Montreal Relay - Bidding Over One Club

Bidding Over One Club - BOOC

Opening One Club What is the single most often used bid? Judging by the relative condition of the cards in the bidding box it has to be One Club. The card is worn and tattered while the 7NT card is pristine in appearance. But you don't have to be a rocket surgeon or a brain scientist to know that the bid is probably the most frequent one in the game. I doubt if anyone has done a serious study or a mathematical analysis of how often one club is the opening bid, but plain old experience tells me it happens more often than any other call. Why? Because it's a catch-all bid. It imparts almost no information other than denying certain holdings... No 5-card major nor a balanced hand with 15-17 points - just a desire to bid with 11-21 points. The bid is often done with three small clubs, and sometimes with a doubleton or even a singleton. Opener's second bid usually completes the picture of his hand.

Responding to One Club In the days of Goren, we always opened our best suit, which had to be at least four cards in length, and partner knew he did not have a better one. It was safe to pass with fewer than 6 points, and Goren said we were expected to. Not today. Players with fewer than Goren's minimum and a 5-card major will bid freely, and they should! That old rule no longer applies because the 1

bid does not promise a suit.

Defense to One Club The modern approach used by defenders to bid over this nebulus opening is to overcall with a 5-card suit or to double with support for the unbid suits, providing they have a sufficient number of points to enter the auction. We also have two conventional bids to show hands that have either two 5-card majors or five-five in diamonds and hearts. The first is Michaels and the second is the Unusual Notrump bid - 2NT. Most players do not have an agreement for showing two suited hands with spades and diamonds, though, and even fewer players have methods to show hands with 5-4 in two suits, especially 4-4 or 5-4 in the majors. The BOOC agreements solves these problems if you are willing to play them.

	5-4 in the Majors		4-5 in Spades and Diamonds
	K J T 8 5		K Q 9 6
	K Q 9 8		T 6

	5		A Q J 4 3
	Q 6 2		9 5

BOOC

The Takeout Diamond Overcall
Overcalling with a 1

bid is an artificial call showing 10+ points with 5-4 in the majors.
You might also have a poor hand with 5-5 in the majors and be reluctant to use a bid that would force partner to choose at a higher level.

You can use Michaels for most hands that have 5-5 in the majors but you often have 5-4 instead and are not happy with a double because you are concerned that your partner will bid his diamond suit. And sure as anything, if you bid your 5-card major you will probably miss your best contract in the 4-4 or 4-5 fit in the other major.

These are typical hands for the Takeout Diamond Overcall:

Hand 1	Hand 2	Hand 3
Q J T 6 5	K 9 8 6	Q J 9 6 4
K J T 8	K J 9 4 3	K Q 8 4 2

A 8	K Q 8	J 6
5 3	8	T

The first two hands have the promised 5-4 pattern in the majors and the third hand is probably too light for a Michaels cuebid, but is acceptable for the Takeout Diamond Overcall.

Standard methods would probably double with either of the first two hands and be disappointed to hear partner bid the diamond suit with the first hand. The last hand, although very weak, has the shape for a Michaels call but most players would be concerned about pushing the bidding beyond the 1-level with so few points.

The Transfer Double
This is a transfer to diamonds with 11+ HCP. You have at least five diamonds and may have a major as well, usually a good 4-card suit. (Or a weak 5-card major, and a reluctance to use the Unusual 2NT call which would raise the bidding to the 3-level. Both Michaels and the Unusual Notrump bid will take you beyond the first level.)

If you do not have a 4-card major and your partner accepts your transfer, consider passing with 11-14 HCP but raise with 15-17 points. With 18+ points you can cuebid the opponent's club call at your next turn.

If you also have a 4-card major with your diamond suit (or a very weak 5-card major) you can bid the major at your next turn to call, hopefully still at the 1-level. These are typical hands for the Transfer Double:

	Hand 4		Hand 5
	K Q T 6		K J 6
	T		A 7

	A Q J 8 6		K Q T 9 5
	J 9 2		8 6 3

	Hand 6		Hand 7
			Q T 7 6
	J T 8 5 3		A J

	A Q 9 6 4		A K J T 6 5
	Q		J 8

The Transfer Double always promises your partner that you have at least a 5-card diamond suit but also says you may have a major, which is usually a 4-card suit. Bid your major at your second turn so that your partner will have a description of your hand.

Strong Hand - Jump in a 4-Card Major or Rebid 1NT
With perhaps 16-18 points first use the Transfer Double to show the diamond suit and then, at your second turn to bid, either jump in your 4-card major if you have one or rebid 1NT. If you only have a diamond suit you can jump in diamonds. (With a very strong hand you have the option of cue bidding the opener's club call or rebidding 2NT.)

	Hand 8		Hand 9
	K Q J 7		K Q 7
	A T		A 7

	K Q J 9 7 6		A K Q J 9 7 6
	Q		J 8

Both Minors
On very rare occasions you will have 5-5 in the minors when your RHO opens one club... Even so, you might want to play in clubs, so use the Transfer Double and then jump to 3

. Let your partner make the final decision.

	Hand 10
	T
	J 5

	K Q T 7 5
	A Q J 9 4

None of the Above
Hmmm.... Okay, but what if you have an opening hand but don't have the distribution required for these new bids? Maybe a balanced hand or one with a single major?

Bidding One Notrump
A one notrump overcall is any balanced hand that does not have the distribution required for the BOOC bids, and has a point-count starting at 11 points.

Bidding a Major
If you overcall in spades or hearts you have at least a 5-card suit and you deny four of the other major.

Any hand that does not fit the BOOC bids should overcall with either a major or 1NT. (Pass is certainly an option!)

Addendum: BOOC-X - Bidding Over One Club Doubled and BOOC-NT - Bidding Over a One Notrump Overcall

You can use this same set of agreements if your partner opens 1

and the next hand either doubles or bids 1NT. The interference actually makes life a bit easier for you because you can more accurately describe your hand!

BOOC-X After a double simply use the Redouble as a Transfer Redouble when you have a diamond suit. As above, bidding 1

after a double shows at least 5-4 in the majors.

BOOC-NT If your partner opens 1

and the next hand bids 1NT the popular agreement is that a double is for penalty and 2-level overcalls are non-forcing, but we use BOOC-NT - Bidding Over One No Trump. The structure is the same as described above with one addition: A double is our Transfer Double for diamonds and an overcall of 1

shows at least 5-4 in the majors. The addition is an overcall of 2

which shows at least a 5-card club suit with fewer than 8 points. If we are lucky enough to have a 6-card club suit with 8-10 points we use our 6-8-10 agreement - jump to 3

A Little More...
This agreement can be used with very light hands because it keeps the defensive bids at the 1-level. But there are times when partner would like to know if the overcaller has more than a minimum. The solution is to cue-bid the club suit.
Here's an example:


South	West	North	East
1	Dbl	P	2

The double by West shows a diamond suit and may have a 4-card major. East's cue-bid is size-asking...

West will bid 2

or will rebid a 4-card major at the 2-level if he has a minimum. With a moderate hand of 12-15 HCP he will jump a level, and with at least 16 points he will rebid 2NT.

If West had shown the majors by overcalling 1

instead of doubling, he would rebid 2

with a minimum, but would rebid his best major with a moderate hand. Again, a 2NT call would show 16+ HCP.

So there.
Yes, I know it's unusual and I admit that as yet I have very limited experience playing it, but it looks like it might be useful. If you decide to play it I would be delighted to hear from you, especially if you find it needs to be modified or tweaked.

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