TABLE OF CONTENTS OFFENSIVE BIDDING …

1 Eric Kokish -Beverly Kraft 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS OFFENSIVE BIDDING summary .. 5 TABLE OF OPENING BIDS .. 5 GENERAL APPROACH .. 7 MINOR-SUIT OPENINGS .. 8 STYLE .. 8 RESPONSES TO 1C .. 9 RESPONSES TO 1D .. 11 DEVELOPMENTS AFTER MINOR-SUIT OPENINGS .. 13 OPENER REBIDS 1NT .. 17 After 1C-1D .. 17 After 1C-1H .. 19 After 1C-1S .. 20 After 1D-1H .. 22 After 1D-1S .. 23 Shape Rules .. 25 AFTER MINOR OPENER RAISES A MAJOR RESPONSE .. 28 After 1C-1H; 2H-? .. 29 After 1C-1S; 2S-? .. 31 After 1D-1H; 2H-? .. 31 After 1D-1S; 2S-? .. 32 STRONGER MAJOR RAISES BY MINOR OPENER .. 34 INVERTED MINORS .. 36 Opener rebids 2H .. 36 Opener's unbalanced game try .. 42 Opener's Reverse .. 44 Opener's Other Rebids .. 44 Interference over an Inverted Minor Raise .. 46 AFTER A 2C RESPONSE TO 1D .. 47 REVERSE FLANNERY RESPONSES TO 1C AND 1D.

2 51 OPENER JUMP-REBIDS 2NT .. 52 REVERSES .. 59 After 1C-1M; 2D .. 59 After 1m-1S; 2H .. 62 The Special Case of 1C-1D; 2D .. 65 The Special Case of 1m-1NT; 2x (reverse) .. 66 JUMP REVERSES .. 68 THIRD SEAT .. 69 MAJOR-SUIT OPENINGS .. 70 STYLE AND PARAMETERS .. 70 RAISES: AN OVERVIEW .. 72 Developments after a Single Major 73 Developments After Other Raises .. 74 Two-tier Splinters .. 75 The Special Case of 1H-2S .. 77 The 1M-3C Artificial Game-forcing Raise .. 79 AFTER A 1S RESPONSE .. 83 1H Opener Raises 1S .. 83 1H Opener Rebids 1NT .. 85 1H - 1S; Heart Rebids .. 87 1H - 1S; 2NT .. 89 1H - 1S; 2m .. 90 1H-1S; 2D-3C .. 91 1H - 1S; Jump Shift .. 94 Eric Kokish -Beverly Kraft 2 AFTER A 1NT RESPONSE .. 96 1H-1NT; 2S Reverse-? .. 104 1M -1NT; 2NT [Transfer style] .. 105 1M -1NT; Jump Shift.

3 107 1M Opener's Jump Rebids in his own suit .. 108 1M Opener's Autosplinters .. 108 1M Opener's Jump To Game .. 109 THE SPECIAL CASE OF 1S-3D; ? .. 110 AFTER A 2NT RESPONSE .. 112 TWO-OVER-ONE SEQUENCES .. 115 Major Opener Raises Responder's 2m Response .. 119 Further 2/1 Specifics .. 122 Opener s Jump Shift Rebid .. 125 The High Reverse .. 125 1S-2H Continuations .. 127 2/1 summary : .. 130 THIRD AND FOURTH POSITION .. 132 1NT OPENING .. 139 RESPONSES: .. 139 RELATED SEQUENCES: .. 139 IN COMPETITION .. 145 Direct Double .. 146 Reopening Double .. 151 Our Penalty Doubles and Takeout Doubles .. 152 Interference After Our Conventional Response To 1NT .. 153 TWO CLUBS .. 159 TWO DIAMONDS .. 162 TWO 165 TWO SPADES .. 167 TWO NOTRUMP .. 169 THREE CLUBS .. 170 THREE DIAMONDS .. 172 THREE HEARTS.

4 174 THREE SPADES .. 175 THREE NOTRUMP .. 176 FOUR CLUBS .. 177 FOUR DIAMONDS .. 178 FOUR HEARTS .. 179 FOUR SPADES .. 180 2NT FAMILY STRUCTURE .. 182 DIRECT RESPONSES .. 182 STAYMAN SEQUENCES .. 183 JACOBY TRANSFER SEQUENCES .. 187 The "Walsh" Substructure .. 187 After 2NT-3H .. 189 2NT-3S* (PUPPET TO 3NT) .. 191 CONFIT .. 193 SUPERCONFIT .. 193 TEXAS TRANSFERS .. 194 MINOR SUIT TEXAS .. 194 2C OPENING .. 195 RESPONSES: .. 195 RELATED SEQUENCES: .. 195 IN COMPETITION .. 196 Eric Kokish -Beverly Kraft 3 SLAM METHODS: .. 197 SPLINTER BIDS .. 197 AUTOSPLINTERS .. 198 GERBER AND SUPER-GERBER .. 198 ROMAN KEY CARD BLACKWOOD-1430 .. 198 RKCB VS ACES VS NATURAL VS OTHER .. 204 GRAND SLAM FORCE .. 205 5NT: PICK A SLAM .. 206 LAST TRAIN .. 206 SHOWING CONTROLS .. 206 ASKING BIDS.

5 207 PHILOSOPHY AND PRINCIPLES .. 208 THE SHORTNESS RULE: .. 209 COMPETITION IN THE GAME/SLAM ZONE .. 210 WEAK TWO-BIDS .. 211 TWO DIAMONDS .. 211 In Competition .. 214 TWO 215 In Competition .. 217 TWO SPADES .. 219 In Competition .. 221 A QUIZ ON WEAK TWO-BIDS .. 223 HIGHER OPENINGS .. 226 3X .. 226 A Quiz on Three-Bids .. 228 KANTAR 3NT .. 230 4C/4D .. 231 4H/4S .. 232 HIGHER OPENINGS .. 232 A Quiz on Higher Openings .. 233 COMPETITIVE BIDDING 235 RESPONDER PASSES .. 235 Reopening actions by opener .. 235 Exposed actions by opener .. 237 AFTER A TAKEOUT DOUBLE .. 239 1m - (DBL): .. 239 1M - (DBL): .. 240 NEGATIVE DOUBLES .. 243 Developments after a one-level negative double: .. 243 The opponents bid again after our one-level negative double .. 244 Doubler's continuations .. 247 Developments after a two-level negative double.

6 247 Negative Doubles at Higher Levels .. 249 THE SPECIAL CASE OF 1D-(3C)-DBL-(Pass) .. 249 OTHER ACTIONS .. 251 After responder s one-level free bid .. 252 Fourth hand gets involved after responder s one-level free bid .. 253 After responder s free 1NT (after a 1C/1D opening): .. 258 After responder s free 1NT (after a 1H opening and 1S overcall): .. 259 After fourth hand introduces a new suit over responder s free 1NT .. 259 Responder's Raise .. 260 After a Competitive 2/1 .. 262 Special (Response) Structure after: 1M -(2OM)-? .. 265 Special (Rebid) Structure after: 1M-(3m)-3OM-(Pass); ?.. 266 Eric Kokish -Beverly Kraft 4 FIT-SHOWING JUMPS .. 266 FORCING PASSES .. 267 After A Single Raise .. 267 After A Limit Raise (or ART Limit Raise) .. 269 Direct Raise from One To Four.

7 270 After A 1S Response to 1H Opening .. 270 After A Two-Over-One Response .. 271 Three-Level Competitive Bids .. 272 Removing Partner's 272 Forcing Passes and Doubles (general concepts) .. 273 AFTER SECOND HAND S 1NT OVERCALL .. 274 VS NATURAL CLUB OVERCALLS OF OUR 1C OPENING .. 275 OVER SECOND HAND'S NATURAL 3NT OVERCALL .. 276 OVER SECOND HAND'S 4M OVERCALL .. 277 AFTER FOURTH HAND INTERFERENCE .. 278 COUNTERING TWO-SUITED OVERCALLS: .. 290 290 UNUSUAL 2NT .. 292 TOP AND BOTTOM SUITS .. 295 COLORFUL CUE BIDS .. 297 ASTRO CUE BIDS .. 299 TOP AND ANOTHER CUE-BIDS .. 300 GHESTEM .. 302 HYBRID 2NT .. 314 MOST UNUSUAL 2NT .. 315 POLISH CANAPE 1NT .. 317 UNUSUAL 1NT .. 319 DEFENSIVE BIDDING 320 OVERCALLS AND SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS .. 320 DOUBLES AND SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS.

8 329 CUE-BIDS AND SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS .. 335 NOTRUMP OVERCALLS .. 338 METHODS VERSUS TREATMENTS REQUIRING DEFENSE .. 342 ONE CLUB .. 342 ONE DIAMOND .. 345 ONE HEART .. 347 ONE-OF-A-MAJOR .. 347 ONE NOTRUMP .. 347 TWO CLUBS .. 351 TWO DIAMONDS .. 353 TWO-OF-A-MAJOR .. 360 TWO NOTRUMP .. 364 HIGHER .. 366 CARDING summary .. 374 LEADS .. 374 VERSUS SUITS .. 374 VERSUS NT .. 375 SIGNALS .. 376 SUIT PREFERENCE SIGNALS .. 377 THIRD HAND RULES .. 379 LEAD-DIRECTING DOUBLES .. 382 GENERAL DEFENSIVE PRINCIPLES .. 383 Eric Kokish -Beverly Kraft 5 OFFENSIVE BIDDING summary TABLE OF OPENING BIDS 1C 15-20 HCP if balanced; 12+ HCP with 4=4=1=4; 11+ with 5+C; NF; maximum strength is quite high, anything less than 2C opening. Open 1C with all hands containing 3/3 in the minors. Open 1C with 3 only with 4M333 and 15-20 HCP (else open 1NT with 11+-14 or 2NT with 21-22 or 2C with 24+).

9 1D 15-20 HCP if balanced, 12+ with 4=1=4=4; 13+ with 1=4=4=4 or 4=4=4=1; 11+ with 5+D; NF, maximum strength is quite high, anything less than 2C opening. Open 1D with 4/4 in the minors and with most moderate hands with 4D/5C. Open 1D with 3 only with 4=4=3=2 and 15-20 HCP (else open 1NT with 11+-14 or 2NT with 21-22 or 2C with 24+) 1H 9-23 HCP; usually not 12-13 if balanced (open 1NT); open with 9/10 only with 4 controls, excellent distribution and texture. Open very strong hands with 1H only when anticipating problems describing various 5431 shapes, for example. Pass terrible balanced 12-counts. 5+H in 1st and 2nd position; open 4-card H suits of any quality frequently in third seat if 12-13 or sub-minimum but in most of these cases possession of 3S is recommended, to permit a comfortable pass of a 1S response.

10 Open 1H with four only if prepared to pass 1NT or decline a game invitation. 1NT rebid suggests 15-17 HCP; respond 1S freely to 1H (even with bad four-card suit). 1S 9-23 HCP; usually not 12-13 if balanced (open 1NT); open with 9/10 only with 4 controls, excellent distribution and texture. Open very strong hands with 1S only when anticipating problems describing various 5431 shapes, for example. Pass terrible balanced 12-counts. 5+S in 1st and 2nd position; open 4-card S suits of any quality frequently in third seat if 12-13 or sub-minimum, intending to pass any non-forcing response. 1NT 11+-14 HCP, includes 5M332, 2=4=5=2, 2=4=2=5, some 2=2=4=5 and even 2=2=5=4 hands; 6-card minor acceptable if hand is otherwise not worth opening (or in 3rd seat); usually 3+ controls, pass poor 12-counts and terrible 13 s vulnerable.