System Summary Form (SSF), 2017 USBC


Team: Fleisher Last Updated Mar 24, 2017 at 13:25
Players: Michael Rosenberg - Jacek Pszczola

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Bids that Require Advance Preparation

2D = Weak 2 in either major, 4-9
2H = 5-6-card H + 5-6-card other, 5-10
2S = 5-6-card S + 5-6-card minor, 5-10
1m-2H = 5(+)-card S + 4(+)-card H, 5-10
1C-2D = Artificial balanced LR
1m-2S = Artificial LR (if 1C then unbalanced)
1H-2S = 6(+)-card S, less than invitational
1M-3D = Artificial LR
1N-2D = usually transfer, includes some hands without H
3C-3D = Puppet to 3H, various hands
3C-3S = Natural, NF (but opener can bid)

Two-way doubles:
1) If we redouble our opening, then opener's double of advancer's non-jump bid is 4-card penalty or singleton.
2) If responder doubles their 2-suited overcall, then opener's double of a non-jump bid in a suit known to be held by LHO is 4-card penalty or singleton.
3) (2M-3M)P, X

We play (one level over their bid) C = Majors, D = 1 major, M = M + m in the following auctions:
1) They open 1N
2) They overcall 1N
3) They open 3m
4) They bid 1N-3N (or 2N-3N)
5) They bid 1m-3N (or 1m-2N)
6) They bid 1m-3m (or Weak (or Precision) 2m-3m)
7) They open 3N showing 1 minor

After overcall of our 1M opening, we play:
2N = GF raise
Cue = LR
Jump to 3M-1 = Mixed

Transfers after they double our 1M opening or overcall.

Forcing Pass Agreements:
Only if clearly our hand. Pass then Pull is stronger if fit or clear 1-suiter, flexible if not
Double of WNT creates force thru 2H

Lead Directing Doubles:
A) Double of 3N asks for weaker M
B) If you double 3N, it suggests partner
lead your suit – even if leader has bid
a suit also
C) If only leader has bid a suit, double
of 3N suggests a different lead
D) After we preempt, double of 3N by
partner (unless raised) is “lead other”
E) Blind double of slam says “lead highest
ranking suit, if that makes sense”.
F) Double of slam after partner preempts
(and you didn’t raise), usually asks
partner to lead his suit (likely you
are void)

Anti-lead Double

Double of a Q-bid says LEAD SOMETHING ELSE when ALL of the following apply:

1) We are CLEARLY out of the auction
2) Suit has been bid by the doubler (even
a raise or a 1♣ opening)
3) No other suit has been bid by us

Passes of redoubles are Penalty when we are OVER their suit

Redoubles of natural 3N are to play in direct seat and doubt in PO seat



General Bidding Style

1N = 15-17, quite often upgrade 14
5-card M. 4-card possible in 3rd/4th, but rare.
Can open light with shape
Can open very light in 3rd - usually for the lead
Tend to respond very light

Opening Leads AND Leads in the Middle of the Hand

4th from honors. Usually second highest from 3(+) small. 10 is optional. 9 is shortness or H98x(x). Tends to be same after trick one. From xxx lead middle unless we think high is safer.
- After trick one, honor leads through declarer only are 0 or 2 IF NECESSARY (must be honor in dummy - holding such as Qxx or AJx in dummy).in front of dummy opposite

Honor leads vs. suits.

Standard, A from AK except:

1) Doubleton
2) Partner's suit
3) 5-level or higher
4) Declarer opened at 3-level or 4-level in 1st or 2nd seat
5) Alarm clock, usually shifting to stiff

If having raised and leading from small cards, highest from an odd number, second highest from an even number

Honor leads vs. NT

K asks count or unblock

SEcond highest from small, but high is possible. Can lead second highest when wanting a shift, even with an honor.
3rd/5th in partner’s suit if not supported, (MR might lead high in partner’s suit from xxx)

- Returning partner’s opening lead with original 5-card holding, usually return 5th best if dummy started with exactly 2, otherwise original 4th best.

- If you win their lead over dummy, returning same suit asks partner to win to cut off dummy – otherwise partner will tend to duck later. Return here is count card

Defensive Signals

UDCA EXCEPT versus suit contract on A lead and dummy has 3 or 4-card headed by the 10 or worse.

Priority is attitude on our lead, count on declarer's lead.
Third hand gives count when apparently has no honor.

Signals primarily attitude regarding whole hand, not only suit led.

Standard SP if we can't win any more tricks in suit led. High honor is "informative".
If we can cash more tricks and non-leader has long suit, low is encouraging, high and middle are SP
Standard remainder count
Mini-count (second highest from 4), especially vs, suits on A lead with Qxx(x) in dummy.

K lead at 5(+)-level vs. suits gets count if more tricks can be cashed

First signal attitude, second signal is present count. Except SP if leader wins trick 2 after discouraging signal

If dummy has xx then can discourage with SP, e.g. 3 then 2 asks lower-ranking (or neutral). Highest then low is SP for higher ranking, combined with present count

When partner leads a possible singleton and you win, then second pusher asks for lower-ranking suit.

When leading through dummy for partner to ruff, in a situation where declarer may be overruffing, leading the absolute lowest spot may be telling partner that declarer is overruffing.

When you win partner's lead which may be a singleton, and then cash a side ace, then high means singleton, low means no singleton (Attitude not suit preference).

- When partner wins the A in front of dummy's long strong suit (e.g. KQJxx), usually give count

With xxx of trumps, default is middle then LH

No replacement suit preference, e.g., spades trump and you give partner a heart ruff, high card asks for diamond even if club is impossible. To get a trump shift, try asking for a club, or (if a club IS possible) try conflicting signals.

When partner leads the Q, and dummy has K third or longer, give Count if you have the ace (or if you know partner has it!).

When partner leads Q from AKQ (apparently) give attitude for the J. If J is in dummy, give Count. Next card is present count (unless J in dummy, then SP)

If A is led, then lowest encouraging card asks partner to cash K (be very wary of murky signal here)

If Q is led and dummy has Axx and plays low, give count. If dummy has Axxx also give count as long as not better than headed by A7.

Reverse Smith echo vs NT at trick 2 only (unless holding is 'known', and not if count is needed).
With 3(+) cards to choose from in Smith situation, low is Smith, middle is mild Smith. Second card is SP between non-Smith suits. Third card is present count.

If we lead, first signal attitude, second signal is usually present count, third signal SP

Tend towards count in dummy’s 5+ suit if at all possible partner needs to know, and in dummy’s 4-card suit only if possible partner needs to know.

Usually play lowest from four small in count situations; play either highest or second highest (more often) from four small in attitude situations

Attempt to combine signals - attitude with SP and count with SP

Middle cards often express uncertainty
Generally signal what you want, not what you have
Combination of signals is crucial

With xx remaining, low-high may be neutral

With two equal cards, there is a default. Thus with QJ play Q, with J10 play J, with Q10 play 10. There are many situations.

First discard Lavinthal, except when hand already obvious

Order of discards is important – first is most telling

First discard in a suit where that player has previously played a card is invariably present count unless clearly not important, otherwise suit-preference.
You can sometimes give mild present count – mixing with SP

Splitting Honors:

Second highest under declarer unless dummy has higher card, then split highest
e.g., dummy has Qxxx and second hand has JT9x – play J
Also applies if dummy LEADS a higher honor – split highest.

Highest under dummy (if winning trick, normally cheapest, but still can win with highest if more descriptive).

These agreements apply to the trump suit.