Conventions and Alerts by Martin Johnson

Slam Bidding Conventions

Key card Blackwood - The most common form of Blackwood, with recommendations for follow up bids (intermediate level)

Exclusion Blackwood - A variation of Key card Blackwood used when a player has a void, usually started by a high level jump bid.(advanced level)

Five Of a Major Bids - Does this bid show good trumps or ask, or have other uses

Five No Trump Bids - Five uses of the bid of 5NT explained

Splinter Bids - Explanation of the many types of splinters and practical advise on when to use them and how to follow up.

Cue Bidding - A sensible set of rules is outlined for cue bidding and differences between American (ace first) and Italian cue bidding explained

No Trump Responses and Defenses

Four Suit Transfers - Using two spades and two no trump as transfers to clubs and diamonds respectively.

Johnson Rescue - A method of getting out of 1NT doubled, especially suitable with the weak no trump.

Puppet Stayman - A variation of Stayman used to distinguish 5 card from 4 card suits in the openers hand. In standard systems is most often played over a 2NT opening (intermediate level)

Responses to 1NT - Comparison of two suited transfers and Minor Stayman with the four suit transfer method

Remedios over 1NT - delayed transfers after a 1NT opening Scanian style

Weak no trump in standard bidding - a way of exerting more pressure on the opponents.

Other Conventions

Bart - A structure of rebids used after a one spade opening and forcing 1NT response, allowing more responder hand types to be described than in natural methods (advanced level)

 Bourke Relay - A relay method after an opening bid, new suit response and rebid of suit, first proposed by Tim Bourke in 1996.

Cole relay - The Cole Convention is an artificial rebid of two clubs by opener after a minor opening and major response, played in Eastern Scientific system by Kit Woolsey's team.

Competitive raises - In competition, all jump raises should be based on total tricks, use a cue bid of opponents suit as a strong raise

Defenses to a Weak No Trump - Proposed general method of modifying your standard defense to no trump openings when the opponents open a weak no trump.

Defenses to strong 1 and 2 club openings - Truscott, Crash, Suction

Reverse Drury - A response of 2 clubs to a major opening is artificial showing a near opening hand with 3+ card support.

Ekren Two Diamonds - an opening bid of 2 diamonds showing 5-10 HCP and at least 44 in the majors. A powerful tactical weapon and legal under ACBL rules.

Gazzilli - A complex method of rebidding after a major opening and forcing 1 no trump response, involving an artificial forcing rebid of 2 clubs by opener to handle awkward rebid hands. Similar in effect to the Bart Convention but handles more hand types.

Good-Bad 2NT or Weak must speak - two methods of showing various strength opening hands after 1x - 1-bid-2 and related auctions. Both methods use a 2NT rebid by opener as artificial and forcing.

Jacoby Roman 2NT - A variation of the common Jacoby 2NT response to a 1M opening which uses natural rebids (allowing for finding alternate fits, especially 44) and relays for exact pattern.

Kokish Convention - Used after a 2 opening in standard systems to provide more ways for opener to show balanced hands.

Lebensohl - An important competitive principle that can be used also in non competitive auctions

Mecksroth Adjunct - A rebid of 2NT by opener to a forcing 1NT response used to show game forcing semi-balanced hands, allowing jump shift rebids to guarantee 55 hands. Part of the Fabsayc system. (advanced level)

Mexican Two Diamonds - an opening bid of 2 diamonds showing a balanced 18-19 HCP. A structure of transfer responses is recommended to get the strong balanced hand as declarer.

Multi Landy - A defense to opponents 1NT opening based on combining Landy 2 clubs (majors) with multi 2 diamonds (one major). Has significant advantages over Cappalletti or DONT defenses (advanced level)

New use for redouble - Using transfer advances when 1 of a major is doubled. Redouble then equals a normal 1NT response.

Reverse Drury - The modern form of the Drury Convention using a 2 club response by a passed hand to check if partner has a light opener.

Roman Three Suited Hands - A new method of responding that allows a 2 club opening to show any three suited hand from 11 to 24 HCP.

Transfer advances - All the advantages of transfers extended to competitive bidding. Includes Rubensohl.

Transfer Responses to 1 Club - Designed to conceal weakness and right side contracts. Polish style 2 rebid by opener, two way new minor by responder, also applies after competition

Transfer rebids after 1m - 1M - 2NT - An easy method which allows responder to sign off or bid out pattern.

Two Way New Minor - A better method than ordinary new minor after the sequence 1m - 1M - 1NT

Transfer responses to a strong 2 club opening - A method of responding to a strong 2 club opening that allows responder to describe moderate two suiters (4-8 HCP), weak one suiters (no king or ace) and semi-solid one suiters.

Walsh and other methods of responding to 1 Club - A discussion of various responding structures to a 1 club opening, including transfer and Polish responses.

Alert Procedures

ACBL new rules 2002 - rule changes include alerting the point range for all one no trump openings and no alerts on cue bids or doubles. A change in 2004 allows you to use transfer advances, otherwise the 2002 rules are current.