Two-Way New Minor Forcing

This is what i believe to be expert standard two way new minor forcing.

1m-1M-1NT

2C = relay to 2D to show ALL invitational hands
2D = Game Forcing Checkback
2H = Natural to play
2S = (after 1S response) Natural to play, (after 1H response) 4S 4H invitational hand
2N = *Conventional
3C = Natural Slam Try
3D = Natural Slam Try
3H = Natural Slam Try
3S = Natural Slam Try
3N = Natural


after 1m-1M-1NT-2NT
2NT is a relay to 3C, that's how you sign off in clubs, then over 3C
Pass = Clubs
3D = 5 of my major, 4 of partners minor, low shortness
3H = 5 of my major, 4 of partners minor, high shortness
3S = 4 of my major, 5 of partners minor, low shortness
3N = 4 of my major, 5 of partners minor, high shortness

SOME RULES:
1) Remember all invitational hands must start with 2C, after the 2C relay every bid invites something, if you bid 2C then over partners 2D bid 3NT, that is invitational to 4M, 5332 choice of games. Since we use 2NT for that gizmo, our NT invitation must start with 2C as well.
2) This system is on after 1H-1S-1NT, but not after 1C-1D-1NT
3) This system is off in competition
4) When we jump rebid our major over 1NT it sets trumps and asks partner to cue bid for slam

Please post questions and I will update my posts based on your thoughts.

Upcoming Schedule

After a couple days of posting about some bridge ideas, I think its time to post a little about where I'm going and what I plan to do with my blog.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2:30 New York time, I am practising with my partner Warren Spector on BBO. Warren and I have planned to play the 2008 United States Bridge Championships together on a team with Joe Grue, Curtis Cheek, Fred Gitelman and Brad Moss. Over the next 15 months we will do as much practising as we can to prepare our partnership to play at a top level. As of right now we play a pretty simple 2/1 system as Warren is a rubber bridge player trying to adjust to a common tournament system. We have discussed playing a strong club, however right now we have decided to play this system because Warren is also playing on a team with Mike Becker in the Grand National Teams and justifiably doesn't want to juggle two different systems. A copy of our system will be posted on the blog if I can figure out how to do it.

Our match tomorrow (Saturday) will be against two young Israeli stars Eldad Ginossar and Ron Pachtman. It should be fun and challenging for us, I will do my best to post hands and discussion at the end of our session.

Other Schedule:
Next Week I am playing the whole Toronto Regional with my mom Hazel Wolpert, my brother Darren Wolpert and my wife Jenny Wolpert
Note: Saturday night April 7th the documentary on Vincent and I will be aired on CTV.
On Monday Morning April 9th we leave for the Gattlinburg, Tennessee regional, the biggest tournament of the year in North America. There I will partner Melanie Tucker, whom I play with quite a lot and our teammates are my friends John Hurd and Joel Wooldridge.
After 5 days of playing there Jenny and I will get on a plane to West Palm Beach Florida, where we will spend a week on the beach then play the last 3 days of the Ft. Lauderdale regional. After that I have nothing scheduled before the Cavendish teams and pairs where I will play with one of my best friends John Kranyak... its his first time playing the event, for those of you who have never played its one of the coolest events of the year... practically every pair you play has at least 1 world champion, really no experience like it.

OK that's it for now as my schedule pans out I will let you know where I'm going.

Just as a side note, I am not getting anything for doing this blog, I get a cut if you click that full tilt poker link at the bottom of the website and sign up and play... I assure you the site is 100% safe and you will enjoy your poker experience there.

Dealing with opponents strong club opening

Everyone understands that the best way to defend against a strong club is to get in their face... however most people do it with the completely wrong hands. My ideas aren't perfect but I've had a reasonable amount of success against it.

For starters, all of these conventions people play, suction, crash and whatever other strange artificial systems are definitely worse than just playing natural.

I use Mathe: (1C*) X = Majors, 1NT = Minors everything else natural

For the most part, coming in at the one level actually helps your opponents, it doesn't hurt them, so being overly aggressive to overcall 1 with the wrong hand types can be fatal. The key is to take away multiple bidding levels. The best way to do this is to have your partner raise your overcall. In my mind its best to overcall most unbalanced hands over 1C but stay out with balanced hands. The idea is that when i overcall 1H over 1C and my partner has 4 card support and a balanced hand, I want them to jump to 3... taking away all part score bids from my opponents. If I am overcalling 4 card suits, and balanced 5332 hands we will just set our side up for a big penalty.

Dealing with a Precision 1D opening (could be short)
Its bets to play that (1D*) 2D is just natural, and (1D*) 2H is michaels, giving up the weak 2H bid in order to be able to get the natural diamond bid in there.

Transfers after opponents bid michaels

Playing on BBO with Warren Spector on the weekend, we had the auction 1H (2H) come up and this brought up a discussion. This system only applies when you open 1 of a Major and your opponent makes a direct cuebid showing Spades and a minor.

First piece of advice: When your opponent makes an artificial 2 suited overcall, there are no longer natural NT bids available to you, as you will always start with double with balanced hands. As well, whenever you have a fit you will show a fit, so double is defined as a hand that wants to penalize your opponents but denies a fit.

1H (2H)
2S = cue for hearts limit +
2NT = Clubs (designed for x xx xxx KQJTxxx) any strength
3C = Diamonds any strength
3D = constructive raise (i.e. 4 trumps 5-8, 3 trumps 8-10)
3H = weakest raise
3S = Splinter
3NT = 4 card support balanced game bid * remember with normal 3NT bid you start with X
4C = Fit showing Jump (5+C 4+H, concentrated values in C/H)
4D = Fit showing Jump (5+D 4+H, concentrated values in D/H)
4H = Weak game bid

its important to remember that when partner transfers you to a minor, you should accept the transfer with almost any hand, even with a void in their suit, unless you CLEARLY have a better bid available to you

1S (2S)
2NT = Clubs any strength
3C = Diamonds any strength
3D = limit + in spades
3H = constructive raise in spades
3S = weakest raise to 3S
3NT = balanced 4 card support game bid
4C = fit jump
4D = fit jump
4H = splinter
4S = weak game bid

Here goes nothing

For a long time now I've talked about making a blog, here we go. In my blog I intend to post various hand problems I come across in my life as a bridge pro. As well as my various decisions I have to make along the way. I will take you on a world tour as I travel around playing many bridge tournaments. In the process of writing this blog I will include various special agreements that I have made with my old partner Vincent Demuy and also include some various options for each situation. I hope you enjoy!