The
Walter Areinoff Home Page
Introducing a bold, new concept in bidding
It’s exciting
It’s innovative
It’s easy
It’s the Areinoff Club convention
bidding system
Read on to learn a new way to open in a major suit that is guaranteed
to give you an advantage over your opponents!!!!!
This is a short, bare-bones summary of a 65 page booklet that explains
the system. For an in-depth explanation, see the end of this description
for a list of the advantages it offers and to learn how to obtain the booklet
for littlt more than the cost of printing and mailing.
The Areinoff Club convention is a new bidding system that
has been devised to solve many bidding problems. It deals specifically
with opening bids in a major suit. The unique thing about
it is that it greatly simplifies bidding. It obviates the need to remember
many other conventions, like Bergen raises, “limit raises”, Drury, and
others. The reason is simple. Using standard methods, when a player
opens 1 of a major suit, his partner has no idea about into which category
and range of points opener’s hand fits. So, responder temporizes by describing
his hand, using some of these bidding agreements, and waits for opener
to delineate his point range. But, with the Areinoff Club convention, the
first time the opener bids his major, the bid accurately describes his
point count range and often tells the length of the major suit. Now, responder
is able to take that information and decide upon the level and the suit
for the final contract.
Opening bids
It is commonly agreed that with 26 points and 8 pieces in a major
suit, it should be possible to win 10 tricks (For proof, see “Points and
levels”, introduced in my book “Bridge, Try It, You’ll Like It”, and
the essential part of which is reproduced in the appendix of this book).
And in standard bidding, with 13 points and a 5 card major, a player is
expected to open with a bid of 1 of that major. It would be safe to assume
that 13 points should represent half the number of tricks that can be won
with 26 points = 5 tricks. So, if one substitutes the “5 tricks” for the
”13 points”, (which, after all, is the representation of the trick
taking potential of the hand), it makes sense that any hand that can
win 5 tricks and has a 5 or more card major should be opened 1
of that major, even if it has fewer than 13 points. And, this is the cornerstone
of this bidding agreement.
The difficulty that follows is that, ordinarily, there
is no way that partner can be warned, until it is too late, that this is
a minimal hand. So. to start with , using the Areinoff Club system, an
opening bid of 1 of a major shows at least a 5 card suit, a hand that can
win at least 5 tricks, and anywhere between 8 and 13 points, but
no more. And in order to show 14 to 21 points, a Club to Diamond
relay is used. To show specifically 14-15 points, an opening bid of 1
requires that responder relay to 1
,
after which opener will bid 1 of his major to show a 5 card suit, jump
to 2 of the major to show a 6 card suit, or jump to 3 of the major with
a 7 card suit. To show a 5 or more card major and 16-18 points, opener
will use an additional relay. He will open 1,
partner will relay to 1,
opener will bid 2 responder
relay to 2, and then opener
will bid 2 of his major with a 5 card suit or jump to 3 of his major with
a solid 6 card suit. To show 19-21 points, opener will open 1,
responder will relay to 1,
and opener will jump to 3.
And, finally, since the opening bid of 1
has been assigned a new meaning, all hands that have the values of an opening
bid but no 5 card major are opened with the artificial bid of 1.
To summarize:
A 1 of a major opening bid shows a 5 or more card major and is limited
to 13 or less points
1-1-1
of a major shows a 5 card suit and 14-15 points.
1-1-2
of a major shows a 6 card suit and 14-15 points
1-1-3
of a major shows a 7 card suit and 14-15 points
1-1-2-2-2
of
a major shows a 5 card suit and 16-18 points
1-1-2-2-3
of
a major shows a solid 6 card suit and 16-18 points
1-1-3
shows a major suit of at least 5 cards and 19-21 points.
A 1 opening bid shows
the values of an opening bid but denies a 5 card major, and is forcing.
Any other opening bids and responses that are normally
used in standard bidding are also used in conjunction with this system,
and in the same manner. The meaning of opening bids of 1 and 2 No Trump
and all their responses, of 2
and its responses, opening weak 2 bids and preemptive 3 bids, et al, remain
the same.
There is a list of many of the advantages of using this
system at the end of this dissertation. But here, at the start, 4
very important ones become obvious, First, using this system, it is possible
to name a 5 card major (and tell that the hand can win 5 tricks) even though
there are so few honor count points that the hand could never be opened
in standard bidding- and it can be done before the level of the auction
becomes too high to enter it. At the least, it can. provide a good suit
for partner’s opening lead. And, opener can show, the first time
he mentions his major, that he has no more than 13 points or that he has
specifically 14-15 points, and still be at the 1 level. And he can show
16-18 points at the 2 level instead of having to jump to the 3 level in
his or his partner’s suit or create a "reverse", as he would have to do
in standard bidding, certainly preserving bidding room and reducing risk.
And, finally, opener can show a 19-21 point hand without fear that it will
be passed out before he can announce these values.
Responding bids
Since the opening bidder will describe his hand and responder
will decide upon the suit and the level of the contract, it is not necessary
for responder to ever describe his hand. But there are times when responder
needs more information. The opening bidder might have shown a hand that
is few in points but can win 5 tricks and has a 5 card major, a hand, for
instance, that has the 
AKQ765
and nothing else, with which he opened 1.
Responder might need to know the strength and, possibly, the distribution
of the hand in order to decide if game is possible. Or, responder might
have the possibility of game but has a suit with 3 or 4 worthless cards
that can be lost immediately and needs to ask opener if he has control
of the suit. Or, responder may not have support in opener’s suit but has
a suit of his own and needs to ask if opener can support it or use it to
find a No Trump contract. Or, responder knows that game is not possible,
but does have values and is looking for a place to play a part score contract.
To answer these questions, and more, there are only 4 bids that he needs
to use to elicit all the information he might require. However, the meaning
of these bids can vary, depending upon the manner of the opening bid.
He can
bid the next possible level of opener’s suit,
he can jump to 2 No Trump,
he can bid the lowest level of No Trump, or
he can bid a new suit. See how it works:
After an opening bid of 1 of a major:
If he has support in opener’s suit and 15 points (or a
good 14 points), responder will simply jump to game. Since the opening
bid limits opener’s hand to no more than 13 points, if that, slam is out
of the question, but game should be available. If he has support and less
than 13 points, responder will pass. If he has support and specifically
13 points or a poor 14 points, he will bid the lowest level of opener’s
suit to ask partner to define his hand. If opener has a full 13 points,
he will bid 4 of the suit. If he has a hand that equates to that value
because of distribution, he will rebid 3 of his suit and responder will
decide to pass or bid game. And, lastly, if opener has a sub par hand,
he will pass.
If responder has support and is close to game (or slam)
but needs protection in a specific suit to get there, he can ask opener
if he has a void or a singleton in that suit by jumping to 2 No Trump.
If
opener has a void or a singleton, he will bid 3 of that suit. If not, he
will bid 3 of his original suit with a sub par hand, or 4 of the suit with
a hand that has a full 13 points and hopefully some extra strength because
of distribution, such as 6 pieces in his major or a second 5 card suit..
If opener shows shortness in the appropriate suit, responder can bid game
(or slam if that was what he was looking for). If opener bids 3 of his
major to deny the protection responder needed,, that player can pass if
he was trying to find game or bid game if he was originally looking for
slam.
If responder has no support, less than 13 points and is
not looking for game but for a fit somewhere else, he can bid
the
lowest level of No Trump to ask partner to further define his
hand. If opener has a second suit of 4 pieces, he will bid it (even if
it creates a “reverse”, since he has already limited his hand). If he has
a second 5 card suit, he will jump in that suit. If he has neither but
does have additional cards in his opening suit, he will rebid it. However,
responder must be aware that if opener does rebid his suit, it may only
be showing a 5 card suit but that none of the above possibilities pertain
to his hand. And, finally, opener may have stoppers in one or more other
suits and be willing to play in No Trump—and pass.
If responder has the full values of an opening bid, no support
in opener’s suit, and either a 4 or more card suit of higher rank or a
good 5 or more card suit of lower rank, he can bid his own suit,
asking opener if he can support it or use it to find a contract in No Trump.
If opener can support it, he will bid the next level of the suit. If not,
but he has a second suit, he will bid that suit (but not jump in it if
it has 5 cards). If he has stoppers in other suits, he can bid No Trump.
If none of these are possible but he has additional cards in his suit,
opener can rebid his suit. Or, he may have to rebid his suit without additional
pieces as a last resort because he has no other choice.
Summary of Responder's bids after an opening bid of
1 of a major suit
After an opening bid of 1 of a major suit, there are 8
bids that can be used as a respons, 4 to elicit information and 4 others
to indicate where he wants to play. To ask for information,
1. Responder can bid 2 of partner’s suit, asking
if opener has 13 points or a hand that equates to it , or did he open light.
It shows enough points for game if partner has the values of a full opening
bid.
2. Responder can jump to 2 No Trump, suggesting
support in opener’s suit and the possibility of either game or slam and
asking partner if he has the specific distributional factors he needs to
get him there,--a singleton or void in the proper side suit.
3. Responder can bid 1 No Trump, telling partner
that he has no support in his suit and asking if he has additional cards
in his original suit or, hopefully, a second viable suit.
4. Responder can bid a new suit. He also
has the values for an opening bid and strongly suggests that game be reached,
and he is trying to locate the best contract for it.
In addition, he can make these bids to set the contract:
5. Responder can bid 3 No Trump, which is
where he wants to play.
6. Responder can jump to 4 of opener’s major suit
to show support and enough points for game even if opener has a sub par
hand, or to show a weak hand with 5 pieces in opener’s major suit, a preemptive
bid.
7. Responder can jump to 3 of opener’s major suit.
This is similar to a preemptive jump to 4 of the suit, but his hand only
has 4 pieces of trump.
8. Responder can make a weak jump shift,
also a preemptive bid.
After an opening bid of 1,
a relay to 1, and opener’s
rebid of 1 of a
major
After 1-1-1
to show 5 Spades and 14-15 points,
2
says responder has exactly 11 points and support. With 10 points, he would
have passed With
12 points, he would have bid 4.
His 2 bid asks opener to pass
with 14 points or bid game
with 15.
1 No
Trump shows 6-10 points and has the same meaning as it does after an
opening bid of 1 of a
major.
The
bid of a new suit has the same meaning as it does after an opening
bid of 1 of a major but
requires no more than 12 points.
A jump
to 2 No Trump asks the same question as it does after an opening bid
of 1 of a major but requires no more
than 12 points
After 1-1-2
to show 14-15 points and a 6 card suit,
the meanings of the 4 bids available to responser are the same but require
1 point less and the jump to 2 No Trump is
not possible.
After 1-1-3
to show 14-15 points and a 7 card suit,
responder can
bid game with 1 or 2 cards in opener’s major and as few as 10 points.
The
bid of a new suit must show a completely self-sustaining suit and no
support at all. The bid of 3 No Trump is to
play.
After two Club to Diamond relays and then the bid of a
major to show a 5 or more card major and16-18 points,
the response of
3 of the major asks opener to bid game with the top of his values,
pass with the lower value of his
range, and, with 17 points, look for clues to help him decide.
The bid of 2 No
Trump has the same meaning as a 1 No Trump response after an opening
bid of 1 of a major.
The response
of 3 No Trump is where responder wants to play. Opener should pass.
After 1-1-3
to show a 5 card major and 19-21 points,
responder
should relay to 3 if he
has support in at least one major, no matter how many points he has.
But, if he
does not have at least 3 cards in either major, he is not forced to continue
the relay. He can use his bid to show
few points but length in a minor suit. He can pass the 3
bid with 32
6 6543 KJ10972
and no possibility of
game in a major.(Obviously, in standard bidding, opener, with 19-21 points,
would have bid his major, and
responder, with less than 6 points, would have passed, and there would
have been no possibility to find a better
contract.)
After a 1
opening bid,
In Competition
After an opening bid of 1 of a major and an interfering
overcall by one of the opponents, the 4 bids available to the responder
in this system could still have their usual meanings. For instance, 1-1
-2 could still show support
and 13-14 points and ask opener to define his hand. But that eliminates
the possibility of competing with support and a weaker hand. And 1-1-1
NT could still ask for another suit or additional cards in the opening
suit, but, that eliminates the possibility of showing a weak hand and stoppers
in the overcaller’s suit and a willingness to play in that 1 No Trump contract.
This is the solution: If the responder has 10 or more points,
no matter what else he has or what other information he may be looking
for, he must double. Any bid he makes other than the double
shows a weak hand and reverts the meaning given to this bid by the
Areinoff Club bidding system back to that of standard bidding. 1-1-2
shows 6-9 points and support. 1-1-1
NT shows 6-9 points, denies support, and promises at least one stopper
in the suit of the overcaller. 1-1-2
shows a good 5 card suit, no support in opener’s suit, and less than 10
points. But after 1-1-
a jump to 2 No Trump is of no value. Since responder did not double at
his first turn to bid, he can not have 10 or more points and is certainly
not looking for game. The jump to 2 No Trump in this sequence can not be
used.
As a corollary, if the responder bids one of the responses used
by this system after he doubles, the bid maintains its meaning
as an attempt to elicit the specific information the responder needs to
place the contract.
1-1-double-P-2-P-3
asks opener to pass with a sub par hand or bid game with a full opening
bid
1-1-double-P-2-P-3
shows the values of a full opening bid, a self sustaining suit, and is
looking for game
1-1-double-P-2-P-2
No Trump asks opener to further define his hand, shows at least
10 points and is willing to play
a No Trump contract if none
better exists
If the opening bid is 1
and there is an interfering bid by the next opponent, the responder can
pass and let the overcall represent his expected relay to 1.
But, if he has 10 points, he must double to encourage opener
to continue bidding. In the absence of that encouragement, the opener might
be reluctant to continue bidding, particularly if the second opponent bids
to a higher level, and more so with unfavorable vulnerability.
Some bidding sequences and their meanings,
demonstrating how the system works
But first, there are 2 considerations to be addressed:
1. As in all competitive biding, the vulnerability must be
understood. These sequences assume favorable vulnerability. With equal
or unfavorable vulnerability, some of these bids might be unwise and will
have to be adjusted..
2. It is not just honor count points alone. Distribution must,
of course, play its part. There are several sections of the book that describe
how to reevaluate the strength of a hand and factor in its distribution.
For instance, a hand that is highly distributional has a far greater trick
taking potential than one with the same number of honor card points but
is completely balanced. The former must have its value increased, possibly
have its category raised, and be bid accordingly.
1-P-2
shows support and 13 points. It asks opener if he has 13 points, a hand
that uses distribution to equate to 13
points, or a sub par hand.
If responder has 15 (or a good 14) points and support, he will jump directly
to game. But
1-1-2
shows support, 6-9 points, and is competing. The interfering overcall changed
the meaning of the 2
bid back to
that of standard bidding.
1-1-dbl
shows at least 10 points but says nothing yet about the distribution. Therefore,
1-1-dbl-P-2-P-2
by first doubling and then bidding 2,
the 2 bid maintains its
meaning under this system. It shows
support, suggests 13 points,
and asks opener to define his hand. With a full 13 points, opener is asked
to bid game.
With a hand that equates
to 13 points because of distribution, he should bid 3 of his suit. With
less, he is asked to
pass. Since opener bid a
second suit, he suggests
that he does have 13 points and will probably
bid game Notice that
opener was free to bid a
second suit despite having no more than 13 points because his first bid
limited his hand.
1-2-dbl-P-2-P-3
shows Spade support and asks opener to define his hand. Opener was forced
to bid by the double
and may have no more than
a 5 card major and a sub par hand, but with 13 points, responder should
be safe at the
3 level. And, since the
auction is already at the 3 level, opener can only pass or bid game. He
can not show a hand
that equates to the values
of an opening bid because of distribution.
1-1-P-P-dbl
shows that responder has less than 10 points and that opener has a full
opening bid.
1-P-1 NT shows
less than the values of an opening bid (7 or 8 to 12 points, depending
upon the vulnerability) but no
support in opener’s suit
and asks opener to show a second suit if he has one, repeat his suit if
he has additional cards in
it, or, as a last resort,
bid 2 No Trump with no other choice and a full 13 points. If none
of these apply, a pass is
certainly in order.
1-1-1
NT shows stoppers in the overcall suit, no support in opener's
suit, 6-9 points, and is not asking for a new suit. It
shows a willingness to play
at 1 No Trump. The overcall changed the meaning of the bid. How can responder
ask the
same questions he asked
when he responded 1 No Trump in the absence of an overcall, as in 1-P-1
NT? He doubles
and then bids No Trump.
If the defenders continue to bid after responder’s double, opener can show
a sub par hand by
passing or a full opening
bid by taking a second bid. So,
1-1-dbl-P-2-P-2NT
shows 10 or more points, no support in opener’s suit, and asks the same
questions that were
asked by the No Trump bid
in 1-P-1 NT.
1-P-2 NT
promises a full opening bid or one that has game going values if opener
can give the desired response. It asks if
opener has a singleton or
a void in a side suit..
1-2-2
NT, since the responder did not jump
to 2 No Trump, the bid has the same meaning as a direct bid of
No Trump at the 1 level,
showing stoppers in the suit of the overcall, no support for opener's
suit, and the ability to
support the other 2 suits
if partner has a second suit of at least 4 cards in either of them. Since
responder did not double
first and then bid 2 No
Trump , he has less than 10 points, but if opener is to bid again, it must
be at the 3 level,
so responder must
certainly have 8-9 points. And, most important, the vulnerability must
be considered before making
the bid.
1-P-1
shows at least 13 points and a Spade suit of at least 4 pieces.
It suggests lack of support in opener’s suit.
1-1-dbl-P-1
NT-P-2 shows at
least 13 points, suggests lack of support in opener’s suit, and promises
at least 5 cards in
the new suit. Without an
overcall, it is possible for responder to introduce a new 4 card suit of
higher rank without
raising the level of the
auction, but after an overcall, the new suit must have at least 5 pieces.
1-P-2
shows a good new 5+ card suit and at least 13 points. It suggests lack
of support in opener’s suit. It says that
there are enough points
for game if opener has a full opening bid and that a fit must be found,
if possible, for a place
to play that game.
1-P-1NT-P-2--P-3
bidding 1 No Trump first and then bidding a new suit shows a self-sustaining
suit with less than 13
points. But an interfering
overcall changes the meaning of these bids.
1-2-3
shows a new self-sustaining suit and, because it is bid at the 3 level,
10-12 points. Since it is bid without first
doubling, it denies having
the full values of an opening bid.
1-1-3
is a weak "jump shift", showing at least 6 pieces and less than 6 points,
like AJ8765 or KJ10954
and
nothing else. It denies
support in opener's suit.
1-2-dbl-P-2-P-3
shows a new 5 card suit and at least 13 points. It suggests lack of support
in opener’s suit. It says
that there are enough points
for game if opener has a full opening bid and that a fit must be found,
if possible, for a
place to play that game.
After a 1 opening bid
and an overcall, double shows 10+ points and encourages game. Since
the opening bid is unlimited, if not vulnerable, the double can
be made with as few as 8-9 points. The overcall and the double take the
place of a Diamond bid to complete the relay. Actually, the overcall itself
takes the place of the Diamond relay response. The double is to encourage
opener to compete further.
1-1-dbl
shows 10+ points.
1-1-P-P-1-P-2
shows support and less than 10 points, probably 8-9, and is competitive.
If responder had 10+ points,
he would have doubled at
his first turn to bid.
1-2-P-3-dbl-P-3
shows that opener has at least 16 points and responder has few points but
does have support in the
inferred Spade suit.
1-dbl-redbl-1-2-P-2-P-3
shows responder with 10+ points and opener with 6 solid Spades and 16-18
points.
1-dbl-2 NT
is the Jourdan convention, showing at least at least 10 points and support
in opener’s suit. But 1-dbl-2
NT
can not be Jourdan because
no suit has yet been identified by the opening bidder, nor can it be a
request for a
singleton or a void for
the same reason. Therefore, the 2 No Trump bid is not a valid bid
in this sequence.
1-P-3
is a "weak jump shift". It denies having 3 or more card support in
either major and shows a 6+ card suit with 2 of
the 3 top honors if vulnerable,
less if not vulnerable, and no other points. So is the 3
bid in 1-P-3
and the 3 bid
in 1-1-3.
After a 1 opening bid,
all responses and rebids are natural but 1-dbl-redbl
shows
nothing about distribution, just 10+
points.
1-1-P-P-3
shows 19-21 points as does 1-dbl-P-1-3.
1-P-3
a jump to 3 shows a weak
hand with 4 card support
1-P-4
a jump to 4 shows a weak
hand with 5 card support, or support and 15 (or a good 14) points
1-P-3
shows a “weak jump shift”
1-P-P-2-P-P-2
shows responder has at least 4 card support , a weak hand and is competing
even to the point of a
sacrifice bid. Check the
vulnerability!.
1-P-1-1-P-P-dbl
shows opener has a minimum in his 14-21 point range or his major is Spades.
In either case,
responder will double to
protect the latter possibility while showing the 10 or more points the
bidding did not permit him
to show originally.
1-1-dbl-P-2
shows responder has 10+ points and opener’s jump shows a 6 card major
1-P-1-1-2-2-3
shows opener has 16-18 points and responder has support in the suggested
major. But,
if responder had 10
or more points, he would have jumped to 4.
1-1-P-2-P
shows that opener has no more than 14-15 points and in the absence of a
bid by responder is concerned
about showing his major
at the 3 level.
1-1-dbl-2-3shows
the effect of responder’s double to indicate 10 or more points. Opener
is no longer afraid to show
his suit at the 3 level.
1-P-1-2-dbl
shows that opener has 16-18 points and a 5 or more card major. The double
says that the opponent
took opener’s rebid away.
1-P-1-3-P-P-?
responder must first check the vulnerability and act accordingly. He knows
opener has at least
14 points and presumably
a 5+ card Heart suit, although this is not a given. A double will
show 10 or more points
and encourage opener to
continue or pass for penalties. With less than 10 points, and not vulnerable,
a bid of 4
might be a good sacrifice
bid. If vulnerable and less than 10 points, a disciplined pass is in order.
1-P-1-2-3
shows that opener has 19-21 points and a 5 or more card major
To summarize some of the advantages of using
the Areinoff Club convention bidding system
(1). The most obvious advantage it that it simplifies bidding.
No longer are so many bidding agreements that are involved with opening
bids in a major suit necessary. In fact, a few of these bids have
actually been given different meanings.
(2). When an opening bid is made in a major suit, its range of
points is clearly identified, (3) so hands can be opened that have the
trick taking ability of 13 points but that do not have the honor count,
and responder can very easily be made aware that the opener has this sub
par hand. (4) Actually, any hand with a 5 or more card major that
can produce 5 winning tricks can be opened, regardless of its honor
count. And partner will have been alerted to the possibility of this being
a sub par hand. This is a particular advantage of the new system. The more
information opener can give his partner, the better prepared responder
will be to make a wise decision. (5) Hands that have special features
but not the value of an opening bid can be safely shown before the
auction bypasses that opportunity. It is important to make that bid as
soon as possible. (6) Further, since the opening bid of 1 of a major
limits the value of opener’s hand, he can take a second bid at the 2 level
or even at the 3 level without promising any additional points. His ability
to bid a second suit is not limited because he has a minimum hand, nor
do limiting concepts like “reverses” come into play. (7) And opener
can show a second 5 card suit, despite having only 13 points, and still
be at the 3 level, avoiding the danger of bypassing 3 No Trump.
(8). When a bid is made in a major suit, either directly as an
opening bid or after a -
relay or series of relays, and no matter at which level it is made, its
range of points is clearly identified. (9) As the result, responder does
not have to make temporizing bids to keep the auction alive until opener
can use an additional bid to name his category. Bids like “limit raises”
Bergen raises, constructive raises, and so many more, are no longer necessary.
It is responder who will decide upon the contract, not opener. And, therefore,
(10) the danger of opener having a minimal hand or using distribution
to allow an opening bid and responder jumping to an unsustainable
level of 3 of opener’s suit is eliminated
(11). When a bid is made in a major suit, either directly as an
opening bid or after a -
relay or a series of relays, and no matter at which level it is made, its
range of points is clearly identified. (12) As the result, therefore,
the “Points and levels” technique can be used to determine if game is possible.
(13) If the responder finds that game is not possible, he does not have
to bid, even with 6 or more points. (14) And if responder finds that game
is possible, he can also tell if slam might be available. If it is not,
he can jump directly to game and not give partner a chance to pass before
he gets there. (15) He can also determine to how high a level he can safely
compete before getting into sacrifice territory.
(16). When a bid is made in a major suit, either directly as
an opening bid or after a -
relay or a series of relays, and no matter at which level it is made, its
range of points is clearly identified, so an additional bid by the opener
is not required to identify his actual category and therefore his point
count. His bid no longer represents such a wide range as 13-21 points,
and (17) it is no longer necessary for opener to find a second suit of
4 cards, which might not be available, to make the bid that he needs to
define his category. (18) The bidding can be kept at the lowest possible
level while trying to find the most appropriate contract. 1 level contracts
are more readily available. (19) And 16-18 point hands can be identified
at the 2 level because a jump bid by the opener is no longer necessary,
and (20) having additional cards in the opener’s major or support in responder’s
suit to enable that jump bid, which may not be available, are no longer
needed. (21) And 19-21 point hands can not be passed out. In standard bidding,
opener must use a second bid, a “jump shift”, to announce his range
of points. But he might not have a second suit of 4 or more pieces, and
have to resort to a 3 card suit, which can be confusing. In this system,
(22) the second suit is not required.
23). In many instances, the relays used to introduce the
major suit identifies the number of cards in opener’s major suit as well
as his honor count. He must have at least 5 pieces, but if he can show
additional pieces, it makes it easier for responder to find support in
opener’s suit since fewer cards are needed for that purpose. The more pieces
opener shows, the fewer responder needs for support and the better the
chance that responder will have them. And (24), the more cards opener can
show in his major, the fewer the points responder needs to find game.
(25). Major suit opening bids in the third and fourth
positions immediately show whether or not they have the value of a full
opening bid or are light in strength.
(26). A vulnerable weak 2 opening bid no longer
has to show a solid suit because a solid 6 card major can be opened by
a bid of 1 of that suit.
(27). There are only 4 basic bids that the responder can
make, which certainly simplifies that action, Their meaning may change
slightly, depending upon the level and the point value of opener’s bid
of his major suit, but their purpose remains the same throughout.
a. responder can ask opener if he has a sub par
hand.
b. responder can actually ask opener if he used
distributional values to open.
c. responder can ask opener if he has some specific
distributional features.
d. responder can ask opener to further define his holdings and
opener can make additional bids even with a minimal hand because he has
already shown his minimum honor count.
(28). If, after a 1
opener or an opening bid in a major suit, the opponents make an interfering
bid, responder can double to immediately show that he has 10 or more points.
And (29), if he does not make that call, opener will understand that his
partner has less than that value and can act accordingly. (30) And
the ability to use that double allows responder to differentiate between
weak and strong hands with support, weak or strong hands when introducing
a new suit, and weak or stronger hands when bidding No Trump.
To this point, we have been examining the advantages of
using the Areinoff Club convention. But, what about the disadvantages?
Actually, after perusing a huge number of possible hands, this author has
found few, if any, except for the need to expend some time and effort to
learn something new, to leave the comfort of the familiar and be willing
to accept change. But, is that not the most exciting part of the
game of bridge? That there is something new to learn each day, some new
challenge to accept, some unknown waters to chart. The opportunity to grow
a little taller, a little more knowledgeable, and, hopefully, a little
wiser each day. In the words of the great world renowned philosopher, Ralph
Crampton, ”How sweet it is!!"
Alerts
Since almost every opening bid and response, including
the double after interference, is artificial and has a meaning that differs
from its meaning in standard bidding, it is absolutely crucial that the
partner of the player who makes the bid says “Alert!” to warn the opponents
and to explain the new meaning in detail when requested to interpret the
alert.
The above is a basic overview of the Areinoff Club convention
bidding system, but there is so much more. For a detailed in-depth study,
including explanations, example hands, bidding sequences, problem hands
and how the system solves them, how to immediately identify whether an
opening bid in 3rd or 4th position is weak or strong, the meaning of a
weak opening 2 bid in a major suit, what to do if the opponent makes a
jump overcall or a take out double, when and how to use the Jourdan
convention, how to evaluate the strength of a hand and into which category
it should be placed, and a host of other subjects, refer to the book."
The Areinoff Club convention"..
My specific purpose in producing this web site is to tell
the world about this exciting new system that I have designed, that I am
using with repeated success, that will simplify your bidding, that will
permit you to make bids heretofore not possible, and, most important, that
will solve so many difficult bidding problems. So, if you would
like a copy of the book (and I hope you do) use the contact information
below to send an email for instructions on how to obtain it.
ACBL approval
With any new system or convention, there arises the question
of whether it complies with the accepted regulations of the American Contract
Bridge League. So, to be sure, the bidding system was submitted to them
with that question. Mr. Butch Campbell, manager of the Tournament department,
emailed back that the ACBL does not approve or disapprove of any bidding
agreement at the club level, that it is up to the club directors to decide,
but there should be no difficulty about it because as long as an opening
bid in a major has 8 points and in a minor has 10 points, there is nothing
in the new system that does not completely comply with the rules and regulations
of that governing body. Copies of the email are available on request.
Disclosure
If you are playing a system that is apart from the standard,
as, for instance, Precision, most bridge clubs will require that you have,
in addition to the standard convention card, a printed short summary of
your opening bids to present to your opponents after you alert your bid,
so that they can see what you are doing. In addition, they may require
that you show a defense against your system. In some cases, your opening
bid may be so unusual that it may prevent the oppenent from making his
normal bid. For instance, you may open with a bid of 1
with only 9 points but with the ability to win 5 tricks, a bid that would
undoubtedly not occur at the other tables, and possibly force the opponents
to overcall at the 2 level instead of opening at the 1 level. So, you must
tell the opponents how to overcome that disadvantage. I have prepared both
the summaty and the defense for you. Simply highlight the following
portion that starts at "Summary" and ends at "contact information", copy
it, open a new Word page, paste it and print the page. I suggest that you
cut the page in half, crop off the excess, put both sides back to back,
and encase them in plastic.
Summary
An opening bid of
1D shows the values of an opening bid and denies a 5 card
major. The bid
is artificial and shows
nothing about the Diamond suit
1C shows a 5 or more card major and 14-21 points.
The bid is artificial
and can have no Clubs at
all
Bidding
the major at the next turn shows 14-15 points
Repeating
the Club suit at the next turn shows 16-18 points
Jumping
to 3C at the next turn shows 19-21 points
1H or 1S shows a 5 or more card major and no more than
13 points
A response in Diamonds is artificial and shows nothing
about the Diamond
suit or the value of responder’s hand
Defense
After an opening bid of 1C
After an opening bid of 1 of a major suit
(similar to the Mathe defense)
1S--after 1H opening bid- normal values for
2C shows Clubs
a 1S opening bid in 2nd position
1D shows Diamonds
Double--after 1H opening bid- shows 5+ Hearts
1H shows Hearts
the values of an opening bid in 2nd
1S shows Spades
position-unlimited
Double shows 5-5 in the majors
2D-- the values of a minor suit opening bid –
1 No Trump shows 5-5 in the minors
no 5 card major
2 of a major 1H-2S or 1S-2H-weak opening
2 bid
jump to 3 of a suit--normal values of a preem-
tive bid
1 No Trump-- normal values of an opening
1 No Trump bid—stopper in opening
bid suit
2 No Trump--normal values of an opening 2
No Trump bid-stopper in opening bid
suit
2C--the normal values of a strong, artificial 2C
opening bid
Contact information.
Email warein@worldnet.att.net
I welcome hearing from you with any questions you may have, to tell
me about the experiences you have had using this system, for the
purpose of ordering the book, or for any reason at all. But, and this
is important, when you send me an email message, you must write "bridgeconvention"
on the subject line. If you do not, I might hesitate to open it. Remembr,
write "bridgeconvention"
on the subject line.