The only exception being a 1C opening specifically alerted as STRONG one club opening
BETA opens 1♣
more frequently than anyother opening bid save PASS!
The requirements for a BETA 1♣ opening are strictly as follows:-
2+ cards in clubs hence our 1C opening must be alerted
12-18 HCP - a strict HCP range
If
any of BETA's other regular opening bids of 1D,1H,...3C, 3D &
beyond are present, they will always take precedence over opening 1C.
Opponents in general will open 1Ma if holding 5+ cards or 1NT with 15-17 when lacking a 5 card major. There is
a tendency for other bidding systems to also open 1 of the 'better minor'. Perhaps with a definition of 'better minor' or simply just 1♣
showing a mininum 2 or 3+ cards and opening values like us. One usual
meaning behind opponents opening 1mi is simply indicating lack of a 5
card Major or not strong enough to open 1N 15-17. Useful inferences too.
As a consequence of this it behoves us to examine possible avenues of taking
advantage when opponents make a 1C|D opening.
Having the opening bid in chess gives a slight advantage and this is also true in Bridge.
However when oponents open 1C|D they are not conveying a great deal of
information but there is some useful information we can glean
from it! ..............It is very likely to be somewhat similar to our own 1C opening!
We believe that such openings give us a chance to get going too! and snatching more than the opening advantage! This document is a serious attempt for BETA to take
maximum advantage when opponents open 1mi and our early results confirm significant promise.
BETA observes that many of our opening bids can now be bid as
overcalls following an opponents 1mi opening bid. This furthers our
advantage - as it allows us to enter the bidding with specific overcalls - and truly robbing the opponents of a significant amount of bidding space!
Also
we can directly show a 5+ card Major or Diamond suit over opponents 1C
opening by means of a transfer (D's for Hearts, H's for Spades &
S's for Diamonds! unless any of our more potent specialised bids of 1N...3D are available which should then always take preference.
Furthermore a simple Double announces that BETA has a 1C opening bid.
With this schema of overcalls our opponents would likely have lost any benefit from
opening the bidding while BETA has retaken the initiative and
now and is well en route to finding our best contract while opponents may have lost considerable bidding space!
The following table gives the order of preference for choice of o'call following
a 1C or 1D opening by opponents. This table is valid except for Strong
1C (strong hand e.g. precision club) defence against which BETA recommends just TRAP.
BETA also has a 1NT o'call which is applicable with some additional hand types. See our 1NT Overcall and continuations.
o'call following
1C|D openings
|
type
|
implied
suits
|
Strength
|
...3C
|
5+-5
|
D+H
|
<7LTC
|
...3D
|
5+-5
|
H+S
|
<7LTC
|
...2D-2any-3D
|
5+-5
|
S+D
|
<7LTC
|
...2D-2any-3C
|
5+-5
|
H+C
|
<7LTC
|
...2D-2Ma-2N
|
balanced
|
may contain a 5 card Major -
|
19-20 HCP
|
...2D-2Ma-3N
|
balanced
|
may contain a 5 card Major
|
21-22 HCP
|
...2D-2N-3N
|
balanced
|
probable slam
|
32+ HCP
|
...2N-
|
5-5 or better H+L
|
S+C
|
<7LTC
|
...1N
|
requiring a relay response if RHO passes.
|
See 1NOC. for all usages
|
<7LTC
|
...2Ma
|
5+-4 |
Ma + C|D|'Ma
|
<5LTC
|
...2Ma
|
6+
|
Ma
|
<5LTC
|
...2D!
|
6+
|
Weak 6+ card Major
|
5-7LTC
|
...1N
|
6+
|
C|D
|
5-7LTC
|
...2C
|
4-4
|
H+S
|
10+HCP
|
--*
|
1C
|
shows a 1C|1N Beta opening
|
12-18|12-14.
|
PASS
|
|
|
|
1C-1H
|
transfer
|
5+ S.
|
10+HCP
|
1C-1D
|
transfer
|
5+ H
|
10+HCP
|
1C-1S
|
transfer
|
5+D
|
10+HCP
|
1D-H|S
|
natural
|
5+H|S
|
10+HCP
|
PASS
|
natural
|
none of the above apply. 4th hand may bid
|
|
2Ma...4mi
|
6+/7+
|
Vul /non-Vul
|
HP+DP
|
3N
|
7+
|
Solid minor
|
9+HCP in suit
|