands and minimum C and D hands out of 1C

Here's Meckwell shifted:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ unbal any or 22+ bal
1D: 11-13 bal or 10-15 Ds unbal
1H: 16-18 C or Ds or 17-19 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 14-16, bal
2C: 10-15, 6+Cs
2D: 11-15, short D

A Big Club 10-12 NT system shifted:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 13-15 bal or 10-15 Ds unbal
1H: 16-18 C or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12, bal
2C: 10-15, 6+Cs
2D: 11-15, short D

Standard Precision shifted:

1C: 10-18 5+Hs or 18+ bal or 19+ any
1D: 10-14 4+Ds, unbal
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 15-17 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 12-14, bal
2C: 5+Cs, 10-14
2D: Short Ds, 10-14

Since 1H can start at 15, we can shift Meckwell and limit 1D and 2m:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ unbal any or 22+ bal
1D: 11-13 bal or 10-14 Ds unbal
1H: 15-18 C or Ds or 17-19 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 14-16, bal
2C: 10-14, 6+Cs
2D: 11-14, short D

ETM Express shifted and one point down to take advantage of the 1H opening 15+ start:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 13-15 bal or 12-14 Cs or Ds
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12, bal
2m: 10-12, 5+Cs

All weak two:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 11-14 Cs or Ds, or bal 13-15 NV or 11-13 V
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12 NV, 13/14-15 V, bal
2X: 5-10, 5+ suit

Goldilocks:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any (Bal 19/20 V34)
1D: 11-14 4/5Cs and/or 4/5Ds, or bal 13-15 NV12, 11-13 V34
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or Bal 16-18 NV12, 16/17-19 V34
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12 NV12, 13/14-16 V34, bal
2X: 10-14 2m 9-13 2M, 6+ suit V, 5+ suit NV and if 5 good suit and a singleton/void in a major
2NT: 6-5/5-6 in majors 10-13

NV12 = not vulnerable in 1st or 2nd
V34 = vulnerable or in 3rd or 4th

This is a system I'm in love with from first glance. It has:
- a two-way 1C opening that is hard to jam
- a super tight 1D that tends to balanced or three suited
- 1S limited but not down to 15 - here I will use Gazzilli to let the 16-18s break out from the 10-15 set
- 1NT opening ranges as I love them
- 2X bids as I love them

This system will be nimble and quick, unlike this blog and the system design process seen here.

For the two-way 1C opening, it is hard to jam it since:
- it could be 10+, and thus the opponents must bid constructively in case they have their own games and slams
- the 19+ hands can handle themselves - that is they have enough points to either double or bid at their second bid
- the 2H and 2NT opening takes out distributional 10-13s out of 1C, and thus responder is well placed to judge when there is a need to compete.

Of course one might say how does the 1C opening handle a preempt like 3S - this will pose problems, but take the same hand types and try them in a standard system - for example:

1C-3S-P-P;-? >>> if the 1C opener has 19+ must guess to double, bid 3NT, or above

Note how easy it is to set up a 1C structure:

1C-1D(waiting);-?

1H: 5+Hs, like a standard 1H opening
1S, 2C, 2D: 19+
2H: GF, Hs or balanced
1NT: 19-21
2NT: 22-24
2S, 3C, 3D: GF

This is not the structure I will use as I want to take advantage of the bidding space. It is a good sign, though, when a framework can have structures ready-2-go out-of-the-box - it means the framework doesn't impose a later cost in complex unwinding sequences.

For those interested in the system design process, I hope that this has been interesting (and for those who don't like the process, please don't drive through a "Messy" warning sign next time!). This has been semi-live blogging over the last few days, written up at a cottage on a DV7 laptop (P7350, N9600, 4G, 17" - eats the 8 cell battery power fast), and posted as I get Internet access.

I didn't know I would find a system I liked in this process, let alone one that I love - I hope I can find a painting I love too at the art show here this weekend.

"It's like a book, elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read" - DC4C

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