System Summary Form (SSF), 2018 USBC


Team: Schireson Last Updated Apr 19, 2018 at 22:30
Players: Debbie Rosenberg - Max Schireson

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Bids that Require Advance Preparation

General Bidding Style

5 card majors, 2/1 GF.

1N = 15-17, yet both players upgrade 14's fairly often for various reasons. Offshape 1N common. 5-card majors common, even sometimes with 5422.

Open 1C with 3-3, and usually (not always) 1D with 4-4. With unequal length, nearly always longer minor.

Opening bids probably slightly sounder than modern average. May pass a bad balanced 12, especially if vul, yet may also upgrade a balanced 11 with good spots/honor placement.

Frequently respond to opening bids with fewer than 6HCP, especially non vul.

In competitive auctions: When a double might reasonably be treated as penalty or something else, we use penalty only where specifically agreed (rare).

Forcing passes apply only where clear.

When our artificial bid (Michaels, Woolsey, etc.) is doubled, pass is a strong suggestion to play there. Redouble is scramble.

While 2N is sometimes scramble, we probably play more natural 2N in competition than most pairs.

Opening Leads AND Leads in the Middle of the Hand

Leads vs. Suits:

4th best. Low from xxx(x) unless length promised.

A from AKx(+) except at 5-level+.

Standard honor leads.

Leads vs. NT:

4th best. May lead high or second high from xxxx(x). Usually high from xxx, except in partner's unsupported suit then low.

Standard honor leads. Ace asks for unblock or count. Q may be asking for unblock of J.

Defensive Signals

Upside down count and attitude, including upside down present count.

Standard suit pref.

Limited suit preference in trump. High-low asks for highest ranking logical suit, but otherwise trump spots are not signals.

Vs. trump contracts, suit pref at trick one any time we can't cash or set up more tricks in the suit led. Low and high are suit pref, middle neutral or encouraging.


Spot card shifts are attitude; the lower the card, the more we want it returned. However, we normally shift to high from a doubleton, and may shift to middle from xxx in a suit contract, if a ruff is still in the picture.