When I wrote for Bridge World in 1991 about ‘Two New Bidding Ideas’, there were actually three, but the third was long and involved and thus they chopped it. The unusual idea was not responder’s transfers but opener’s transfer rebids after the 1NT transfer response.

Here is a short summary.

Transfer Responses and Rebids to Major Suit Openings

After 1H or 1S opening:

1NT: Cs or balanced hand.

2C: Ds

2D: Hs

2H: Ss.

After responses of 1NT (Cs or balanced hand), opener uses transfer rebids.

After 1H-1NT:

2C: Ds or balanced hand.

2D: Hs

2H: Cs.

After 1S-1NT:

2C: Ds or balanced hand.

2D: Hs

2H: Ss.

2S: Cs.

Transfer Responses and Rebids to Major Suit Openings – One Implementation

Over 1H:

1S: 4+S, standard

1NT: Cs or balanced or less than game force and less than 4Ss and less than 6Ds

2C: Ds, 6+ & less than GI or natural GF

2D: Hs support, less than constructive or limit+

2H: Hs, constructive

2S: GI, 6+S

2NT: Cs, either GI with 6+Cs or fit showing with H support

3C: Ds, either GI with 6+Ds or fit showing with H support

3D: Hs, preemptive or GF

3H: constructive raise with 4+Hs

After 1H-1NT (Cs, or balanced, or less than GF and less than 4Ss and less than 6Ds):

2C: less than 6Hs, less than 4Cs, not enough for jump shift

2D: transfer to Hs with 6+Hs

2H: 5Hs & 4+Cs, not enough to make a jump shift in clubs

2S & above: like over standard notrump response

After 1H-1NT-2C (less than 6Hs, less than 4Cs, not enough for jump shift):

Pass: 5/6+Cs, less than GI values, 5Cs only if singleton/void in Hs

2D: 5Ds, singleton/void in Hs, not enough to bid 2NT GI

2H: 2Hs, less than GI values

2S: artificial, GF with balanced/semi-balanced hand or asking

2NT: natural, GI

3C: natural GF (with GI values bid 1H-2NT)

3D,3H: natural with longer Cs, GF

3S,4D: singleton or void in suit bid, heart fit, clubs, slam interest

3NT: natural, GF but little slam interest

4C: club length/values, heart fit, slam interest

After 1H-1NT-2C-2S (artificial, GF):

2NT: no singleton

3C: 3Cs

3D: 5Ds

3H: 3-5-4-1

3S: 4-5-3-1

3NT: 3Cs, balanced, extra values

Cheapest bid over 2NT, 3C, and 3D asks opener to continue to describe hand.

After 1H-1NT-2D (transfer):

2H: would pass natural auction 1H-1NT-2H. Opener continues to describe hand with extras.

2S: artificial GF, asks opener to further describe hand

2NT: natural, GI

3C: natural, GF

3D: natural, GF with longer clubs

3H: natural, GI

3NT: to play, little interest in slam

3S,4D: singleton/void in suit, heart fit, slam interest

4C: club length/values, heart fit, slam interest

After 1H-1NT-2H(5Hs & 4+Cs):

Pass: less than GI with no club fit

2S: artificial, GI in clubs or a GF. Opener bids 3C if would not accept GI, all other sequences GF.

2NT: natural, GI

3C: club fit, less than GI values

3D,3H: natural, GF, with longer clubs

3S,4D: singleton/void in suit, club fit, slam interest

4C: strong club fit, slam interest

Over 1S:

1NT: Cs or balanced or less than game force and less than 6Hs and less than 6Ds

2C: Ds, 6+ & less than GI or natural GF

2D: Hs, 6+ & less than GI or natural GF

2H: Ss support, less than constructive or limit+

2S: Ss, constructive

2NT: Cs, either GI with 6+Cs or fit showing with S support

3C: Ds, either GI with 6+Ds or fit showing with S support

3D: Hs, either GI with H+Ds or fit showing with S support

3H: Ss, preemptive or GF

3S: constructive raise with 4+Ss

After 1S-1NT (Cs or balanced or less than GF and less than 6Hs and less than 6Ds):

2C: less than 6Ss, less than 4Hs, less than 5Cs not enough for jump shift

2D: transfer to Hs with 5+Ss, 4+Hs

2H: transfer to Ss with S+Hs

2S: 5Ss & 5+Cs, not enough to make a jump shift in clubs

2NT & above: like over standard notrump response

After 1S-1NT-2C (less than 6Ss, less than 4Hs, less than 5Cs not enough for jump shift):

Pass: 5/6+ Cs, less than GI values, 5C only if singleton/void in spades

2D: singleton/void in spades, no long suit

2H: artificial, asking bid, any GF or GI with 4/5Cs

2S: 2Ss, less than GI

2NT: natural, GI

3C: natural, GF

3D,3H,3S: natural, GF, with longer Cs

3NT: natural, GF but little slam interest

4C: club values/length, S fit, slam interest

4D,4H: singleton/void in suit, S fit, slam interest

After 1S-1NT-2C-2D (singleton/void in spades, no long suit):

Pass: 4+Ds or 5-1-3-4

2H: 2/3Hs and less than 4Ds

After 1S-1NT-2C-2H (artificial, asking bid, any GF or GI with 4/5Cs):

2S: not 4Cs and minimum

2NT: not 4Cs and extras

3C: 4Cs and minimum

3D & above: descriptive with 4Cs and extras

After 2S, 2NT, 3C the cheapest suit bid asks for further description.

After 1S-1NT-2D (transfer to Hs with 5+S, 4+Hs):

2H: would pass 1S-1NT-2H. Now 2S shows 6+s, only 4Hs, does not promise extras.

2S: would bid 1S-1NT-2H-2S

2NT: natural, GI

3C: asking bid, GF, opener describes shape of hand, 4C if 5-4-1-3, 4D if 5-4-0-4.

3H: natural, GI

3D, 3S: natural, GF with longer clubs

3NT: to play, natural, little slam interest

4C, 4D: singleton/void in suit, H fit, slam interest

4H: like 1S-1NT-2H-4H in standard.

After 1S-1NT-2H (transfer to Ss with 6+S):

2S: would pass natural auction 1S-1NT-2S. Opener continues to describe hand with extras.

2NT: natural, GI

3C: asking bid, GF. Opener describes hand, bidding above 3NT with 3+Cs.

3D, 3H: natural, GF with longer clubs

3S: natural, GI

3NT: to play, little interest in slam

4D,4H: singleton/void in suit, spade fit, slam interest

4C: club length/values, spade fit, slam interest

After 1S-1NT-2S (5S & 5Cs):

Pass: to play

2NT: asking bid, any GF or GI with 3+Cs

3C: to play, less than GI

3D, 3H: natural with longer Cs

3S: natural, GI

3NT,4S: to play, little interest in slam

4C: C fit, slam interest

4D,4H: singleton void in suit, C fit, slam interest

After 1M-2C (Ds GF or 6+Ds less than GI):

2D: no game interest opposite 6+Ds and less than GI

other: at least game interest, forcing

After 2D, pass with the weak hand, bid with GF.

After other than 2D, responder’s cheapest bid not including 3NT shows the GF hand, all other bids are natural and descriptive with the weak hand. For example 1H-2C(transfer)-3C(Hs & Cs, big hand)-3D shows Ds, GF, while 3H, 3S, 3NT etc. would be natural with weak hand & 6+Ds.

After 1M-2C (Ds GF or 6+Ds less than GI):

2D: no game interest opposite 6+Ds and less than GI

other: at least game interest, forcing, so 1M-2C-3D is forcing. To invite game bid below 3D first, and let responder show hand type.

After 2D, pass with the weak hand, bid with GF.

After other than 2D, responder’s cheapest bid not including 3D or 3NT shows the original GF hand with Ds, all other bids are natural and descriptive with the weak hand & 6+Ds. 3D shows a minimum weak hand and no other descriptive bid available below 3D. Example, after 1H-2C(transfer)-3C(Hs & Cs, big hand): 3D shows minimum 6+Ds, 3H is any original GF with Ds, and 3S, 3NT etc. would be natural with maximum weak hand & 6+Ds.

Note that 1M-2C-other by opener-reply by responder-3D is not forcing. This is how opener can invite.

After 1M-2D-2M, responder with weak hand & 6+Ds, can raise to 3M with 2 in M and minimum, or bid 4M with 2 in M and maximum.

After 1S-2D (Hs GF or 6+Hs less than GI):

Just like 1S-2C but with Hs instead of Ds. Same scheme applies.

After 1M-transfer to 2M-2M:

Pass: less than constructive raise

2NT: Jacoby 2NT like, GF, asks for further description

3C/3D: natural/semi natural with limit raise values

2S/3H: natural/semi-natural with limit raise values

3M: limit raise, spread out values

3NT: choice of games with flat hand, 3 in M

Above 3M: slam tries with 3 in M, singleton/void in suit bid

After 1M-transfer to 3M-3M:

Pass: preemptive raise

3NT: choice of games with flat hand, 4 in M

new suit: void in suit, slam try

4M: 5+ in M, better than a preemptive raise directly to game but no slam interest

After 1H-1NT-bid above 2H or 1S-1NT-bid above 2S, the cheapest bid is a GF asking bid. If the cheapest bid is in suit and is not opener’s major, then 3 of opener’s major replaces the suit bid. For example after 1H-1NT-3C, 3H shows Ds while 3D is artificial GF asking for further description.