Friday, October 03, 2003 4:25 AM

Texas Transfers

 

PITBULLS:

 

            Texas Transfers allow the strong NT hand to declare the game contract . So do Jacoby Transfers which begs the question why play Texas Transfers ? It is baseball season so the best answer can be a baseball analogy . In baseball there is a pitcher that is called the setup man. He comes in around the 7th or 8th inning to setup the closer who pitches the 9 th inning. Texas Transfers are the same thing . They clarify Jacoby Transfers by the simple inference that you did not choose to make a Texas Transfer ! It sets up the Jacoby 2NT sequences.

 

            A Texas Transfer is either weak or very strong with a 6 card or better suit . Therefore this further defines Jacoby Transfers as 5 or 6 card suits that are either game invitational or slam invitational. If you did not play Texas Transfers and you had a slam going hand with a solid major you had to use Gerber. This declared the slam from the wrong side of the table . Playing Texas Transfers , you leap to 4 of the transfer suit , bid Blackwood which opens up queen asks and all the other nice things that come with KCB . In addition , you are declaring the contract from the correct side as you have transferred.

 

            What do you do with a 5 card major and a balanced 16 or 17 HCP hand ? Playing Texas Transfers it is easy . You transfer to your major via a Jacoby Transfer and bid 4NT which has to be quantitative. Partner did not super accept in the major so she has no major fit . This sequence can not be Blackwood . If partner super accepted then of course it is Blackwood.

 

            You must have a forcing to game bid after making a transfer in order to investigate slam. There are two slam tries playing Jacoby Transfers.  One relies on the inference that you did not make a Texas Transfer . You make a Jacoby Transfer and partner does not super accept . You now leap to game in that major . This is a broken suit slam try . You need a major suit honour card for further slam exploration. The 2ND slam try is bidding spades after a transfer . This sets the suit and the location of controls are the deciding factor whether you reach a major suit slam.

 

1NT-P-2D-P

  2H-P-2S-P          

 

 2S is a slam try agreeing hearts as trump saying nothing about spades. 3H is also a slam try but the idle 2S bid leaves more room for Q biddng.

 

1NT-P-2H-P

  2S-P-3S              

 

 3S is a slam try not invitational . Partner did not super accept and you did not  make  a Texas Transfer . Playing this bid as invitational with a 6 card suit is silly . If  you had a 6 card suit with invitational values you would “take a shot “ at game with a Texas transfer. Having a forcing bid after a transfer is more important then a very rare invitational bid.

 

            Another advantage of Texas Transfers is using Exclusion Blackwood after a 1NT opener . You transfer to hearts and then bid 4S . This is exclusion Blackwood with hearts agreed. You transfer to 4 of a major and bid at the 5 level . This is Exclusion Blackwood in that suit .

 

AKQxxx KQxx void Kxx     1NT-P-4H-P

                                              4S-P-5D-P

                                              5H-P-6C-P

                                              6D-P-7S-P

Jxx Axx  Kxx AQJ10         

 

                                        After Blackwood , 6C is specific suit ask . A bid of 6 diamonds shows the queen of clubs.  A cold grand bid off the diamond Ace and a minimum NT opener !