Prep for the Worlds 08

In the Worlds 08 events, teams often invest some time in preparing for their opponents. Canada's Senior team, leading their group after day 1, had each team member look at 2 or 3 of their opponents, and determine what, if anything, required some countermeasures.

Btw the Canadian teams are blogging at:
http://www.cbf.ca/WorldEvents/2008/FirstMindSports/
In particular see Open Team NPC David Willis's (not the David Willis with the newspaper column) blog at: http://davewillis08.blogspot.com/

For the Open team we looked at the 16 opposing teams, and categorized the various methods that could be encountered - it is "could" since most teams have 3 pairs, but only 2 of those will sit in any one match. One might not face the strangest systems even after getting ready for them.

For the methods the open team might encounter, a booklet on countermeasures was prepared. However this booklet might never be actually used in bidding of any of the matches. Here's why:

- Each Canadian pair has their own methods against commonly used openings
- As mentioned above, the Canadian team may not face some of the more unusual systems
- Unusual openings and follow-ups may never occur in the 16 board matches
- The Canadian pairs may decide to use natural bidding against anything mindboggling

Here's the table of contents for the booklet:

Table of Contents
Introduction

A. Generic Defences and Definitions
A0 Definitions
A1 General Principles
A2 Generic Defence to Artificial Openings
A3 Generic Defence to Artificial Preempts and Artificial Raises
A4 Generic Defence to No-suit Openings and Transfers
A5 Junkyard Defence
A6 Defence to Two-suited overcalls

B. Specific Defences

B-MAP 08 Defence Map (this codes each item with a letter - for examples P is a Polish Club, T is a two-way club)

B-A Defence to Canape
B-B Defence to Big C
B-C Defence to Short 1C
B-D Defence to 2D short in Ds
B-E Defence to 2H short in Ds, 11-15 (or so)
B-F Defence to 2D Flannery (5Hs, 4Ss)
B-G Defence to 2H Flannery (5Hs, 4Ss)
B-HISV Defence to 2M for 5+M and a minor or 2M for 5+M and any other suit
B-J Defence to 2C either strong or weak-two in Ds
B-K Defence to 2C or 2D for Majors (no strong option)
B-LM Defence to Multi
B-N Defence to 1D opening that could be short as 2, 1, or 0
B-O Defence to 2M = Majors
B-PT Defence to Polish 1C, 1C forcing that includes a mix and 2-way forcing 1C
B-Q Defence to 2C opening for Majors, with strong option
B-R Defence to 2NT for minors
B-U Defence to 3NT unknown suit preempt and/or gambling
B-W Defence to Weak and mini notrumps
B-XZ Defence to Mexican 2D (18-19 bal), or strong artificial 2D Opening
B-Y Defence to 4C and 4D Strong Major Preempt (NAMYATS)

B-! Defence to Rare Bids
B-!1 Defence to Transfer preempts
B-!2 Defence to strange 3NT openings
B-!3 Defence to strange 4NT openings
B-!4 Defence to 3C any solid suit
B-!5 Defence to 2NT = 4Hs + minor
B-!6 Defence to 2S any solid suit, or 2S opening with just 4Ss
B-!7 Defence to 3C/D Intermediate, 2H/S M+m Intermediate
B-!8 Defence to 2C Three Suited
B-!9 Defence to 2NT Majors or minors, 12-16
B-!10 Defence to 1C 11-15 Cs or 18+ any

C. Miscellaneous Defences
C1 Generic Two-suited Bids
C2 Lead Directional Doubles of Splinter Bids
C3 Defence to 3rd Seat 1NT Openings