Duplicate Bridge

Semi-puppet Stayman added; other minor improvements.
Dec 2023: Muppet and replacing Gerber updated; other minor improvements.
Oct 2023: Over our 2 NT opening, bidding room is cramped, and we do not have the wealth of options that we have over 1 NT. This article compares increasingly complicated systems over our 2 NT opening, differentiated by the form of Stayman used:
1. Standard Stayman (the only one the author plays);
2. Puppet Stayman, including the muppet variant;
3. Semi-puppet Stayman; or
4. 5-card-major Stayman.

Two-suited overcalls are powerful tools that mean we do not need to bid a second time to show our shape, perhaps with the opponents fighting all the way. Two-suiters are a major offensive threat, since they often take more tricks than their high cards would indicate. This article considers the Michaels, top-and-bottom and Bailey cue-bids with unusual 2NT. It also considers three-bid systems, such as Ghestem, that immediately show all three combinations of unbid suits.

Delayed kickback resolves ambiguities: does four spades ask for keycards, or does it mean something else?

One small but important correction to Dutch spiral.
Mar 2020: A spiral inquiry is often used when opener may have raised responder's major suit holding only three card support. This article describes a better system than basic "3-3-4-4" spiral raises. Charts compare these with other methods. A major rewrite for clarity, with few changes in methods from the Jul 2019 version. This conventional inquiry has been renamed from semi-natural spiral.
Practice files moved to: Bridge > Practice

Totally superseded.

Totally superseded.
Practice files moved to: Bridge > Practice

This article is a major update to "Miles Responses to a Strong Two Club Opening" (Jul 2009).

Totally superseded.

Totally superseded.

Totally superseded.

The author leads with his tried-and-true principles of game tries over standard raises and responding to them, but shows their shortcomings. He then proceeds to modern methods, which aim to avoid game tries when possible, and to conceal potentially damaging information from the opponents. Losing Trick Count is discussed and sure cover cards, aka winners, are introduced. The slow-down raise, mini-splinters by responder, and jump mixed raises are recommended. Reverse two-way reverse Drury is introduced, with full game tries available to both partners. The limit raise is merged with the forcing raise both to gain space and for competitive advantage. Important ideas by Marty Bergen, Ken Eichenbaum, Andrew Gumperz, Lew Gamerman and many others are considered in the Appendix, plus tests of specific game try methods. Three pages of annotated references are included. There are lots of ideas and arrangements of ideas here.

This article was originally published in Canadian Master Point, November 1993; repaired by Pete Matthews Jr from available sources and posted with permission of the author.
Topics: PROBLEM 1: The lack of definition of the 2/1. PROBLEM 2: The (misguided) principle of fast arrival, Serious 3NT, Picture Bids. Likely the earliest published, useful description of Serious 3NT methods.

This article was originally published in Canadian Master Point, January 1994; repaired by Pete Matthews Jr from available sources and posted with permission of the author.
Topics: Likely the earliest published, useful descriptions of Last Train to Clarksville (LTTC) and Lackwood.

This article was originally published in Canadian Master Point, June 1994; repaired by Pete Matthews Jr from available sources and posted with permission of the author.
Topics: Responses to cheapest jump shift, used as replacement for Jacoby 2NT. Improving Forcing 1NT Auctions.

In the Precision bidding system, the one club opening is used for most strong hands. When this comes up, it offers an opportunity to get in the way.
The most common Precision opening is one diamond. The opponents may try to use it to eat your lunch. Be prepared, or go hungry!

Totally superseded.

Years in the making, the author presents his survey of available methods and those he recommends — slip out page 4.

This is the definitive article on the web about bidding systems for deals where the opening bidder has five or more hearts and three or four spades. The Tucker 1NT rebid is introduced and recommended over approaches based on standard methods, the Flannery Two Diamond opening, the Kaplan Interchange, Opener's Transfer Rebids, Opener's Gazzilli Two Club rebid, and Kaplan-Sheinwold Updated (KSU). This sixth version of the article adds evaluation of Transfer, Gazzilli, KSU, and Extended Flannery methods, more Tucker context deals, and Extended Flannery context deals. Want to start playing Tucker? Just pull out page 2. Also see A Major Nightmare below. Supporting materials for this article include:
PDF  Spreadsheet summarizing bidding evaluation results. XLS 
Practice files moved to: Bridge > Practice

Totally superseded.

Montreal Relay, Transfer Walsh, Crowhurst, New Minor Forcing, Checkback Stayman, Two-Way NMF, Leong Transfers [rev. Dec 2010], Morgan Transfers, Fourth Bid Transfers, Fourth Suit Forcing, X-Y-Z.