System Summary Form (SSF), 2019 Open USBC


Team: Kriegel Last Updated Apr 6, 2019 at 18:10
Players: Oren Kriegel - Ron Smith

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Bids that Require Advance Preparation

2C-2D-3M = nonforcing, like an Acol 2M opening, 8.5-9 playing tricks, maybe light in HCP

2D opening = Flannery
- 11-15 HCP (maybe a good 10 or poor 16)
- 5+ hearts, 4 spades (maybe 5-6 with 10-bad 12 HCP)

3NT opening in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seat = both minors (at least 6-5 either way).
- When NV, mostly preemptive
- When vul, relatively few HCP but lots of playing strength (~4.5 losers)
- Can be a very strong distributional hand, planning to take further action

Intermediate jump overcalls when vul or in sandwich position

General Bidding Style

Open many balanced 11s when NV, particularly favorable, pass most balanced 11s when vul.

Fairly sound preempts when vul, a bit lighter when NV. 1st and 3rd seat favorable may be extremely light.

3rd seat 1x may be very light, 2M usually fairly normal

1NT = 15-17 (can be a good 14)
1D = 4+
1C = 2+ (only 2 with 4=4=3=2)

Over 1m:
2H = 11-12 balanced
2S = mixed raise
2NT = GF balanced, may contain a 4-card major

1m (overcall or X) 3m = limit

1M-2C = GF, 2+ clubs; can contain as many as 5 diamonds or 5 of the other major with support for opener's major, sometimes bad 5-card suit without support

1H-2S = constructive, 6+ spades

1M (overcall) 2NT = exactly limit raise; cuebid = GF raise

Jump shift in comp: weak to the 2-level, inv to the 3-level

2/1 in comp forcing but might be lighter than typical, since jump shift is inv

Opening Leads AND Leads in the Middle of the Hand

Vs. suits:

Standard honors, A from AK except:
- 5-level and higher
- partner's suit
- your own raised suit
- AK doubleton
- when an opponent preempts at the 3-level or higher and becomes declarer

3rd from even, low from odd, including mid hand (but might lead higher from a poor holding).

Vs. notrump:

Rusinow honor leads (trick 1 only):
- A = AK, asks for attitude
- K = power lead, asks count or unblock
- Q = KQ or Qx
- J = QJ or Jx
- 10 = J10 or 10x
- 9 = 109 or 9x (avoid the 9 from 9xx or 9xxx)

Lead Rusinow from 3-card or longer holding (J from QJx).

4th best from length, may lead highest or 2nd highest from poor holdings, but lead low more often than many pairs.

Mid hand, lead 4th best, but high (or 2nd) from a suit you don't like.

When shifting to an honor after trick 1 (both suits and NT), we play coded 9s and 10s, but not religiously:
- jack tends to deny a higher honor
- 9 or 10 tends to show 0 or 2 higher (10 from KJ10 or 109x, 9 from Q109 or 9x)

Defensive Signals

Standard carding (high-low = encouraging, even, or high SP). Primary attitude, count usually only early in the hand, tends to be suit preference later on.

Standard Smith echo vs NT (high = encouraging in opening lead suit). Positive Smith by 3rd hand will often be based on extra length in opening lead suit, rather than a high card.