The Heart Shift - Create a new system

"I will possess your heart" - Death Cab 4 Cutie

1H as 15+ gives us the opportunity to create new systems by using the "heart shift" on almost any big club system.

This shift is:

1) Expand 1S up to 18
2) Move hands that used to open 1H to 1C
3) Move minimum (for 1C) balanced hands and minimum C and D hands out of 1C

Here's Meckwell shifted:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ unbal any or 22+ bal
1D: 11-13 bal or 10-15 Ds unbal
1H: 16-18 C or Ds or 17-19 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 14-16, bal
2C: 10-15, 6+Cs
2D: 11-15, short D

A Big Club 10-12 NT system shifted:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 13-15 bal or 10-15 Ds unbal
1H: 16-18 C or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12, bal
2C: 10-15, 6+Cs
2D: 11-15, short D

Standard Precision shifted:

1C: 10-18 5+Hs or 18+ bal or 19+ any
1D: 10-14 4+Ds, unbal
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 15-17 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 12-14, bal
2C: 5+Cs, 10-14
2D: Short Ds, 10-14

Since 1H can start at 15, we can shift Meckwell and limit 1D and 2m:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ unbal any or 22+ bal
1D: 11-13 bal or 10-14 Ds unbal
1H: 15-18 C or Ds or 17-19 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 14-16, bal
2C: 10-14, 6+Cs
2D: 11-14, short D

ETM Express shifted and one point down to take advantage of the 1H opening 15+ start:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 13-15 bal or 12-14 Cs or Ds
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12, bal
2m: 10-12, 5+Cs

All weak two:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any
1D: 11-14 Cs or Ds, or bal 13-15 NV or 11-13 V
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or 16-18 Bal
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12 NV, 13/14-15 V, bal
2X: 5-10, 5+ suit

Goldilocks:

1C: 5+Hs, 10-18 or 19+ any (Bal 19/20 V34)
1D: 11-14 4/5Cs and/or 4/5Ds, or bal 13-15 NV12, 11-13 V34
1H: 15-18 Cs or Ds or Bal 16-18 NV12, 16/17-19 V34
1S: 10-18, 5+Ss
1NT: 10-12 NV12, 13/14-16 V34, bal
2X: 10-14 2m 9-13 2M, 6+ suit V, 5+ suit NV and if 5 good suit and a singleton/void in a major
2NT: 6-5/5-6 in majors 10-13

NV12 = not vulnerable in 1st or 2nd
V34 = vulnerable or in 3rd or 4th

This is a system I'm in love with from first glance. It has:
- a two-way 1C opening that is hard to jam
- a super tight 1D that tends to balanced or three suited
- 1S limited but not down to 15 - here I will use Gazzilli to let the 16-18s break out from the 10-15 set
- 1NT opening ranges as I love them
- 2X bids as I love them

This system will be nimble and quick, unlike this blog and the system design process seen here.

For the two-way 1C opening, it is hard to jam it since:
- it could be 10+, and thus the opponents must bid constructively in case they have their own games and slams
- the 19+ hands can handle themselves - that is they have enough points to either double or bid at their second bid
- the 2H and 2NT opening takes out distributional 10-13s out of 1C, and thus responder is well placed to judge when there is a need to compete.

Of course one might say how does the 1C opening handle a preempt like 3S - this will pose problems, but take the same hand types and try them in a standard system - for example:

1C-3S-P-P;-? >>> if the 1C opener has 19+ must guess to double, bid 3NT, or above

Note how easy it is to set up a 1C structure:

1C-1D(waiting);-?

1H: 5+Hs, like a standard 1H opening
1S, 2C, 2D: 19+
2H: GF, Hs or balanced
1NT: 19-21
2NT: 22-24
2S, 3C, 3D: GF

This is not the structure I will use as I want to take advantage of the bidding space. It is a good sign, though, when a framework can have structures ready-2-go out-of-the-box - it means the framework doesn't impose a later cost in complex unwinding sequences.

For those interested in the system design process, I hope that this has been interesting (and for those who don't like the process, please don't drive through a "Messy" warning sign next time!). This has been semi-live blogging over the last few days, written up at a cottage on a DV7 laptop (P7350, N9600, 4G, 17" - eats the 8 cell battery power fast), and posted as I get Internet access.

I didn't know I would find a system I liked in this process, let alone one that I love - I hope I can find a painting I love too at the art show here this weekend.

"It's like a book, elegantly bound, but in a language that you can't read" - DC4C