Friday, November 12, 2010

The Best System (Part 2 - More Systems)

Continuing with the next installation of the Best System. It's a bit harder to clearly state/show pros and cons of most systems than I thought, but will try my best.

4. Precision
Advantages:
  • Strong Hands are shown immediately, and bidding starts at a lower level
  • Limited openings, which allows for much better competitive decisions for responder, and for Opener to be able to show intermediate 2-suiters accurately
  • Can be used along with 2/1
  • Allows a lot of room for system changes/additions
  • Can use a weak (or very weak) NT, and not damage the rest of the system
  • Allows for light openings, and pre-emption (Therefore sometimes tough to defend against)
  • As long as you know the system well, you can benefit from it, however it may take practice to reach this point
  • (for Relay Precision) Allows extremely well-defined auctions, where opener/responder can show full shape, strength, controls, honour location etc.
Disadvantages:
  • Very vulnerable to pre-emption by the opponents (Takes some time to get comfortable dealing with interference)
  • Not a universally-known system (Perhaps a advantage as well)
  • Depending on the level of complexity, it can be a very memory intensive system
5. Polish Club
Advantages:
  • Strong Hands are shown immediately, and bidding starts at a lower level
  • Limited openings, which allows for much better competitive decisions for responder, and for Opener to be able to show intermediate 2-suiters accurately
  • Can be used along with 2/1
  • If used properly, can be very pre-emptive, but yet very constructive
  • Can handle interference fairly well (since responder assumes a Weak NT hand-type), while allowing strong hands to be opened 1C.
  • Multi 2D and Polish 2 Bids allow for a much greater spectrum of hands you are able to pre-empt on.
Disadvantages:
  • Strong hands sometimes are forced to overbid after opening 1C, to show their values.
  • Some aspects (if playing Multi etc) are Midchart.
  • Not well known in the US
  • Memory intensive, and not much room for changes
6. Forcing Pass
Advantages:
  • Tough to defend against, especially since most people have very little experience playing against it.
  • Allows for light and (extremely) pre-emptive openings
  • Strong Hands are shown immediately, albeit in a bit of an odd way.
Disadvantages:
  • Extremely vulnerable to pre-emption and psyching.
  • Not allowed in almost all events (Certainly no ACBL ones...)
  • Memory Intensive
  • Very little pre-emptive value to "Pass", and opponents can bid early/often
Will follow with the conclusions in a little while.

2 comments:

  1. I disagree with your analyses of Polish Club. Imo one of the advantages of Polish Club has been forgotten, some aren't correct, and a big disadvantage has been forgotten as well.

    Strong hands are NOT shown immediately, they open 1[CL] and show their strength later on. In the meantime you've only shown 12+HCP. This is actually a disadvantage.
    The preemptive openings aren't part of the system, and can actually be played in a normal sayc or 2/1 system as well. So you can hardly call that an advantage imo.

    The advantage that you didn't mention is that the 1D opening is natural, usually a 5 card suit, and usually unbalanced (except 5332).

    And a disadvantage you didn't mention is that intervention handling after 1C openings can be very difficult.

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  2. "Strong hands sometimes are forced to overbid after opening 1C, to show their values."
    This is not correct at all. I have played PC for years.

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