Systems On? -John Vega
	Most partnerships play some types of conventional responses to No Trump openers; usually Stayman and Jacoby Transfers, possibly Texas Transfers and something a little more esoteric like Smolen. Most have agreed to play them in response to both a No Trump opening by partner and also a direct No Trump overcall. However, confusion often occurs in other No Trump auctions which arise less frequently. Here is a pop quiz for you to take with your partner. Would your partnership play "Systems On" in these situations: 1. The Balancing No Trump North East South West 1 P P 1N P ? 2. The 18-19 hcp No Trump North East South West P 1 P 1 P 2N P ? 3. 2C then 2N Opener After 2 Diamonds Waiting North East South West P 2 P 2 P 2N P ? 4. 2C then 2N Opener After a Forward Going Bid North East South West P 2 P 2 P 2N P ? 5. The Opponents Double a 1NT Overcall North East South West 1 1N X ?   I can't swear that there is one "right" way to handle these situations. However, I can promise that there needs to be an agreement within your partnership about them; and, the simpler that agreement is, the easier it will be for both partners to remember. A guide I live by is: Systems are on *only* over a strong, natural NT call *if* your partner has not yet made a natural call other than Pass. Lets look at how that guide would clarify the above auctions. 1. The Balancing No Trump North East South West 1 P P 1N P ? The guide would indicate that systems are off, as a balancing No Trump overcall is played weaker than a strong No Trump opening or direct overcall. This treatment has several advantages. It allows East to make a non-forcing bid as the two level, a necessary alternative for those occasions where NT balancer catches partner with a near bust and a five card minor. If East has a decent hand and wishes to keep the bidding alive, a cue bid in opponent's suit is always available as a forcing bid. Other considerations are that the 1N balancer is not necessarily stronger than his partner, so the need for transfers decreases. Also, in situations where the opponents' opening was in a major suit, the availability of Stayman is less necesssary as the No Trump bidder would have been more likely to balance with a Double holding four cards in the unbid major.   2. The 18-19 hcp No Trump North East South West P 1 P 1 P 2N P ? Following the guide, systems would be off as Responder has made a natural call other than Pass (here, One Spade). A little thought shows the utility of the distinction. After the jump to 2N, a 3C response can either show support for partner's clubs and express doubt about the red suits for No Trump purposes or be Stayman, but not both. Responder has already shown four spades, so Stayman is unecessary to find a 4/4 fit in Spades. Although it is possible for Responder to have four Hearts, if Responder were 4/4 in the majors, he would have started with 1H. So, Stayman would only have utility in this sequence in the rare event event that Responder has 5+ spades and 4 Hearts; however, that utility is nowhere near as high as using 3C as a natural bid. A similar analysis applies to transfer bids. The New Minor Forcing convention is available to inquire about three card support for Responder's major and should be utilized by a partnership in this situation. In brief, NMF applies when Opener has bid a minor, Responder has bid a major, and Opener has then bid No Trump. A bid by Responder of the unbid minor is artificial, forcing, and usually indicates five cards in the major previously shown. Opener then bids three card support for the major if held. One twist occurs when Responder's major is Spades and Opener has three Spades and also four Hearts. Opener should then show the four card Heart suit, preparing to support Spades later in the auction. Note that this treatment addresses the hand mentioned above where Responder has five Spades and four Hearts. After NMF, the Opener will show a four card Heart suit if he has one and the 4/4 Heart fit located.   3. 2C then 2N Opener After 2 Diamonds Waiting North East South West P 2 P 2 P 2N P ? 4. 2C then 2N Opener After a Forward Going Bid North East South West P 2 P 2 P 2N P ? In these two cases, having a clear partnership agreement clears up a number of potential miscommunications. Two Clubs followed by Two No Trump certainly qualifies as a strong No Trump. The issue becomes whether Responder has made a natural bid. Two Diamonds Waiting is an artificial bid saying nothing about Responder's Diamonds, not a natural descriptive bid. Accordingly, Systems would still be on. After a forward going bid, such as Two Spades, the situation is different. Responder has made a natural bid, describing his hand. So, Systems would be off after such a forward going bid. The utility is the same as in Question Two, and the use of New Minor forcing is recommended in this auction as well. Note that, if your partnership uses 2 Hearts after a 2C opener as an artifical negative bid, then Systems would still be on in such an auction. 5. The Opponents Double a 1NT Overcall North East South West 1 1N X ? Many partnerships like to play "Systems On" over an intervening double, so the question here is whether to combine two conventions: a. Systems on after a Direct NT overcall; and b. Systems on over an intervening Double. Although it seems perfectly logical to combine the two conventions, think about the auction for a moment. If it is to be believed, how many HCP are left in the deck for West? North has 13 plus, East has 15 to 17, and South seems to have shown about 8 or more. That leaves West with zero to three. If West is indeed a bust, there is greater utility in allowing a new suit to be natural and to play. Although West has no points, he may hold five or six pieces in a minor. If Systems are on, a zero point West with five Clubs must either Pass and watch his hapless partner play 1NT Doubled when the opponents have about two-thirds of the high cards in the deck, or bid Clubs at the three level, certainly doubled. Sytems off in this situation allows a natural run out to Two Clubs, possibly averting a disaster. In the event one of the opponents has psyched and West does hold values, a cue bid of Opener's suit is available as a forcing bid. That leaves Redouble available for SOS, asking overcaller to bid his lowest 4 card suit. Pass is a strong bid, saying that this 1NT Doubled as good of a spot as any. Of course, Overcaller is free to bid a five card suit when the double is passsed back to him if he has one.