OliverC's Precision Parlour        Guest User

Stepped Responses

Asking bids are usually but not always made in the suit to which they refer (if they do refer to a specific suit), but there are some generic and some specific exceptions to this (See action over intervention, Alpha, and some specific Asking Sequences over Intermediate Openings, for example). The response to an Asking Bid, however, is always in a stepped response "up" from the Ask and so the suit bid by the response is 100% artificial. Thus if 1♠ is the Asking Bid, then 1NT is the 1-step response, 2♣ is the 2-step response, 2♦ the 3-step response etc etc. For easy reference, a single raise of the Asking Bid (ie: 2♠ in the example above) suit is a 5-step response.

Throughout these pages a shorthand for a range of steps is used on occasion. Thus for Beta you might see a reference to the "normal" Beta Scale, which is 0-2, 3, 4, 5. This means that the 1-step response to "normal" Beta shows 0-2 Controls, the 2-step response shows 3 controls, the 3-step response shows 4 controls, etc etc. so if in a given sequence 1NT is a Beta Ask using the "normal" scale, then a response of 2♣ shows 0-2 Controls, a response of 2♦ shows 3 Controls, 2♥ shows 4 Controls, etc etc.

At this point it is perhaps worth mentioning that when opps intervene in our Asking Bid sequence then Double/Redouble and Pass also potentially become available as "steps". This does make counting the steps a little more complicated but does give significant advantages in terms of bidding space. For more details see the section on Coping with Intervention

Controls and Top Honours

You will see numerous references to "Control" or "Controls" and "Top Honours" on these pages. In this context we are normally talking about one of three completely different but related things:

Controls

In Precision an Ace is counted as two controls and a King is counted as one control. Thus the hand

♠ AQJxxx
♥ KQxx
♦ Ax
♣ x

...is said to contain a total of 5 Controls. This kind of counting is of particular reference to the Alpha, Beta, and Zeta Asking Bids and Responses, which are all asking about how many Controls Responder has in their hand. In this context a singleton King is not normally "counted" as a control for these purposes, so the hand

♠ AQJxxx
♥ KQxx
♦ Ax
♣ K

...would still initially be described as containing 5 Controls. The only exception to this is when the singleton King is in the Askers' known trump suit (ie: they've already made an Alpha, Delta, Theta or Iota Asking Bid in that suit), in which case it is included in the tally of controls.

Degree of Control

You will also see mention of the degree of control held in a suit. This almost always relates to side-suits and is mainly of relevance to the Epsilon Ask, which is asking about the degree of control responder has in a side-suit once trumps have been agreed. This is concerned with not just Aces, Kings and Queens, but also with Voids, Singletons and Doubletons. Thus:

• First Round Control is either the Ace or a Void,
• Second Round Control is either the King or a Singleton, and
• Third Round Control is either the Queen or a Doubleton.

These degrees of control can be combined. So a holding of exactly "KQx" is said to have 2nd & 3rd Round Control of that suit, but so is "Kx" and "KQ"(because you can ruff the 3rd round of the suit). Similarly "AQx(x)", "Ax" and "AQ" are all said to have 1st & 3rd Round Control. The only slight exception to this is that a Void is always shown as 1st-Round Control of the suit, even though technically you also have 2nd and 3rd round control of the suit as well.

Top Honours

You will also see "Top Honours" mentioned. This is normally in relation to holdings in a trump suit and specifically relates to the Gamma and Eta Asks. "Top Honours" deals with Aces Kings and Queens only. A holding of "KQxxx" is said to have 2 of the 3 top honours, whilst "AKQxxx" has all three, and a holding of "J109xx" has none of the top three honours.

Terminology

When studying these pages it is important to distinguish between those occasions when a specific holding in a suit is being given (eg: exactly "AQ10xxx", as in a hand diagram or where the degree of control held in a suit is what is being discussed), and a generic holding is being referred to (eg: "KQxx", meaning a 4-card suit with 2 of the top 3 honours), in which case "KQxx" is shorthand for "KQxx, AQxx or AKxx". The discussions on Epsilon are almost always referring to exact holdings, whilst discussions of holdings in potential trump suits (eg: Gamma, Eta, Theta, Delta, Iota etc) are always dealing with top honours, as in the second example.

Secondly, in all of these pages dealing with Asking Bids I refer to Opener and Responder for reasons of brevity. In this context I mean Opener as the hand that is doing the Asking at any one time, and Responder as the hand that is answering the questions at any one time.

Order of Asking Bids

Introduction

With the number of Asking Bids outlined above it might seem at first sight that you will become confused as to which of the Asking Bids is being used at any one time. In practice, there can never be any doubt as to which Asking Bid it is. There are various things that determine this, some of which are mentioned in the Summary above, but the overriding consideration is the matter of what information is the most important?

Priorities

1. TRUMPS. The most important issues to be decided by an Asking Bid sequence is which suit, if any, is going to be the agreed trump suit. Despite the fact that low-level Beta Asks are almost always available in a 1♣ sequence, the most critically important thing to decide is not the level you are going to play at, but which suit you're going to play in. For this reason, trump asking bids take priority over any kind of control-asking bid.
2. GENERAL CONTROLS. The next most important issue is to establish the number of controls held by the partnership, because this usually decides whether game is the limit or whether it's worth pushing on towards a slam. It is for this reason that low-level Beta Asks are usually available and why high-level Beta are not generally available above the level of 4♣/4♦.
3. SPECIFIC CONTROLS. The last item on our shopping list, and the least important, is controls held in a specific suit. This is dotting the i's and crossing the t's and fine-tuning exactly what level we can afford to play at in our chosen trump suit. It is for this reason that 4♣ Beta always takes precedence over 4♣ Epsilon if Responder's exact number of controls is not yet known. It is also the reason why Epsilon is never available until a trump suit has definitely been agreed (Epsilon is specifically asking about side-suits and if you don't know which is the trump suit, how can you define what a side-suit is?)

Specific Considerations

As mentioned in the summary, there are some specific considerations relating to each Asking Bid which help to determine which one is being used at any one time. Some of the more common ones are as follows:

• Alpha either starts a sequence of Asking Bids or is not used at all. Whether a bid is or isn't Alpha is precisely defined (eg: A jump-shift over an Opening bid of 1♦ or 2♣ is defined as Alpha, but a jump-shift over an Opening of 1♥ or 1♠ is not)
• Gamma is any bid in Responder's suit once Asking Bids have been established and a different suit has not yet been agreed as trumps. (eg:If Opener's Spade suit has been agreed as trumps, then a bid in Responder's Heart suit can never be Gamma, but will always be Epsilon). Indeed once a suit has been agreed as trumps, no bid can be any of the other primary or secondary trump asking bids (except perhaps a repeat ask in the same suit).
• Delta is only ever a jump-shift over a Negative or Semi-positive response to a 1♣ Opening. At no other time can a bid be Delta. A jump-shift over a positive response is a different Asking Bid (Zeta).
• Epsilon cannot be used until a trump suit has been agreed. Once a trump suit has been agreed then anybid in a side-suit is Epsilon unless it is Beta (See Priorities above).
• Zeta is used in one situation only, a jump-shift over a positive response to 1♣.
• Eta is only used when Responder is known to have only and exactly a 4-card holding in that suit. Eta is most often used when 4441-shape hands have been shown.
• Theta is also used in two situations only, which is a simple new-suit Ask after a low-level Beta has been used, or after a negative response to Alpha when Opener asks again in the same suit.

Hopefully the above, combined with the more general considerations outlined in Priorities above, will have reassured you that you should never be in a second's doubt as to what an Asking Bid is Asking.

Trump Agreement

This is also an important point. I have made reference above to trumps being agreed and there are specific rules for each of the Asking Bids as to what constitutes trump agreement. A "positive" response to a trump asking bid is one that agrees the suit, not necessarily one that shows a stronger hand (see the responses to Alpha, for example, where the 2-step response is inevitably stronger than the 3-step response, yet it is the 3-step response that is the "positive" response while the 2-step response is a "negative" one. A Summary of the criteria for each trump asking bid is as follows:

• Alpha: A 3-step response (showing 0-3 controls and Qxx or xxxx) agrees the suit.
• Gamma: The mere use of Gamma agrees the suit, whatever the response. The only exception is if responder makes a 1 or 2-step response and Opener immediately bids No Trumps afterwards, in which case the No Trump bid is natural and either "to play" or handing over the Captaincy.
• Delta & Theta: A 4-step response showing KQ or Qxx agrees the suit.
• Iota: A 3-step response showing KQ or Qxx agrees the suit.
• Eta: Like Gamma, the mere use of Eta agrees the suit as trumps.
• Zeta: Zeta sets the trump suit unconditionally.
• Repeat Alpha in same suit: A response showing Hx or xxx agrees the suit as trumps.
• In the case of Delta, Theta and Iota (ie: the trump asking bids that have "positive" and "negative" responses) any repeat ask in the same suit (there is provision for repeat asks in each case) always sets the suit as trumps, whatever Responder's reply.

More details are given on the specific pages for each of these Asks.

Asking Bid Strategy and Tactics

This is an area where only experience will help you. Crafting an Asking Bid sequence so that you conserve as much space as possible is not always easy. In many instances you will run out of room to ask further questions safely and either have to settle for a lower contract because there is no room, or you have to go with your gut feeling and "punt" the higher contract anyway. Quite often it is impossible to forsee an unexpectedly expensive response and so an element of luck does enter into things here. Really thinking about what partner's likely response is going to be and choosing your path accordingly does pay dividends, though.

Similarly, it is sometimes worth planning your sequence on the basis of what the most inconvenient or unsatisfactory response might be. Often there is more than one way of ascertaining the information you need and frequently the lack of a control in one suit will pinpoint the existence of controls elsewhere. (Thus if you have a choice between an Epsilon in Clubs and one in Diamonds but only have room to ask one safely in order to find out which Ace partner has, think about which suit is the one you really need partner to have the Ace of and ask in that suit. That way if partner shows less than the Ace you are probably at a safer level and you are not risking finding him with a 3rd round control in the suit as well, in which he will be making a 6-step response and it's not the news you really wanted to hear.)

One of the sure ways to developng a knack for steering a sensible course is discussion with partner and practice bidding (always the key to a good partnership in every way). Bridgebase has a fantastic but much underused Partnership Bidding facility where you and your partner can set up the conditions where Asking Bid sequences will occur on every hand (eg: set for 26+ combined points on every hand) and practice sequences for hours. You cannot possibly become adept at using Asking Bids without this.

Asking Bids in Natural Sequences

For the most part natural sequences tend not to use Asking Bids unless Responder is completely unlimited and trumps have been agreed at or below the 3-level, except in those specific places where Asking Bid entry-points are defined by the system (eg: 1♦-2♠ Alpha, or 2♥-3♣ Gamma). Whilst in theory 4♣ Beta is available in any auction, prudence dictates that in practice the situations where it is used are quite limited. The rules surrounding Asking Bids in natural sequences are as follows:

1. Except as specifically provided for in the system, Asking Bids are not used unless responder is completely unlimited and trumps have explicitly been agreed below the level of 3NT.
2. Beta in a known singleton suit is always available
3. 4♣ Beta is normally available over Intermediate Openings only when Responder is either known to be very strong or is still completely unlimited, and trumps have been explicitly agreed at the 2 or 3-level. If trumps have been agreed and responder is limited in some way, then 4♣/4♦ will be a cue-bid rather than Beta.
4. In circumstances where trumps have been agreed and 4♣/4♦ Beta is used, then this establishes an Asking Bid sequence and subsequent side-suit bids are Epsilon.
5. In natural sequences, unless 4♣/4♦ Beta is available and has been used, Epsilons are never available, and side-suit bids are cue-bids.

To explain the above, take a sequence such as 1♠-2♦-3♦-4♣ Here Responder is completely unlimited and trumps have been explicitly agreed at the 3-level, so 4♣ is Beta here and following the Beta response, Epsilons are available in suits other than Diamonds.

Conversely in a sequence such as 1♠-1NT-2♥-3♠-4♣-?? here Responder has limited their hand with the 3♠ rebid, so 4♣ is a cue-bid rather than Beta.

In the sequence 1♦-1♠-2♥-3♣-3♠-4♣-?? here Responder is completely unlimited but trumps have not been explicitly agreed. 4♣, however, is Beta because Opener has shown a shortage in Clubs with the 3♠ response. Epsilons are not available after the Beta Response, however, because it is not clear which suit Responder wishes to play in and they must sign off over the Beta response.