Mr. Edwin (aka Eddie) Kantar and Mr. Daniel (aka Danny) Kleinman, during their play as bridge champions, devised separately, independently, and then in unison a method of reaching slam. This method became known as the Kantar-Kleinman Slam Force within the bridge community.

Contribution to this Site by Mr. Daniel Kleinman

It was with great honor to acknowledge that Mr. Danny Kleinman was courteous enough to send us an email explaining the development and evolution of the Kantar-Kleinman Slam Force, which uses the idle bid of 4 Spades after a 1 No Trump or 2 No Trump opening bid. We are very thankful to Mr. Danny Kleinman for his email message and appreciate his thoughtfulness.

The email message is as follows, verbatim:

From: Danny Kleinman
Date: December 2000
To: raymond@bridgeguys.com
Subject: (1NT or 2NT)-pass-4S

Eddie (Kantar) and I invented different meanings for this 4 Spades response.

I wrote that it should be STRONGER than a 4 No Trump response, a hand that would otherwise be worth a blast to 6 No Trump, with the idea that a better slam might be found, and opener's 4 No Trump rebid warning of a 4-3-3-3 minimum.

Eddie wrote (in Bridge Today) that this 4 Spades response should be slightly WEAKER than a 4 No Trump response. I am a friend of Eddie and have helped edit some of his work. I faxed him my views of the 4 Spades response, and soon he converted to my way.

Danny Kleinman

Description of the Concept

After one partner has opened with 1 No Trump, or 2 No Trump, and the other partner is not a passed hand, many partnerships use the Texas Transfer Convention to show a long Heart suit or a long Spade suit by bidding the lower-ranking suit to transfer the 1 No Trump bidder. Using this convention, many partnerships discovered that the bid of 4 Spades was idle and had no significance. Mr. Eddie Kantar and Mr. Danny Kleinman devised a way to apply the use of this 4 Spades bid.

After one partner has opened the bidding with 1 No Trump, and also 2 No Trump, a response of 4 Spades strongly indicates a holding very much interested in bidding slam, especially and generally in 6 No Trump. However, if a suit could be established, then the slam would be played in that suit.

With the bid of 4 Spades, both Mr. Eddie Kantar and Mr. Danny Kleinman decided that there was sufficient bidding space available to stop short of slam if necessary. Therefore, a bid of 4 Spades was regarded as non-forcing. In case the No Trump opener held a minimum and a 4-3-3-3 distribution, then the No Trump bidder would bid 4 No Trump, and the contract would be played in 4 No Trump.

If the opener rebids at the five level, then the opener would show a 4-card suit with his bid. If the opener rebids at the six level, the opener would show a 5-card suit with his bid. The important difference is that a rebid at the five or six level indicates an excellent holding with two or more honors, at least Queen high. Any positive response from the 2 No Trump bidder indicates an excellent holding with two or more honors, at least King high.

In the case that the No Trump opener, after a 4 Spades response, does not have a holding that fits the requirements mentioned above, then the No Trump bidder can bid 5 No Trump, which asks the responder to establish a suit. If the responder then shows a suit preference at the six level, then the No Trump bidder is expected to pass with at least a 4-card support in the responder's suit. If the No Trump bidder does not have this support, then the No Trump bidder is expected to continue the bidding until a slam contract has been reached.

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.