Chapter 4

Opening Bids in the Forcing Club System

Point count:  12-15 HCP.  All 4-3-3-3 and 4-4-3-2 hand patterns, and 5-3-3-2 hands with five clubs.  No other distributions.

22-23 HCP and balanced distributions (4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 and possibly 5-3-3-2).

All hands with 16 or more HCP except those opened 2NT.  Super hands with less than 16 HCP may be opened 1 .  In our style, such hands are rare but do occur.

Five or more cards, 11-15 HCP, and 14 or more suit points.  1 is opened with 4=4=1=4 distribution (four spades, four hearts, one diamond, and four clubs).  I think failure to open 1 denies five spades, and failure to open a major denies five cards in both suits.

11-15 HCP, six or more clubs; or five clubs, one or two four-card majors, and less than four diamonds.  (4=4=0=5 patterns can go in either the 2 or 1 bin.) 

(11) 12-15 HCP and all other distributions.  The 1 opening always has at least four diamonds.

In choosing this opening bid structure, the decisions made were:

• The Precision style of five-card majors and the requirement of 16 HCP to open 1 was accepted.  Sixteen HCP and all distributions for the 1 opening were chosen on the basis of frequency.  Other big club systems have a higher minimum to open 1 .  If 16-point 1 openings led to difficulty, we would have raised the minimum.

• The Precision short diamond was rejected.  We open 1 with 4=4=1=4 and 2 or 1 with 4=4=0=5.  If responder bids 1NT over 1 we bid 2 to show the 4=4=1=4 distribution.

• Requirements for suit opening bids were not lowered.

• Auctions starting with a 1 , 1 , or 1 use the two-over-one game force system.

• A 4-point range was chosen for a 1NT opening.  Specific balanced distributions are required for the 1NT opening.  This increases the probability that it is right to scramble out of 1NT in search of a 4-4 or a 4-3 major fit with a singleton.  Contained in this philosophy is a willingness to play a 4-3 fit at the two-level if a 4-4 fit is not found.  The strict distribution requirements makes responders bidding more accurate in a competitive auction.

• To use 2 , 2 , and 2 as weak two-bids.

I do not like the idea of non-descriptive names attached to systems.  Perhaps everyone knows Blackwood, Stayman, and Jacoby, but we could more descriptively say "4NT for aces," "2 for majors," and "transfers," respectively.  The question and implied answer will be posed after a 1 opening, "Are you playing Precision?"  and the antisocial, but correct, answer is "No."  The question often means "Does 1 show 16 points?"  or "What club system are you closest to — Precision, Schenken, or an Italian club system?"  and a reasonable, social answer is "Something like Precision, but not exactly." 

The general rule is to open the highest five-card or longer suit.  If you open a lower ranking suit, then treat the higher suit as a four-card suit.  The one exception where you don't open a five-card suit is four diamonds, five clubs, and any major suit distribution.  Then you open 1 .

(For many years we opened 1 with three diamonds, five clubs, and 3-2 in the majors - now we open 1NT.  Another variation we once tried was to open 1 with a 4-card major, three diamonds, and five clubs - now we open 2 unless the clubs are poor.) 

Q J

K J x

K J x x

K Q x x

We play it straight.  Count points, get to 16 and open 1 .  Maybe not this time.

A K J x x

x x

K Q J x x

x

A 1 opening with only 14 HCP.  This hand has 8 playing tricks, and the HCP are in the two long suits.  Perhaps I should have added a point in one of the five-card suits to make this a 15 HCP example.

A Q x

K x

K Q x x x

A K J

Your decision between 1 and 2NT.  If 1 receives a positive response, then the auction should be comfortable and more exact.  I open 1 and force to 3NT over a 1 response.

x x

A x x

K Q x x x

K x x

Open 1 (not 1NT).

x x

A x x

K x x

K Q x x x

Open 1NT.  5-3-3-2 with five clubs is the one case where 1NT conceals a five-card suit.

Q J x x

K Q x x

x x x

A x

Open 1NT.

Q J x x

K Q x x

K x x

x x

Your decision in third seat between pass, 1 and 1NT.  I open in fourth seat.

A K Q J

x x x x

x

Q x x x

Open 1 The probability of this specific distribution is 0.748% (4=4=1=4 with a singleton diamond).

A K Q J

x x x x

—

Q x x x x

Open 2 (or 1 ).  The probability is 0.104%.  If partner bids 2 (conventional), bid spades and then hearts.

A K Q J

—

x x x x

J x x x x

A x

K x

x x x x

K Q x x x

Open 1 with either of the above hands.

A K Q J

x

Q x x

x x x x x

Open 2 .  1 is a second choice.  With a four-card major and five clubs, 2 is the expected opening.

x

x x

A K Q x

Q x x x x x

Open 2 .  The diamond suit will probably be lost.  (John Strauch: "I open 1 ."  )

J x x x x

x

x

A K Q J x x

The rules say open 1 , and I would open 1 .  If you have the "bad suit blues," 2 is acceptable.

A J x x x

—

A Q x x x x

x x

With six diamonds and a five spades you actually have a choice.  Steve Robinson (Washington D.C.  standard) opens 1 and I agree.  If you open 1 , plan to bid spades twice.  Playing a forcing club system, the reverse shows distribution and not strength.

In summary, decisions about what to open or whether or not to open are minimal.  Count points, count suit lengths, recall the rules, and bid.

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