Thursday, February 08, 2007 2:08 AM

Smolen

PITBULLS:

Part of the basic Stayman structure after you get a 2♦ response from opener is describing your 5-4 in the major hand patterns that are forcing to game. In the old days , you would just jump in your 5 card major suit and partner places the contract. BJ Trelford & I tried 2 level Smolen for a while but we gave it up for practical reasons ( could not remember all the sequences ) .

How does regular Smolen work ? The main idea behind Smolen is the transfer element. You jump in your 4 card major and that does the job of describing your 5-4 in the majors. However, there is more. Getting to good slams means you must identify duplication of value and describe your 5-4-3-1 pattern. If partner co-operates by choosing the spade suit , this is easy. You bid your fragment as a slam try. ♠AKxxx ♥AJxx ♦Qxx ♣x and partner opens 1NT with ♠QJx ♥KQx ♦AKxx ♣xxx. Partner bids Stayman and you reply 2♦ . Partner bids 3♥ and you bid 3♠ . Partner now bids 4♦ show her stiff club. Wild horses can not keep you out of slam now.

You have to more careful with the heart fit. If you like hearts , bid a waiting bid of 4♣. Partner can now bid a 3 card diamond fragment or return to 4♥ with a club fragment or bid 4NT with a strong 5-4-2-2. Identifying the 5-4 is only part of the Smolen task. Describing your entire 5-4-3-1 will get you to maximum spots.

What if you do not like either major ? You obviously bid 3NT and partner with a slam invite can pattern out. You may get to a minor slam from the 3-5 side ? ♠Axxxx ♥AKxx ♦x ♣KQx and partner opens 1NT with ♠Kx ♥QJx ♦Axx ♣AJxxx . You bid 3NT after partners 3♥ Smolen bid and partner bids 4♣ . You now can investigate for a grand slam in clubs. Partner’s stiff diamond is the key.