Note: This web page has been translated by Mr. Mike Deloof, who lives in Belgium into English, which the visitor can also find on this site. He was so kind as to send us this translation and the information. We owe him a debt of gratitutde for his assistance.

Note: The following is a translation of the introduction for this publication by the Bridge Federation of The Netherlands.

Biedermeijer ® Green is a standard bidding system for bridge players, who like simplicity and clarity. The main purpose of the system is that partners (and opponents!) understand what is happening at the bridge table. Biedermeijer ® Green, established by the Dutch Bridge Bond, connects with systems, which almost everyone plays in The Netherlands. In this book, the system is fully explained. The description is the emphasis on natural structure of the offer. The exercises in each chapter and the bidding competitions give you the option to test Biedermeijer ® Green together with your partner. A system map of Biedermeijer ® Green is included.

Note: The original description in the language of The Netherlands is included below. Apologies if several characters do not appear correctly.

Biedermeijer ® Groen is een standaard biedsysteem voor bridgers die houden van eenvoud en duidelijkheid. Het belangrijkste doel van het systeem is dat partners onderling (en tegenstanders!) begrijpen wat er aan de bridgetafel gebeurt. Biedermeijer ® Groen is vastgesteld door de Nederlandse Bridge Bond en sluit daarmee aan bij wat vrijwel iedereeen in Nederland speelt. In dit boekje wordt het systeem volledig uitgelegd. Bij de beschrijving is de nadruk gelegd op de 'natuurlijke' opbouw van het bieden. De oefeningen bij elk hoofdstuk en de biedwedstrijden geven u de optie Biedermeijer ® Groen samen met uw partner te testen. Een systeemkaart van Biedermeijer ® Groen is bijgesloten.

The Biedermeijer Green Project

Bidding uncomplicatedly and clearly.

Do you also dislike those long pre-game meetings when you team up with another partner? Does it seem like heaven to you if everyone would play understandable bridge at the tournament in which you participate? Then you should read up on “The Project”.

This mysterious title covers something relatively simple. The NBB or Nederlandse Bridge Liga, Netherlands Bridge League) has assembled a number of standard bidding systems for players of different levels. The names for these systems: Biedermeijer Green (the simplest system), Biedermeijer Blue (a more complex variant) and Biedermeijer Red for competition players. We start off with Biedermeijer Green. You can also find Biedermeijer Blue and Biedermeijer Red at this site.

Biedermeijer Green is intended for starting players or for those who wish to keep the game simple. Novices who master the first two books of “Van start tot finish” or “Leer bridge met Berry Westra”, play more or less according to the rules of Biedermeijer Green.

I once played with a partner who told me that bridge is an easy game. I, being a less gifted player, have never agreed with him. Bridge is an unbelievably difficult game to mere mortals. Therefore I will disagree with anyone telling me that Biedermeijer Green is too simple. What don’t you have to learn, before you can play bridge even just a little?

For starters you have to acquaint yourself with all sorts of terms. What is a trick? What is the correct order of cards and colors, what is a trump, finessing, partial contract, slam, rescue bid, etc? Together with learning the average language of the hobbyist bridge player, most people need over a year and a lot of practice before they get the hang of it.

For these “ordinary people” there’s Biedermeijer Green. Mind you: this description will not consist of a course, but of a summary of the “system card”. Play and defense is something that you will have to teach yourself for the most part (sometimes with the help of a book or a small course).

Basis of the system is Acol, the English natural bidding system that was the starting point for the courses of Sint/Schipperheyn and Westra. Most of the flood of examples come from the 2000 Bermuda World Championship.

Opening
The conditions that your opening has to meet:

1 , 1 , 1 and 1
Promises 13-21 points with at least four cards in the suit. If you have 2 or more four-card suits, you begin with bidding the lowest, from five-card suits, start out with the highest.

1 NT
Open 1 NT with 15-17points and a balanced hand, 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2 or 5-3-3-2 if your five-card suit is Diamonds or Clubs. A two-card suit without force is no problem.

2 , 2 and 2
Promises at least eight tricks if trump can be established in the opening color. Furthermore you promise a great deal of high cards (the minimum number of point is around 18).

2
The conventional, strongest opening bid; game is assured, or a balanced hand with at least 23 points.

2 NT
You promise a balanced hand with at least 20-22 points (compare the distribution with the opening bid of 1 NT).

3 or 4 in a color and 5 and 5
you have a long to very long color; force: less than 13 points, you promise not to go down by more than three trick (not vulnerable) or two tricks (vulnerable).

Responses to the Opening Bids
Partner opened. What does your rebid mean?

After 1 , , ,

-	Pass: 0-5 points.
-	Single support for partner’s color; four cards in his suit and 6-9 points.
-	One in a new color: four-card suit or longer, minimum 6 points.
-	1 NT: 6-9 points, denies support in partner’s suit or a four-card suit between the opening and 1 NT.
-	Two in a new color (under the opening color): minimum 10 points and four-card suit or longer.
-	Three in partner’s color: four-card support in his color and 10-11 points (limited).
-	Two or three in a new color (single jump shift): good six-card suit and opening force.
-	2 NT or 3 NT: 10-11 or more than 13 points, to play, denies four-card suit higher than the opening color.
-	4 / 4: 12-15 points, support in partner’s suit.

After 1 NT (SA = Sans atout):

-	Pass: 0-8 points.
-	2 : Stayman.
-	2 or 2 : Jacoby Transfers.
-	2 NT: 9 points, denies four-card suits in harts or spades.
-	3 NT: 10-15 points, to play.

After 2

-	2 : waiting bid, means that you have no color of your own that you are willing to bid.
-	2 / , 3 / : good color, at least a five-card suit with two top honors (Ace, King or Queen).
-	2 NT: balanced hand with at least 10 points.
Remember: passing after a 2 opening is out of the question.

After 2 , 2 , 2

-	2 NT: weak, no support for partners suit
-	A new color at level two or three: a good color, preferably a five-card suit with two top honors.
-	Three in partner’s suit: strong, slam is not out of the question. At least more or less three tricks among which a trump honor, trumping force (two-card suit or singleton in a side color) or Aces and Kings in a side color.
-	Game in partner’s suit: no interest for slam, final bidding.

After 2 NT

-	Pass: 0-3 points.
-	3 : Stayman.
-	3 or 3 : Jacoby Transfer.
-	3 NT: 4-10 points, denies four-card suit in the high colors.

After Preemptive Openings

-	support: keep the vulnerability in mind.
-	3 NT after 3 or 3 : some cards in partner’s suit and force in all other colors.
So far for the longest chapter of this “Green” version of the standard bidding system.

Rebidding
Most System Cards do not mention the rebidding of the opening hand. The reason for this is that this rebid is a matter of common sense.

-	After a response in a new color, the rebid of 1 NT shows 13-14 points with a balanced hand, without support for partner’s color.
-	A bidding of the opening color indicates extra length (often a six-card suit).
-	Jump shifts always show extra force. NT shifts 18-19 points with a balanced hand. A jump shift in partner’s color promises 16-17 points and support (a four-card suit).

Further Bidding
Biedermeijer Green includes Reverse Bidding, but you will encounter the fourth color convention for the first time in the Blue version.

A Reverse Bidding is a bidding in a new color, that is lower than partners color.

North		South
1		1
2

North		South
1		2
3

The first situation is often referred to as the “High Reverse” (the second color is higher than the first), the second one as the “Low Reverse”.

A Reverse Bidding promises at least more or less 16 points. The first color is almost always a five-card suit. This bidding is forcing, a Low Reverse even forcing to game.

The responding hand can also bid Reverse. A Reverse Bidding in the responding hand of the is always forcing to game. An example:

North		South
1		1
1 SA		2

The continuation is hardly subject to rules. Common sense should lead to the solution. It is often the responding hand that decides on the contract (or at least proposes the suit).

The Opponents Open the Bidding

When the opponents open, Biedermeijer players can resort to:

Color Overcalls at One or Two Level
An overcall at one level promises minimal force (can ask the opening lead or can be a Rescue Bidding). The overcall has broad borders: about 6-16 points (in the last case with a hand that is not suited for an information double).

Information Double
Support for all colors except the opening color. The (almost) obligated answer after an Information Double, is your best color and promises 0-8 points. With more than 9 points you jump in your best color.

1 NT Overcall
This overcall is comparable to the 1 NT opening and promises stopping power in the opening color of the opponents.

Color Jump Shift
A Color Jump Shift overcall promises a six-card suit an good opening force.

Conventional Bidding
Stayman, Jacoby transfers, conventional strong 2 opening, Information Double and 4 NT Blackwood (asking for Aces).

The responses to 4 NT: 5 with 0 Aces, 5 with one, 5 with two, etc.

Negative Double, Multi 2 opening or Muiderberg 2 openings are not part of the Biedermeijer Green.

Opening Lead and Signaling

-	Small promises picture (Ace, King, Queen or Jack).
-	Highest card of a sequence.
-	Highest card of a two-card suit.
-	Second highest of a worthless three or four card suit.

If you wish to signal, a high card is encouraging and high-low shows an even number of cards in the suit.

Menu?

Yes, I know we do not want to label ourselves. We Dutch are not “standard” and it won’t be easy for us to play a “standard system”.

We therefor propose to present a Menu of a limited number of deviations. Some examples.

-	2, 2 or 2 bids as “true and weak” when they are used as responses after a 1NT opening.
-	The openings of 1 and 1 promise at least a five-card suit (which, by the way, has consequences for the 1 and 1 openings).
-	1 - pass - 3 and 1 - pass - 3 are not limit bids, but stronger, game forcing.

In general, non-complicated and non-disruptive agreements are allowed within the limits of Biedermeijer Green.

This ends the translation by Mr. Mike Deloof, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for his time and effort to undertake such a translation. We have changed nothing in the translation except for perhaps spelling and punctuation. The formatting remains unchanged from the original in the Dutch language. The web page has been formatted to the present form.

 

 

If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.