(Yet another) Blog

I have another blog I created for System Notes with Sean. Both of us are admins and will post system related info when available, the new blog is at:

www.kgsystemnotes.blogspot.com

Feel free to read, post comments and ask questions. We are completely "renovating" the 1C responses, and will have another system notes avaibable after.

For everyone's benefit I will leave up the old system notes also, and continue to update them with most changes, however the new ones will be what we will currently be using. More on that when I finish them.

Adapting Conventions to Precision (Part 2)

A few weeks back, I was thinking about how useless standard Jacoby 2NT is when playing precision. Even Swedish was not much of an improvement, since it still was made for hands up to like 20 HCP. So over the course of the next few days, I devised a structure for Jacoby that fit perfectly with a precision system. Since 1M openings are limited to 15 HCP, with this structure you can show your HCP range within 1 point, and show shortness or the lack thereof and all below 4M. So, here is another improvement for all you precision players:

1M - 2NT:
3♣: 10-11 HCP or 8-9 HCP with Distributional (5-5+) opener
-----3♦: Asking
--------3♥: 10-11 HCP with No Shortness
--------3♠: Distributional Opener (5-5+) 8-9 HCP
--------3NT: Relay Asking 5 Card Suit
-----------4♣: 5♣ + 5M
-----------4♦: 5♦ + 5M
-----------4♥: 5oM + 6M
--------3NT: 10-11 HCP with ♣ Shortness
--------4♣: 10-11 HCP with ♦ Shortness
--------4♦: 10-11 HCP with oM Shortness
--------4♥: 8-9 HCP 6+M-5+m
3♦: 12-13 HCP with Shortness
-----3♥: Asking
--------3♠: ♣ Stiff
--------3NT: ♦ Stiff
--------4♣: oM Stiff
--------4♦: Stiff in Both Minors
--------4♥: Stiff Minor + Stiff oM3♥: 14-15 HCP with Shortness
-----3♠: Asking
--------3NT: ♣ Stiff
--------4♣: ♦ Stiff
--------4♦: oM Stiff
--------4♥: 2 Stiffs
3♠: 12-13 HCP without Shortness
-----3NT: Asking
--------4♣: 5332
--------4♦: Side 4 Card Minor (22)
--------4♥: Side 4 Card Other Major (22)
3NT: 14-15 HCP without Shortness
-----4♣: Asking
--------4♦: 5332
--------4♥: Side 4 Card Suit (22)
4♣: 12-15 HCP with ♣ Void
4♦: 12-15 HCP with ♦ Void
4♥: 12-15 HCP with oM Void

I may post some other systems and things later on, but I don't have too many other significant improvents on a precision system that I have come up with... I'm playing the junior trials this weekend, and we will be using these systems... I'll have more on that when the time comes...

Adapting Conventions to Precision (Part 1)

Today I was talking with Cam Shunta about our system over a precision 1D opener, and I had recently been given a system over 1D where 2H shows a 10-12 Bal. w/o 4 Card Major and opener could bid his hand accordingly or decide where to play the Notrump... with 2S being a relay to 2NT to right side the contract. I then told him that I have developed a relay using 2S, but since we are playing precision it really didn't do much good... We started playing around with ideas, and he came up with a brilliant one: Use 2H as a size ask, so that we could still get out in 2NT with the ugly 11 opener opposite a 12 count. Everything followed from there... We could now also put slam hands into the 2H bid, since with a balanced 19 count, you need to know whether partner has the balanced 11 or the maxed out 15. I figured out a basic structure, which I will add to later on, and everything fit beautifully! So, for all you precision players out there, here is the structure:

1♦ - 2♥ -
-----2♠: 10-11 HCP
--------2NT: Signoff (10-12)
--------3♣: Stayman (18+)
--------3♦: Signoff (10-12)
--------3♥: 5+♥ (18+)
--------3♠: 5+♠ (18+)
--------3NT: Signoff (18-19 HCP)
-----2NT: 12-13 HCP
--------3♣: Stayman (18+)
--------3♦: Signoff (10-11)
--------3♥: 5+♥ (18+)
--------3♠: 5+♠ (18+)
--------3NT: Signoff (12/18)
-----3♣: 14 HCP
--------3♦: Stayman (18+)
--------3♥: 5+♥ (18+)
--------3♠: 5+♠ (18+)
--------3NT: To Play (10-12)
-----3♦: 15 HCP
--------3♥: 5+♥ (18+)
--------3♠: 5+♠ (18+)
--------3NT: Signoff (10-12)
--------4♣: Stayman (18+)
-----3♥: 5♥ 6+♦
--------3♠: Size Reask (18+)
--------3NT: Signoff with Double ♠ Stopper; 2♥ and 3♦ (10-12)
--------4♣: Cuebid (18+)
--------4♦: Minorwood (18+)
--------4♥: Signoff (10-12)
--------4♠: Kickback 1430 (18+)
--------5♦: Signoff (10-12)
-----3♠: 5♠ 6+♦
--------3NT: Signoff with Double ♥ Stopper; 2♠ and 3♦ (10-12)
--------4♣: Size Reask (18+)
--------4♦: Minorwood (18+)
--------4♥: Cuebid (18+)
--------4♠: Signoff (10-12)
--------4NT: 1430 for Spades (10-12)
--------5♦: Signoff (10-12)

Most of this is self explanitory, however there are a few clear advantages at Matchpoints and even at IMPs. First of all, you can stop at 2NT in many auctions where it would otherwise be very difficult... In addition to getting to 3NT whenever you have the values to be there, with no guesswork. It also gives you a scientific way to ask about size below 3NT when you have a slam invitational hand. Along with all this, 2H is a bid so rarely used anyway, that it's not much of a loss, and a big gain. Responder's NT ladder with no 4cM also changes: With 6-9(Bad 10) responder bids 1NT. With (Good)10-12 responder bids 2H. With 13 HCP responder bids 2NT (With 10 opener passes, and anything else, opener bids on). With 14-17 responder bids 3NT. Finally, with 18+, responder starts with 2H and rebids accordingly (I have yet to define the 4C-4NT bids in many auctions, and I will put them in when we figure out what they should show.) This is one of a few system modifications that we have made to accomodate limited openings, more to come later.