The origin of this conventional method is unknown. The designation can be either a surname, a nickname, an abbreviation, or an acronym. Source: BridgeSqueeze.

Principle of the Concept

The concept is applied when one partner responds to the opening bid of a strong 1 No Trump with a range of 15 to 18 high card points. The partnership agreement includes also the understanding that the Stayman conventional method and the Jacoby Transfers conventional methods are employed.

Any decision by the partnership to employ this conventional method for No Trump ranges lower than a strong No Trump is a partnership agreement. The corresponding values should then be adjusted.

Examples of the Concept

The following illustration should clarify the concept and reason for such a method:

North AK5 Q106 A108 KJ96		South Q10873 KJ9872 K3

North		East		South		Meaning
1 NT		Pass		2		The responder has a distribution of at least 5-5 in two touching suits.
2 NT		Pass				A 2NT rebid (relay bid) by the No Trump bidder asks responder to bid the lower-ranking suit. By inference the No Trump bidder then knows the touching suit.
				3		Shows Clubs and Diamonds.
				3		Shows Diamonds and Hearts.
				3		Shows Hearts and Spades (as in the example).
				3		Shows Spades and Clubs.

Game values should be held in order to initiate the Afair conventional responses. The partnership should employ other bids such as Stayman and Jacoby Transfers at the lowest level to show weaker values.

Note: If the two suits are not touching, such as Clubs and Hearts, or Diamonds and Spades, then this method may not be applied or employed.

Note: For a more experienced partnership it would present no difficulty in not only recognizing the slam possibility, but also bidding either the small Spade or Heart slam in the example above.

First Response is 2 No Trump

The first response of 2 No Trump shows a second distributional holding:

North		East		South	Meaning
1 NT		Pass		2	The responder has a distribution of at least 5-5 in two touching suits.
2 NT		Pass			A 2NT rebid (relay bid) by the No Trump bidder asks responder to bid the lower-ranking suit. By inference the No Trump bidder then knows the touching suit.
				3	Shows Clubs and Diamonds.
				3	Shows Diamonds and Hearts.
				3	Shows Hearts and Spades (as in the example).
				3	Shows Spades and Clubs.

An illustration will assist in clarifying the continuances following a 2 No Trump rebid by the opener:

North AK5 Q106 A108 KJ96		South 73 43 K63 KQJ872

North		East		South		Meaning
1 NT		Pass		2 NT		The responder shows either a holding in a Minor suit with non-game values or game values with a maximum of two or fewer cards in both Major suits (as in the example).
3		Pass		Pass		The No Trump bidder is forced to respond in the lowest-ranking Minor suit. The responder will pass if Clubs is the Minor suit and holds no game values.
				3		The responder will correct to Diamonds if Diamonds is the long Minor suit and holds no game values. The No Trump bidder must pass even with maximum values.
				3 NT		The responder will show first the distribution of a long Minor suit, and then bid game in No Trump with game values. The Minor suit then remains unspecified.

Competition

By competition either in the immediate seat or by the fourth player in rotation must be addressed by the partnership. Such a defense mechanism should be based on whether the interference has obstructed the communicated information in order to determine whether the partnership should play systems on or systems off.

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.