|
The new Alert procedure
includes a number of definitions whose purpose
is to clarify important concepts and create a
standard terminology.
It also uses the admittedly
"fuzzy" terminology of "highly unusual and
unexpected" as the best practical solution to
simplifying the Alert Procedure. The "highly
unusual and unexpected" should be determined in
light of historical usage rather than local
geographical usage. To ensure full disclosure,
however, at the end of the auction and before
the opening lead declarers are encouraged to
volunteer to explain the auction (including
available inferences).
Definition of expected length
for natural calls for the Alert Procedure are:
- Suit bids:
- 1. 3+ in a minor and 4+ in a major for
opening bids, rebids and responses.
- 2. 4+ for an overcall at the one level, 5+
for higher levels.
- 3. 5+ for a weak two-bid.
- 4. 6+ for a weak three-bid.
- Notrump openings and overcalls: A notrump
opening or overcall, if not unbalanced
(generally, no singleton or void and only one or
two doubletons), is considered
natural.
Definitions:
- Alert: A manner specified by the sponsoring
organization by which opponents are notified of
your pair's special agreements. These may be
given aloud, in writing and/or by using an Alert
card or strip.
- Convention: A bid which, by partnership
agreement, conveys a meaning not necessarily
related to the denomination named or, in the
case of a pass, double or redouble, the last
denomination named. In addition, a pass which
promises more than a specified amount of
strength, or artificially promises or denies
values other than in the last suit named.
- Transfer: A bid of a suit to show another
specific suit (e.g., a diamond bid showing
hearts).
- Cue-bid: A bid in a suit which an opponent
has either bid naturally or in which he has
shown four or more cards.
- Control-bid: A bid, not intended as a place
to play, which denotes a control (usually first
or second round). The control need not be in the
denomination named. These bids are usually used
to investigate slam.
- Doubles (in increasing order of penalty
orientation):
- Takeout: Partner is requested to bid.
- Competitive: Shows a desire to compete
further; partner normally bids.
- Optional: Shows extra high-card values;
offers partner a choice between bidding or
passing.
- Penalty-oriented: Partner normally passes
but occasionally bids..
- Penalty: Partner is requested to
pass.
- Other useful definitions:
- Treatment: A natural call which, by
partnership agreement, carries a specific
message about the suit bid or the general
strength or shape of the hand.
- Relay: A bid which does not guarantee any
specific suit; partner is requested to make the
next-step bid (usually) or make another
descriptive bid if appropriate (e.g., a diamond
bid which usually shows hearts but may not have
hearts in some cases).
- Puppet: A bid which requires partner to make
a specific bid (e.g., a 2NT bid which requires
partner to bid 3
 ).
Alerts: Many previously
Alertable calls no longer require an Alert.
However, when in doubt Alert (there is no
penalty for Alerting unnecessarily but there may
be one for failing to Alert when one is
required).
Pre-Alerts (Alerts before hands
are removed from the first board of a round or
match segment):
- 1. Two-system methods (e.g., strong club
when equal or favorable vulnerability; a natural
two-over-one when not).
- 2. Systems based on very light openings or
other highly aggressive methods or preempts.
- 3. Systems which may be unfamiliar to
opponents, such as canapé.
- 4. SuperChart and Mid-Chart methods.
- 5. Leading low from a doubleton.
Delayed Alerts: Beginning with
and including opener's second call, an Alertable
bid above the level of 3NT bid is a delayed
Alert. Passes, Doubles and Redoubles requiring
an Alert must always be Alerted immediately.
A Delayed Alert is made as
follows:
- Declaring side: The partner or the person
making the Alertable call Alerts after the
auction is completed and prior to the opening
lead.
- Defending side: The partner of the player
making the Alertable call Alerts after the
opening lead is made face-down and before the
dummy is tabled.
Comparison: New Alert Procedure
(2002) vs the Old Procedure
New Alert Procedure
- I. Natural Bids No natural calls are
Alertable except for:
- a. Those which show an unexpected feature
that is unrelated to the denomination named.
- b. Those which are played by most players as
forcing (or non-forcing) or as showing a
particular range or strength, but which you play
differently.
- c. Direct cue-bids which are played as
natural (e.g., 1
 -2=diamonds).
- II. Conventional Bids All conventional calls
are immediately Alertable, except for:
- a. Those which require an Announcement, a
Delayed Alert, or are specifically exempted
herein.
- b. Stayman.
- c. Gerber, Blackwood, their variations, and
the expected responses thereto.
- d. Unusual Notrump.
- e. A conventional 2NT response to an opening
two-level suit bid.
- f. Cue-bids, regardless of their meaning
(but see Ic).
- g. Opening strong artificial 2
and a waiting or negative 2
response thereto.
- III. Doubles, Redoubles and Passes
- a. No double requires an Alert except those
with highly unusual or unexpected meanings.
- b. No redouble requires an Alert except
those with highly unusual or unexpected
meanings.
- c. No pass requires an Alert except those
with highly unusual or unexpected
meanings.
- IV. Announcements - The following bids
require an Announcement:
- a. Transfers (diamonds to hearts or hearts
to spades) at any level by the partner of a
notrump opener, overcaller or after opener's
natural NT rebid (say "Transfer").
- b. A forcing or semi-forcing 1NT response to
a one-of-a-major opening (say "Forcing" or
"Semi-forcing," respectively.
- c. All opening 1NT ranges (state the range).
- d. Non-forcing opening bids of 1
or 1
which may be fewer than three cards (say "May be
short").
- V. Delayed Alerts - Beginning with and
including opener's second call, Alertable bids
above 3NT require a Delayed Alert. (Note:
Alertable passes, doubles and redoubles require
immediate, not Delayed, Alerts.)
- VI. Calls with Highly Unusual or Unexpected
Meanings - Any call which conveys a highly
unusual message, either by partnership agreement
or past experience, of which the opponents are
likely to be unaware, requires an Alert
irrespective of items I through V
above.
Changes from Old Alert Procedure
- I. Natural Bids The following will no longer
require an Alert:
- Jump raises, except those played as weak in
non-competitive auctions (e.g., 1
 -P-3=weak);
- all natural three-level responses to notrump
openings or overcalls, whether a jump or not;
natural but limited openings (e.g., Precision
1
and 1
 );
- 1NT responses and rebids showing a balanced
hand, even if a four-card major may be bypassed;
- invitational or better natural 2NT response
to an opening bid of one in a suit.
- II. Conventional Bids
- Cue-bids will no longer require an Alert
except for a direct cue-bid of an opening
natural bid which is played as natural (e.g.,
1-2=diamonds).
Note: 1
(artificial) - 2 =
natural is not Alertable.
- III. Doubles, Redoubles and Passes Doubles,
redoubles and passes will no longer require an
Alert except for those with highly unusual or
unexpected meanings (e.g., 1-Dbl=penalty;
1-1-Dbl=penalty;
1-P-4-Dbl=lead
clubs; 1NT-Dbl-Rdbl=asks opener to bid 2;
1-Dbl-Rdbl-P=penalty).
Note: forcing passes are not Alertable.
- IV. Announcements All opening 1NT ranges now
are announced. Non-forcing opening bids of 1
or 1
which may be fewer than three cards now are
announced (say "May be short"). Transfers after
opener's natural NT rebid.
- V. Delayed Alerts No changes.
- VI. Calls with Highly Unusual or Unexpected
Meanings No changes. This category codifies that
Alerts are required for any unusual or
unexpected method, including legal home-made
methods.
New Alert Procedure (2002) with Examples -
Below is the new Alert procedure in summary
form, including some typical examples
illustrating each principle. In the procedure's
final form the examples will appear in a
separate table and expanded to a more extensive
set.
- I. Natural Bids No natural bids are
Alertable except for:
- a. Those which show an unexpected feature
that is unrelated to the denomination named
(e.g., a weak 2
opening showing hearts and another suit; 1-P-3=raise
promising a singleton somewhere).
- b. Those which are played by most players as
forcing (or non-forcing) or as showing a
particular range or strength, but which you play
differently (e.g., any of the following by an
unpassed hand: 1-P-1
or 1-P-2=non-forcing;
1-P-1NT=game
forcing; 1-P-3=weak;
1-P-2=forcing;
2-P-2NT=natural
and non-forcing; 1-3
or 1-2=intermediate
or strong; 1-1=could
be fewer than 6 HCP [also requires a pre-Alert];
1-P-2=non-forcing,
weak or invitational; 1-P-1-1NT=takeout;
1-1NT=12-15;
1-1NT-P-2
or 1NT-P-2=natural;1=8+
HCP [also requires a pre-Alert]; 2=intermediate
or strong; 2=weak
or intermediate; 1-P-1-P;
1NT=strong). NOTE: Opening suit bids somewhere
in the range of 10-21+ (such as Precision
natural one-level opening bids) do not require
an Alert.
- c. Direct cue-bids of natural opening bids
which are played as natural (e.g., 1-2=diamonds).
- II. Conventional Bids All conventional bids
are Alertable, except for:
- a. Those which require an Announcement, a
Delayed Alert, or are specifically exempted
herein.
- b. Stayman (a 2
or 3
bid by the partner of a notrump opener or
overcaller asking for a four-card major).
- c. Gerber (4
either immediately or delayed over partner's
notrump asking for aces), Blackwood (4NT), their
variations (e.g., KCB, RKCB, 1430, etc.), and
expected responses thereto. (Note: Non-4NT
ace-asking bids such as Kickback, those below
3NT, opening ace-asking bids, and any of their
responses require either an Alert or Delayed
Alert.)
- d. Unusual Notrump (e.g., a 2NT jump
overcall [e.g., 1x-2NT=minors or 1x-2NT=lower
two unbid suits] or any four-level or higher
notrump bid that is unusual; P-1-P-1;
1NT=takeout). (Note: A natural jump to 2NT in
balancing seat [e.g., 1-P-P-2NT=strong,
balanced] does not require an Alert.)
- e. A conventional 2NT response to an opening
two-level suit bid (e.g., asks for a feature;
Ogust).
- f. Cue-bids, regardless of their meaning
(but see Ic).
- g. Opening strong artificial 2
and a waiting or negative 2
response thereto.
- III. Doubles, Redoubles and Passes
- a. No double requires an Alert if it is for
takeout, for penalty, shows general values, or
requests partner's input (e.g., optional,
do-the-right-thing, co-operative, action, etc.).
Doubles with highly unusual or unexpected
meanings (e.g., 1-Dbl=penalty;
1-1-Dbl=penalty;
"don't-lead-my-suit" doubles; 1-P-4-Dbl=lead
clubs; 1-P-1-
2-Dbl
=support) require an Alert.
- b. No redouble requires an Alert if it is
for penalties, shows general values, or shows or
denies a control in the suit redoubled.
Redoubles with highly unusual or unexpected
meanings (e.g., 1NT-Dbl-Rdbl=asks opener to bid
his better minor, or forces him to rebid 2;
1-Dbl-Rdbl=SOS;
1-P-1-
Dbl-Rdbl =support) require an Alert.
- c. No pass requires an Alert if it indicates
weakness, shows no desire to bid, or indicates
that no suitably descriptive call is available.
Passes with highly unusual or unexpected
meanings such as those which show values or a
specific feature (e.g., 1-Dbl-Rdbl-P=penalty;
2
[strong, art.]-2-P=values;
1-2-P=forcing)
require an Alert.
- d. No forcing pass requires an
Alert.
- IV. Announcements The following bids require
an Announcement:
- a. Transfers (diamonds to hearts or hearts
to spades) at any level by the partner of a
notrump opener, overcaller or after opener's
natural NT rebid (say "Transfer").
- b. A forcing or semi-forcing 1NT response to
a one-of-a-major opening (say "Forcing" or
"Semi-forcing" as appropriate).
- c. All opening 1NT ranges (state the range,
e.g., say "12-14").
- d. Non-forcing opening bids of 1
or 1
which may be fewer than three cards (say "May be
short"). Note: A conventional 1
such as Precision is Alertable.
- V. Delayed Alerts - Beginning with and
including opener's second call, Alertable bids
above 3NT require a Delayed Alert. (Note:
Alertable passes, doubles and redoubles require
immediate, not Delayed, Alerts.)
- VI. Calls with Highly Unusual or Unexpected
Meanings - Any call which conveys a highly
unusual message, either by partnership agreement
or past experience, of which the opponents are
likely to be unaware, requires an Alert
irrespective of items I through V above.
|