Walsh convention

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Walsh is a convention used in the card game of bridge in response to an opening bid of 1♣. [1] The convention has its origins in the Walsh System [2] developed by Richard Walsh. [3]

Calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game convey information about the player's card holdings. Calls may be "natural" or "artificial". A bridge convention is an agreement about an artificial call or a set of related artificial calls.

Contract bridge card game

Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions of people play bridge worldwide in clubs, tournaments, online and with friends at home, making it one of the world's most popular card games, particularly among seniors. The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the governing body for international competitive bridge, with numerous other bodies governing bridge at the regional level.

In general, the Walsh convention is not used in four-card major systems such as Acol, but may be employed in some five-card major systems; especially those that use a prepared club, rather than better minor. The opening bid of 1♣ will therefore have shown either clubs or a balanced hand.

Acol is the bridge bidding system that, according to The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, is "standard in British tournament play and widely used in other parts of the world". It is a natural system using four-card majors and, most commonly, a weak no trump.

When responder is too weak to force to game diamond suits are bypassed in favour of major suits, regardless of the length of the diamond suit. For example, holding ♠ AJ72 ♥ J74♦ K10653 ♣ 8, the response to the opening bid of 1♣ would be 1♠ rather than the normal 1♦.

Continuations vary according to other details of the system being played. If Checkback Stayman is being played, then the auction 1♣– 1♠; 1NT – 2♦ would show this hand and end the auction. If New minor forcing is being used, then 3♦ is used as the sign off bid instead.

New Minor Forcing (NMF), is a contract bridge bidding convention used to find a 5-3 or 4-4 major suit fit after a specific sequence of bids in which opener has rebid one notrump. The convention is triggered by responder at his second turn by an artificial bid of two in an unbid minor; it requires that he hold five cards in the major he has previously bid and an unlimited hand ranging in value from at least game invitational strength to that sufficient to have interest in slam; he may also hold four cards in the other major. Accordingly, there are six bidding sequences in which the New Minor Forcing bid may be applied:

When the values to force to game are held, the procedure is abandoned, and suits are bid in the normal order. Responders reverse from diamonds into a major thus becomes game forcing. So, holding ♠ AJ72 ♥ AK4♦ K10653 ♣ 8, the auction starts 1♣– 1♦; 1NT – 2♠.

The main purpose of the convention is to avoid missing major suit fits when opener has something akin to a weak notrump, and would rebid 1NT over the normal 1♦ response. The major suit fit is likely to provide a safer resting place when the hands are weak, as well as potentially scoring better (a concern perhaps only at matchpoints).

It is a form of Canapé and thus the responses of 1♥ and 1♠ to a 1♣ opener are alertable in the UK under EBU regulations.

Canapé is a bridge bidding method in which the second suit bid may be longer than or at least as long as the first. The name Canapé refers to a small bite presented before a big meal.

Related Research Articles

In the card game contract bridge, the major suits are spades and hearts. The major suits are of prime importance for tactics and scoring as they outrank the minor suits while bidding and also outscore them. Much of the tactics of bidding in bridge revolves around the attempt by partners to find a "fit" in one of the major suits that will allow them to make a game contract. Another reason why the major suits is more desirable than the minor suits is that they need one less trick to make game. Of the two major suits, spades rank higher than hearts.

In contract bridge the minor suits are diamonds and clubs. They are given that name because contracts made in those suits score less than contracts made in the major suits, and they rank lower in bidding. In particular, one can make game with a four-level bid in a major suit, while a five-level bid is required in a minor. Of the two minor suits, diamonds rank higher than clubs.

The Grand Slam Force is a bidding convention in contract bridge that was developed by Ely Culbertson in 1936. It is intended to be used in cases where the combined hands of a partnership are so strong that a slam is a near-certainty and a grand slam is a possibility. It allows one partner to gain information on the quality of trumps in the other partner's hand.

Lebensohl is a contract bridge convention used by responder after an opponent's overcall of a one notrump (1NT) opening bid in order to compete further in the auction without necessarily committing the partnership to game. Lebensohl can also be used after opponents' weak-two bids and in responding to a reverse by partner.

Slam-seeking conventions are codified artificial bids used in the card game contract bridge. Bidding and making a small slam or grand slam yields high bonuses ranging from 500 to 1500 points. However, the risk is also high as failure to fulfill the slam contract also means failure to score the bonus points for a game (300-500). Conventions have been devised to maximise the opportunity for success whilst minimising the risk of failure.

Rubinsohl is a bridge convention that can be used to counter an opponent's intervention over a 1NT opening bid. After opponent's two-level overcall, all bids starting from 2NT are transfer bids to the next strain.

In contract bridge, Gardener or comic notrump is an overcall of 1NT denoting either a 16-18 balanced hand, or a weak hand with a long suit. It is named after British player Nico Gardener. The partner, if interested in game, checks the "seriousness" of the overcall by bidding 2♣, and the overcaller responds 2NT with real notrump overcall, and corrects to a suit if weak.

Suction is a contract bridge bidding convention used to intervene over an opponent's 1NT opening. Using the suction convention, a suit overcall of a 1NT opening is conventional and denies the suit actually bid. It shows either:

  1. a one-suiter in the next higher ranking suit or
  2. a two suiter in the other two suits.

In the card game contract bridge, a forcing bid is any call that obliges the partner to bid over an intermediate opposing pass. Owing to the partnership's bidding system or a bridge convention, partner must "keep the bidding open", i.e. not pass, thereby preventing his left-hand opponent from ending the auction with a pass and enabling the "forcing bidder" to bid further.

Fourth suit forcing is a contract bridge convention that allows responder to create, at his second turn to bid, a forcing auction. A bid by responder in the fourth suit, the only remaining unbid suit, is artificial indicating that responder has no appropriate alternate bid, remains interested in the potential for a game contract and asks opener to bid again to show additional features.

In the card game bridge, a forcing pass is an agreement or understanding that a pass call obliges the partner to bid, double, or redouble over an intermediate opposing pass, i.e. partner must "keep the bidding open".

In the game of bridge, Leaping Michaels is a conventional overcall in 4♣ or 4♦ made in defense to opposing 2-level or 3-level preemptive openings. Leaping Michaels shows a strong two-suited hand that is less suitable for a takeout double and is game forcing. Described as an overcall by some of a weak two-bid of a major, others expand its application to all weak preempts at the 2 or 3-level in both the majors and minors.

The Romex system is a contract bridge bidding system designed by the Mexican bridge expert George Rosenkranz. Key features of Romex are the multiple meanings attributed to certain bids, namely the dynamic one notrump and the Mexican two diamonds.

EHAA is a highly natural bidding system in contract bridge characterized by four-card majors, sound opening bids, undisciplined weak two-bids in all four suits and a mini notrump, usually of 10–12 high card points.

Devised by Kit Woolsey, the convention is a defense against an opponent's one notrump opening; especially used at matchpoints. Initial bids are as follows:

Transfer Walsh is a bidding convention used in contract bridge. After a 1♣ opening bid, responses of 1♦ and 1♥ show heart and spade suits respectively. The "Walsh" terminology refers to the fact that these bids may conceal an equal or longer diamond suit. It allows opener to play a greater proportion of major-suit and no-trump contracts, particularly when using five-card majors.

In contract bridge, a strong two-bid is an opening bid of two in a suit, i.e. 2♣, 2♦, 2♥ or 2 ♠. It is a natural bid, used to show a hand that is too strong to open at the one level. Commonly used in the early days of bridge, most expert players converted after World War II to the now more common weak two bid retaining only 2♣ as a strong opening suit-bid and changing its meaning to artificial and forcing holding any suit. This was done on the basis that the weak two-bid would occur much more frequently.

The Smith signal is an attitude carding signal in contract bridge showing additional values in the first suit led by the defence, while the signal itself is given in the first suit played by declarer.

The Fishbein convention is a bidding convention in contract bridge developed by Harry Fishbein used to compete against a preemptive opening bid by the opponents.

References

  1. ↑ Walsh Diamond Responses
  2. ↑ The Walsh System is also known as Western Roth-Stone, West Coast Scientific and Western Scientific. Reference: Francis, Henry G., Editor-in-Chief; Truscott, Alan F., Executive Editor; Francis, Dorthy A., Editor, Sixth Edition (2001). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (6th ed.). Memphis, TN: American Contract Bridge League. p. 568. ISBN   0-943855-44-6. OCLC   49606900.
  3. ↑ Francis, Henry G., Editor-in-Chief; Truscott, Alan F., Executive Editor; Francis, Dorthy A., Editor, Sixth Edition (2001). The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (6th ed.). Memphis, TN: American Contract Bridge League. p. 755. ISBN   0-943855-44-6. OCLC   49606900.
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