Until 5 years ago I was a software engineer and safety consultant, but now I'm a part-time bridge writer. I have devised most of the declarer and defence problems on the nofearbridge websites and I also provide assistance in other areas.
Although based in the UK I've never really enjoyed playing Acol. I'm a firm believer in 5 card majors and have played Precision, Two over One and, more recently, a variant of Fantunes.
Introduction
As a result of numerous posts on the subject, many members of the Bridgewinners forum should have at least a basic understanding of the Fantunes bidding system. For those who don't, the system is built around three main principles:
- Intermediate Two bids, in all 4 suits.
- Unlimited opening bids of one of a suit, forcing for one round and essentially natural (1♣ is clubs or balanced).
- Weak (12-14) 1NT opening.
My recent article http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/is-fantunes-a-good-bidding-system/ contained a poll that asked people to compare the merits of Fantunes with those of a "standard system". Although many voted in a neutral way (or abstained), more people voted in favour of Fantunes than against.
The article attracted a number of interesting comments, with some people saying that they liked the overall approach of the Fantunes system, but didn't like certain details. This is essentially my own view: apart from being quite complicated, Fantunes seems to be unnecessarily different from more traditional systems.
Earlier this year I set out to produce a system that followed the Fantunes principles summarised above, but was simpler and also more similar to a standard system. Although I was originally thinking about Acol and SAYC, the system has evolved so that it follows (where possible) the principles of modern 2/1. I'm now regarding that system as my "standard".
The system has been named SWIFT: Standard WIth Fantunes.
The purpose of this article is to present a summary of the SWIFT bidding system. I've left out much of the detail, but hopefully there's enough information for people to get started with the system.
Main differences between Fantunes and SWIFT
When the two systems are compared in outline, there are essentially only two differences:
- The range for a Fantunes 2 of a suit opening is 10-13, whereas in SWIFT it is 9-12.
- Fantunes uses transfer responses to a 1♣ opening. SWIFT uses a 1♦ negative and natural 1♥ and 1♠ responses.
The first of these changes means that it's no longer necessary to open 1NT (indiscriminately) on 4-4-4-1 or 5-4-2-2 hands. The 2 of a suit openings are now slightly more preemptive and also support a greater proportion of Weak Two openings. There's a slight drawback in that 1 of a suit now promises 13+ instead of 14+, but this has no adverse effect in most sequences. A major advantage of SWIFT (compared to Fantunes) is that there is no weak variant for the 1♥ and 1♠ openings, so it's possible for a new partnership to reuse most of their current 2/1 system.
The use of a negative response to the ambiguous 1♣ opening means that the partnership can stop at a lower level when responder is very weak. It also means that many sequences after a natural 1♥ or 1♠ response essentially reduce to 2/1 (or something similar), thus allowing a new SWIFT partnership to retain their existing methods.
Abbreviations used in this article:
NF non-forcing
F1R forcing for one round
GF forcing to game
SF forcing to slam
OM other major
Opening bids in SWIFT
1♣ 13+ unbalanced, either 5+ clubs or 4=4=1=4 shape. Can also be 15-19 or 22+ balanced.
1♦ 13+ unbalanced, either 5+ diamonds or 4-4-4-1 with 4 diamonds.
1♥, 1♠ 5+ card suit, 13+ points.
1NT 12-14 balanced. Might have a 5 card major if 12-13, or a singleton honour if 4-4-4-1 and 13-14.
2 of a suit 9-12, 6+ card suit or 5 cards with another 4+ card suit.
2NT 20-21 balanced - may have a 5 card major.
Higher bids As in 2/1.
All 1 of a suit openings are unlimited and forcing for one round. They may not be shaded in 3rd or 4th position.
The point counts for unbalanced hands assume a 6 card suit or 5-4 in two suits. The 1 of a suit openings therefore follow the rule of 22, or a queen more than 2/1. Similarly, the 2 of a suit openings follow the rule of 18-21.
2♠ is not opened with 5 spades, 4+ hearts and 9-10 points. Other 9-10 point hands may be passed if the vulnerability and general texture of the hand suggest doing so, although 5-4-2-2 shape is permitted.
2 of a suit may be shaded third in hand. For example, it's perfectly OK to open any sound Weak Two at the 2 level, even vulnerable. The 2 level openings can be even lighter third in hand non-vulnerable.
4-4-4-1 hands with 12 points or less must be passed. (It is accepted that 4-4-4-1 hands with 13 points don't strictly pass the rule of 22.)
Responses to 1♣
1♦ Either 0-5 points, any distribution (unless qualifying for 2♥/2♠). Or: 6-10 points, no 4 card major, unsuitable for a 1NT, 2NT, 3♣ or 3♦ response.
1♥/1♠ 6+ points, 4+ card suit. Might have a longer minor with less than 11 points. A 1♥ response may have a longer diamond suit regardless of the strength of the hand.
1NT 6-8 (or a poor 9), no 4 card major, no singleton.
2♣/2♦ 11+, 4+ card suit, GF – balanced or unbalanced. The 2♦ response denies 4 hearts.
2♥/2♠ 4-8, 6+ card suit.
2NT Good 9-10 balanced, no 4 card major, usually stoppers in both majors.
3♣ 6-8, 6+ card suit, no 4 card major.
3♦ 6-8, 7+ card suit, no 4 card major.
3NT 11-13, all suits stopped, 3=3=3=4 or 3=3=4=3 distribution.
The 2NT and 3NT responses should be used sparingly. Even with a balanced hand, it's OK to respond in a 4 card minor with 11+ points, or give the negative 1♦ response with 9-10 points.
Responding 2♦ consumes a lot of bidding space, especially when opener might or might not have a club suit. The frequency of 2♦ over 1♣ is reduced by responding 1♥ with any red two-suiter, which allows the partners to exchange information at a lower level.
Rebids after 1♣-1NT are generally natural, although opener's 2♦ rebid is either F1R with at least 4-5 in the minors, or 22+ balanced, normally with at least one 4+ card minor.
Opener's rebids after 1♣ - 1♦
1♥/1♠ 4 card suit, NF, may be balanced or unbalanced.
1NT 15-19 balanced, no 4 card major.
2♣ 5+ clubs, NF, no 4 card major.
2♦ Either 20+ with at least 4-5 in the minors or 24+ balanced.
2♥/2♠ 20+, natural, 5+ clubs, F1R. Over this 2NT is Lebensohl.
2NT 22-23 balanced. Subsequent bidding is as after a 2NT opening.
3♣ Natural, invitational.
3♦/3♥/3♠ Singleton or void in bid suit, 6+ clubs, GF.
3NT Solid clubs with stoppers.
After 1♣-1♦-1♥/1♠, responder may raise, bid 1NT or bid 1♠ over 1♥ with 3-5 points. Other bids at the 2 level promise 6-10 points.
After 1♣-1♦-1NT, all 2 of a suit bids show the suit above (Stayman doesn't apply because opener has already denied a 4 card major). After responder's 2♣ or 2♠, opener should only bid responder's suit with a minimum.
After 1♣-1♦-2♦ responder generally rebids 2♥, over which opener rebids 2NT with 24+ balanced.
Opener's rebids after 1♣ - 1♥/1♠
1♠ (over 1♥) 4 card suit, F1R, either unbalanced (unlimited) or 22+ balanced.
1NT 15-17 balanced (or a bad 18). Two-way Checkback applies over this.
2♣ 5+ clubs, NF.
2♦ GF, unbalanced with 3+ card support for responder's suit or 22+ balanced.
Raise Usually 4 card support, minimum, might be balanced or unbalanced.
2OM GF, unbalanced, 0-2 cards in responder's suit. 2♠ over 1♥ denies 4 spades.
2NT Good 18-19 balanced, GF.
3♣ 6 card suit with 3 card support for responder's suit.
3♥/3♠ Natural, strongly invitational.
3NT Solid clubs, singleton or void in responder's suit.
After 1♣-1♥-1♠, responder with a weak hand generally rebids 1NT or 2♣, over which opener's rebid of 2♦ is game-forcing. Responder's 2♦ rebid is also GF (SWIFT follows the modern style of treating all 4SF bids as GF).
After opener's 1NT rebid, responder may sign off in 3♣ or bid 3♦ to show a strong hand with 5+ diamonds and only 4 hearts. Other strong hands go via 2♦.
After opener's 2♦ rebid, responder bids 2♥ with 4 cards in his suit, 2♠ with 5 cards and some higher bid with 6+ cards. Over 2♥ or 2♠ opener rebids 2NT with 22+ balanced.
Opener's rebids after 1♣ - 2♣
2♦ 18-19 balanced, says nothing about suits held.
2♥/2♠ Natural. Usually 15-17 balanced, but might be 22+ balanced or unbalanced with clubs.
2NT 15-17 balanced, no 4 card major.
3♣ 5+ card support, unbalanced.
3♦/3♥/3♠ Splinter bids, 5+ card club support, non-minimum.
3NT 22+ balanced, no 4 card major, SF.
Opener's rebids after 1♣ - 2♦
2♥ Either 5♣+4♥ or any 18-19 balanced hand.
2♠ Natural. Usually 15-17 balanced, but might be 22+ balanced or unbalanced with clubs.
2NT 15-17 balanced, denies 4 spades.
3♣ 6+ card support, unbalanced.
3♦ 4 card support, 5+ clubs
3♥/3♠ Splinter bids, 4+ card diamond support, non-minimum.
3NT 22+ balanced, no 4 card major, SF.
Subsequent bidding is mainly natural. Note that after 1♣-2♦ opener doesn't need to show hearts explicitly, as responder has denied the suit.
Responses to 1♦
1♥/1♠ 0+ points, 4+ card suit. Might have diamond support. Might have longer clubs with less than 11 points.
1NT 0-8 points, no 4 card major.
2♣ 9+, natural, forcing to 2NT. Might have a 4 card major if 11+.
2♦ 9+, natural, forcing to 3♦. No 4 card major.
2♥/2♠ 7-9, 6+ card suit.
2NT 9-10 balanced, no 4 card major.
3♣ 6-8, 4+ diamonds (Bergen-style, to fill the gap between 2♦ and 3♦).
3♦ 0-5, 5+ diamonds.
3NT 11-13, all suits stopped, 3=3=3=4 or 3=3=4=3 distribution.
Rebids after 2♦ and higher responses are similar to those in 2/1 and similar systems.
Rebids after 1♦-1♥/1♠
1♠ (over 1♥) 13-20 points, 4 spades, NF. Might be 4=1=4=4 shape.
1NT 18+ unbalanced, any distribution (except 6♦+4OM). Might be 16-17 with 4 card support (if opener wants to be in game opposite 6+ points). Denies a GF hand with 3+ card support.
2♣ 13-17, normally at least 5♦+4♣. Occasionally 4♦+5♣ if the diamonds are very much better than the clubs.
2♦ 13-17, 6+ diamonds. Might also be 5♦+4♥ after a 1♠ response.
Raise Denies enough for 1NT, might sometimes be 3 card support.
2NT GF, 3+ card support for responder's suit.
Higher bids are generally 15-17, natural and distributional.
Rebids after 1♦-1♥/1♠-1NT
2♣ 6+ points, GF, waiting bid with virtually any shape.
2♦ 0-5 points, most hands
2♥/2♠ 0-5 points, 6+ card suit or 5 card suit with 0-1 diamond.
2NT 6-9 points, 4-3-3-3 shape.
3♣ 0-5 points, NF, 6+ clubs, only 4 cards in the bid major.
Rebids after 1♦-1NT
Pass 13-17, denies 6 diamonds or 4 clubs.
2♣ Gazzilli. Either 13-17 with at least 4-4 in the minors, or most 18+ hands.
2♦ 13-17, usually 6+ diamonds. Might be 1=4=5=3 or 4=1=5=3 shape.
2♥/2♠ 5+ card suit (hence 6+ diamonds), F1R.
2NT GF, 6+ diamonds.
Rebids after 1♦-1NT-2♣
2♦ 0-5, either 3 diamonds or 3=3=2=5 shape.
2♥/2♠ 6-8, feature in suit bid, 4+ clubs
2NT 6-8, no major suit stopper, 4+ clubs
3♣ 0-5, either 7+ clubs or 6 clubs with 1 or 2 diamonds.
3♦ 6-8, 3=3=4=3 shape.
Note that the above rebids are somewhat different from those over Gazzilli when it follows a 1♥ or 1♠ opening.
Rebids after 1♦-2♣
2♦ 5+ card suit, unlimited, might have a 4 card major if minimum. F1R: the bidding may stop in 2NT, 3♣ or 3♦.
2♥/2♠ Natural, GF, possibly 4-4-4-1 (2♠ denies 4 hearts).
2NT Minimum 4=4=4=1, NF.
3♣ Natural, minimum, NF. Might be 4=1=4=4 or 1=4=4=4.
3♦ 6+ card suit, strong suit, GF.
3♥/3♠ Splinter bids in support of clubs, not 4-4-4-1.
Developments after a 1♥ or 1♠ opening
Openings bids of 1♥ and 1♠ show 13+ points (rule of 22) with a 5+ card suit. In most cases, a partnership can use its existing methods in combination with the "principle of the transferred queen", i.e. opener subtracts a queen, responder adds a queen and both bid as though they are playing 2/1. There are, however, two necessary changes from "standard" 2/1:
- Over 1♥ it's essential to use the Kaplan Interchange;
- After a 1♠ response (to 1♥) and a 1NT response (to either opening), opener's cheapest rebid is Gazzilli.
A suggested system of responses is shown below.
Responses to 1♥
1♠ 0-10 points, F1R, denies 5 spades. Might have 3 hearts with 0-4 or 9-10 points.
1NT 0+ points, F1R, 5+ spades.
2♣ 11+, GF, either clubs or balanced (Spear)
2♦ 11+, GF, 5+ card suit.
2♥ 5-8, 3 card support.
2♠ 0-4, 6 card suit.
2NT Jacoby, GF, 11+, 4+ card support.
3♣ Bergen, 8-10 (including shortage points), 4+ card support.
3♦ Bergen, 6-7 (including shortage points), 4+ card support.
3♥ Pre-emptive, 1-5 (including shortage points), 4+ card support.
3NT 11-13 balanced, stoppers in unbid suits, 3=3=3=4 or 3=3=4=3 distribution.
3♠/4♣/4♦ Splinter bids in support of hearts.
Responses to 1♠ are similar, except that responder bids 1NT (semi-forcing) on most 0-10 point hands (i.e. those not qualifying for an immediate supporting bid).
Rebids after 1♥-1♠
1NT Gazzilli – either 13-16 with spades or most 17+ point hands or 15-16 balanced.
2♣/2♦ Normally 13-16 with 4+ card suit. Might be 14-15 with 5-3-3-2 shape
2♥ 13-16, 6+ hearts.
2NT GF.
Other bids are natural, strong but NF.
Rebids after 1♠-1NT are similar, with 2♣ now the Gazzilli rebid. Opener may pass with a minimum 5-3-3-2 hand.
Rebids after 1♥-1NT
2♣ Gazzilli – either 13-16 with clubs or most 17+ point hands or 15-16 balanced. Might be slightly less with spade support.
2♦ Normally 13-16 with 4+ card suit. Might be 14-15 with 2=5=3=3 shape
2♥ 13-16, 6+ hearts.
2♠ 13-16, 3+ card support.
2NT GF.
Other bids are natural, strong but NF.
Outline of Gazzilli
Responder bids the next step up with 7-10 points (or 7+ after 1♥-1NT). After this, opener's rebid in his major suit shows the weak type and 2NT shows 15-16 balanced. These are both NF, but other rebids (showing 17+) are GF.
With 0-6 points responder makes the most descriptive higher rebid, which will often be 2 of opener's suit with a doubleton.
The 1NT opening
The 1NT opening shows 12-14 balanced. This includes all 5-3-3-2 hands with 12-13 points and a 5 card major, although with 14 points a 1♥ or 1♠ opening would normally be preferred.
There is no necessity to open 1NT with 5-4-2-2 shape, although this may be a good idea when opener has some strength in the short suits. This is especially the case with 12 points, since the only alternative opening bid would be at the 2 level.
4-4-4-1 hands are not normally opened 1NT, since 12 point hands are passed and 13-14 point hands are opened 1♣ (only with a singleton diamond) or 1♦. With a singleton honour, however, there's a good case for opening 1NT (assuming that the conditions of contest permit this).
Partnerships can employ their normal methods after 1NT, although it's advisable to have some mechanism for identifying 5 card major suits in opener's hand. Using the 3♣ response as Puppet Stayman is a simple and effective approach.
Opening bids of 2 of a suit
In SWIFT a 2 of a suit opening shows 9-12 points and either 6+ cards in the bid suit, or 5 cards with a second 4- or 5-card suit. Another way of looking at it is that it shows a 5+ card suit with any shape except 5332.
It's fair to say that the 2-level opening bids aren't the most accurate part of the system. Responder often has to pass the opening bid and this can result in a poor 5-2 or 5-1 fit, with other pairs finding a better contract after an opening bid at the 1 level or an initial pass. Even when responder is strong enough to bid, there can be insufficient space for exploration.
On the other hand, with opener having 9-12 points, the hand is just as likely to belong to the opponents. Now they are the ones to suffer from lack of bidding space, especially if responder has support for opener's suit and can continue the preempt further.
SWIFT doesn't mandate opening 2 of a suit with 9-10 points: opener always has the option of passing, especially with 5-4-2-2 shape. Also, with 5 spades and 4+ hearts opener has to pass anyway, since there is only enough space to show the 11-12 point hands with these suits.
The 2♣ opening is quite similar to Precision. The slightly narrower range in SWIFT is offset by the possibility that opener might have 5 clubs and 4 diamonds, with which most Precision players would open 1♦. These players can stick to their existing methods, although the recommended SWIFT approach is quite similar to traditional Precision. Using 2♦ as a relay (showing invitational-plus values) works quite well.
Life isn't so easy after a 2♦, 2♥ or 2♠ opening. The next bid up is used as a relay, with 2NT over 2♦ or 2♥ showing 5+ cards in the suit above. This approach allows 4-4 major suit fits to be located, although subsequent bidding can still prove to be difficult.
Responses to 2♣
2♦ Relay, at least an invitational hand.
2♥/2♠ NF, 5+ card suit.
2NT 5+ diamonds, F1R.
3♣ Preemptive.
Rebids after 2♣-2♦
2♥/2♠ 4 card suit, any strength.
2NT Minimum, 6 clubs or 4 diamonds.
3♣ 6 card suit, maximum.
3♦ 4 card suit, maximum.
Responses to 2♦
2♥ Relay, at least an invitational hand.
2♠ NF, 5+ card suit.
2NT 5+ hearts, F1R.
3♣ 6+ card suit, F1R.
3♦ Preemptive.
Rebids after 2♦-2♥
2♠ 4 card suit, any strength.
2NT Minimum, 4 hearts.
3♣ 4 card suit, any strength. Might sometimes be maximum, 6 diamonds, club feature.
3♦ 6 card suit, minimum.
3♥ 4 card suit, maximum.
Responses to 2♥
2♠ Relay, at least an invitational hand.
2NT 5+ spades, F1R.
3♣/3♦ 6+ card suit, F1R.
3♥ Preemptive.
Rebids after 2♥-2♠
2NT Minimum, 4 spades, NF.
3♣/3♦ 4 card suit, any strength. Also could be maximum, 6 hearts, feature in suit bid.
3♥ 6 card suit, minimum.
3♠ Maximum, 4 spades.
Responses to 2♠
2NT Relay, at least an invitational hand.
3♣/3♦/3♥ 6+ card suit, F1R.
3♠ Preemptive.
Rebids after 2♠-2NT
3♣/3♦ 4 card suit, any strength. Might sometimes be maximum, 6 spades, feature in suit bid.
3♥ 4 card suit, maximum.
3♠ 6 card suit, minimum.
This article has been written in order to provide an introduction to SWIFT, highlighting the areas that are significantly different from 2/1. I didn't want to make the article too long, but I've tried to provide enough information for people to try out the system. I realise that more detail would be required for a serious partnership.
In particular, I've said nothing about handling intervention, although I'm happy to write a follow-up article on this topic if there is sufficient interest. I am also willing to provide further information on particular sequences.
So, does SWIFT work? I've now been playing it for 6 months, but only at matchpoints at my local club. During most of this period the system has been under development, although it's now fairly stable. To start with my partner and I were accustoming ourselves to the system and our results suffered a little, but more recently we've done better than before we started playing SWIFT.
What about the opening 2 bids? For the last 4 months I have been keeping records. Over 15 sessions we opened 2 of a suit 54 times and on these boards we scored an average of 67%. Of course some good results resulted from errors and bad judgement from our opponents, while on others the matchpoint outcome was dependent upon the play, rather than the bidding. Even so, I made an attempt to work out the percentage of a top gained (or lost) as a result of the opening bid. I concluded that the system was worth on balance 2.9 tops over the 54 hands.
