System Summary Form (SSF), 2021 JLall Online Teams #3


Team: Donnelly Last Updated Mar 25, 2021 at 08:43
Players: Chris Donnelly - Ethan Wood

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Bids that Require Advance Preparation

Notable calls and conventions not explicitly listed on our ACBL CC (specific calls listed apply by both UPH and PH unless otherwise noted):

(1m)-3C shows a hand that is 5-5 or better in S and the unbid minor suit

(1M)-2M shows a hand that is 5-5 or better in C and the unbid major suit

(1M)-3C shows a hand that is 5-5 or better in D and the unbid major suit

1H-2S by UPH is invitational in D

General Bidding Style

Opening bids tend to be sound in 1st and 2nd positions, will pass many 11-counts but open some of them depending on judgement. Rarely might pass a 12-count.

In 3rd and 4th positions, especially 3rd position, opening bids might be light, particularly if holding a good suit and/or a distributional hand.

1M openings virtually always promise a 5+ card suit. The only exception is when holding a minimum/sub-minimum hand in 3rd (but never 4th) seat with a four-card major suit we want led (should our side not get the contract), we might open 1M, even with a longer minor suit holding.

Preemptive openings are on the conservative side. Very rarely, we might open 2M with a good 5-card suit; if so, it would only be in 3rd seat at favorable vulnerability.

1-level suit overcalls might rarely be made on a good four-card suit. 2-level suit overcalls guarantee a 5+ card holding in the suit bid and generally range between 12 and 17 HCP.

If we have a balanced hand with a decent 5-card suit (major or minor), we are likely to open 1NT with only 14 HCP but are also likely to make a "stronger" bid with 17 HCP. As such, we define our 1NT range, which does not change based on position or vulnerability, as "14 plus to 17 minus".

We may open semi-balanced hands containing a 6-card minor suit 1NT and, more rarely, may on occasion do so with a semi-balanced hand containing a 6-card major suit.

Opening Leads AND Leads in the Middle of the Hand

Honor leads against suits and NT are generally standard. Against suit contracts, leading K followed by A from a suit we have not ourselves bid shows a doubleton holding.

Opening leads are 3rd/low against suit contracts, 2nd/4th against NT contracts; leads in middle of hand generally show attitude, with higher leads showing a weak holding and lower leads suggesting a strong holding.

Defensive Signals

We play upside down count and attitude at all times, although may signal inaccurately in instances where we think that the potential benefits associated with misleading declarer are greater than the potential costs associated with misleading partner.

Against NT contracts (but not suit contracts), we play Smith Echo when it would seem to logically apply.

Priority when returning partner's leads is attitude; priority when following declarer's leads is count.

Suit preference applies when dummy has a singleton in the suit partner is leading and/or when we are unable to follow (or ruff) in the suit that declarer is playing.

Most unambiguous suit preference signal during the play is the first occasion on which a defender is unable to follow suit: discarding a relatively low card encourages that suit, which is the priority (to show a suit we want to encourage); when doing so is for whatever reason not possible, then we will discard a relatively high card in a suit to discourage that suit.