Improve 1C negative auctions

[bhamrick]

I feel like our structure after 1C-1D is lacking in a few ways:

• We have essentially no agreements for how to handle 22+ point hands. By having 1C-1D-2M be forcing, we are often forcing to game regardless of whether responder actually has anything.
• After 1C-1D-1M,
• After 1C-1D-2m, responder will often have a hard time trying a bid with a 4 card major to find the better partscore.

Standard Modern Precision uses a treatment that we may consider adopting wholesale:

1C-1D-1M is 4+ cards and forcing one round with responses

• 1S (over 1H) - 4+ spades 0-7
• 1NT - 0-4 (second negative), denies 4 spades if over 1H
• 2C - "good hand no fit" 5-7, not 3 card support
• 2D - artificial 5-7 3 card raise
• 2M - 4 card raise (I forget if this is 0-7 or if there's an artificial 4 card raise for 5-7).

I know Rodwell has said he finds that 1C-1D-1M being nonforcing to have significant value.

One other option is to have 1H be artificial either as a strong hand (maybe something like 20+) or somehow multi-way. I am not sure what continuations would be best in that case. We would only lose one of the nonforcing major rebids in that case.

[shewu]

1C-1D-1M is 4+ cards and forcing one round with responses

This implies that 1C-1D-1N is 17-19 HCP denying 4cM?

1S (over 1H) - 4+ spades 0-7 1NT - 0-4 (second negative), denies 4 spades if over 1H 2M - 4 card raise (I forget if this is 0-7 or if there's an artificial 4 card raise for 5-7).

Are these responses nonforcing?

Standard Modern Precision uses a treatment that we may consider adopting wholesale:

This still doesn't address the very strong 1C hands, so how will that interact? I think that opener just keeps bidding since in almost all of these responses, opener is captain.

One other option is to have 1H be artificial either as a strong hand

Then the earliest heart partscore will be 2H, which I think is fine. I generally don't foresee opponents letting us play at the 1-level unless they are both roughly even in points and have no noteworthy suit distribution.

or somehow multi-way

I take that this is allowed by ACBL?

[bhamrick]

1C-1D-1M is 4+ cards and forcing one round with responses

This implies that 1C-1D-1N is 17-19 HCP denying 4cM?

Yes, that's their treatment.

1S (over 1H) - 4+ spades 0-7 1NT - 0-4 (second negative), denies 4 spades if over 1H 2M - 4 card raise (I forget if this is 0-7 or if there's an artificial 4 card raise for 5-7).

Are these responses nonforcing?

I believe so.

Standard Modern Precision uses a treatment that we may consider adopting wholesale:

This still doesn't address the very strong 1C hands, so how will that interact? I think that opener just keeps bidding since in almost all of these responses, opener is captain.

Very strong hands with a 4 card major would be able to use the 1M responses and then make an appropriate action after responder clarifies, and we already have a structure for balanced hands. I'll have to review what they do with minor based hands.

One other option is to have 1H be artificial either as a strong hand

Then the earliest heart partscore will be 2H, which I think is fine. I generally don't foresee opponents letting us play at the 1-level unless they are both roughly even in points and have no noteworthy suit distribution.

or somehow multi-way

I take that this is allowed by ACBL?

Yes, basic chart allows any bid starting with opener's rebid.