opening is that through experience, the hand is more manageable in the
1N opening. Besides if the Italians do it, it can't be all bad.
The 1N opening shows 13 - 16 HCP and patterns of 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, 5-3-3-2
(even with a 5 card major) or 4-4-4-1 with a singleton A or K. There is no
provision for determining that the opening has a 4-4-4-1 pattern. The reason
for including that hand type in this opening rather than in the 2 opening is that through experience, the hand is more manageable in the
1N opening. Besides if the Italians do it, it can't be all bad.
The set of responses is patterned after the 2N responses that Marshall Miles suggested in the mid 60s. The purpose of this set of responses is to be able to show the following kinds of hands:
 | weak single suited hands |
| invitational single suited hands |
| invitational balanced hand |
| strong single suited hands discriminating between good suits and mediocre suits |
| invitational major 2 suited hands (differentiated between 55 and 54 types). |
| invitational 2 suited hands with a long minor and a secondary major. |
| strong 2 suited hands with all combinations of suits and relative
lengths (e.g. long  s and secondary s; long s and secondary  s;
etc.)
|
| strong (game forcing) 3 suited hands. |
| strong balanced hands (extended search for any 44 fit) |
This set of responses does not handle garbage Stayman (weak responding hand with both majors) nor does it handle invitational hands with 55 in the minors.
| First response | Meaning |
|---|---|
2
| non-forcing Stayman |
| 2
| transfer to 2 (or the beginning of CATCH)
|
| 2
| transfer to 2
|
| 2
| transfer to 2N - shows 4441 with singleton or or or a
long suit (either weak or strong, not invitational) or 55
minors
|
| 2N | transfer to 3 (shows a long suit and either weak or strong,
not invitational)
|
| 3/3
| game invitation; Opener should bid 3N with an honor and all suits stopped; Opener should bid a suit "on the way to 3N" with a fit and one suit unstopped |
| 3/3
| slam try HHxxxx. |
| 3N | end |
| 4
| Gerber (no asking bid for kings) |
| 4
| Not defined |
| 4/4
| To play, not invitational |
| Hand type | How shown |
|---|---|
| Long major, game-only | transfer and then bid 4 or bid 4 initially |
| Major 5-5, game-only | Transfer to and then bid 4.
|
| Major HHxxxx | 3M |
| Major 5-5, slam-try | 2, then 3 (over 2),
then 4 (over 3N... bid 5 if slam
insistent)
|
| Minor HHxxxx | transfer, then "raise" to 4 level |
| Minor Hxxxxx | transfer, then bid 4N (or 3N) |
| Minor 5-5, game only | 2-2N-3N
|
| Minor 5-5, slam-try | 2-2N-3-3-4 (might also be 54)
|
| First rebid by opener | Meaning of first rebid by opener | First rebid by responder | Meaning of first rebid by responder |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2
| no major | ||
| 2/
| 5 card suit; 4 in other major; invitational | ||
| 2N | natural invitation (might not have a 4 card major) | ||
| 3
| 5 card suit with a 4 card major; invitational | ||
| 3
| 4441 slam try; short suit is .
| ||
| 3/
| 5 card suit; 4 in other major; forcing (if 3 is bid
by responder, he might have a strong 55 in which case he will bid 4 over 3N) | ||
| 3N | final. | ||
| 4
| not defined | ||
| 4
| 5/5, game only (i.e. take a choice)
| ||
| 4
| 6 and 4, slam try. Opener shows key cards (or passes)
| ||
| 4
| 6 and 4, slam try. Opener shows key cards (or passes)
| ||
| 2
| 4+ (does not deny 4)
| ||
| 2
| 4 card suit; invitational; denies 4
| ||
| 2N | natural invitation (no major) | ||
| 3/3
| 5 card suit with 4; invitational
| ||
| 3
| natural invitational | ||
| 3
| artificial force; opener bids 3N with 3433
| ||
| 3N | choice of games; responder has 4
| ||
| 4
| Keycard Gerber | ||
| 4
| not defined | ||
| 4
| final | ||
| 2
| 4+ (denies 4)
| ||
| 2N | natural invitation | ||
| 3/
| 5 card suit with 4 invitational
| ||
| 3
| artificial force; Opener bids 3N with 4333
| ||
| 3
| natural invitation | ||
| 3N | final | ||
| 4
| Keycard Gerber | ||
| 4
| not defined | ||
| 4
| not defined | ||
| 4
| final | ||
This call usually shows a suit. However, it is also used to
initiate CATCH (Count Aces Trumps CHeck back) a set of responses developed by
George Rosencranz and explained in a 1964 Bridge World article. We have since
modified it to actually be: Count, Controls and trumps.
Opener shows a maximum by bidding 2. A maximum is 15-16 HCP
with 5+ controls and Hxx or better. Opener bids 2
without a maximum.
- 2 - 2 CATCH
The idea behind CATCH is that if there is (barely) enough strength with the proper number of controls and degree of fit, that a 44 slam should be bid. The minimum number of HCP is 31 (that's the reason for the "count" part of CATCH), and the minimum number of controls is 10 (that's the reason for the "aces" part of CATCH.
Opener shows count in steps. If he responds in the highest step showing the highest number of HCP, he automatically zooms into the next item of information (controls). The second relay by responder (the cheapest bid) asks for controls in steps (A=2, K=1):
Opener zooms automatically into showing suits if he has 6
controls.
Notrump bids by responder after either the count or control showing bids are signoffs; suit bids after getting count (i.e. before asking for controls) are natural and are looking for the right suit game (except the cheapest rebid asking for controls of course). Both responder and opener show suits after the control showing bid. Opener, however only shows a suit (or raises a suit) if he is not 4333. A single raise of partner's suit shows Hxxx; a double raise shows HHxx.
The following is a sample CATCH auction:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
- 2
- 2
Responder's bids of 3 and 3 are slam tries
with the agreed suit. 3 is a two way bid. It
forces opener to rebid 3 i.e. a re-transfer. If responder
continues with a new suit, then 3 was a slam try.
If responder rebids 2N he is showing the CATCH sequence. Opener shows count
in 2 steps (he is already known to hold the highest or highest-1 number of HCP);
if second step, he shows controls in conjunction: auction proceeds as in
1N-2-2-2.
This call always shows a suit. Opener shows a maximum by bidding 2N. A maximum is 15-16 HCP with 5+ controls (or 13-14 HCP and 4+ controls if not vulnerable) and xxxx or better. Opener bids 2 without a maximum. If opener has shown a 4 point range 1N bid (e.g. a 15-18 1N overcall or 1N after 1 1 1N), then a super-accept is allowed with just three card support.
- 2
- 2N
- 2N (automatic)
- 2N - 3 - 3
(automatic)
J x