Gerben's Bridge Blog

Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes are the most recent addition to the Italian Open Team. After winning a World Pairs Championship, the European Teams Championship and the Olympiad no one doubts that they are one of the strongest pairs in the World. As such they now also have a nickname as pair (like Meckwell for Meckstroth & Rodwell): Fantunes

Unlike most other top pairs who play sort of time-tested methods (Natural, prepared, strong, or Polish Club) they use a completely different and before almost unknown method. Let me explain it:

Their 1-level opening bids are all very solid (14+ HCP or compensating distribution) with all balanced hands included in 1♣ (as such it can be bid on as few as two). These bids are all forcing!

1NT is weak: 12-14 HCP and can be bid on anything remotely balanced (Shapes like 5242 or 2245 are all in there).

Their 2-level bids are intermediate: 10 - 13 HCP and show at least a 5-card suit, although 2 of a minor might be bid on a 4441-distribution. Notice that they do NOT play Weak Two bids. This all sounds overly solid, especially for someone younger like me, but in fact if you look at it it's very agressive.

These 2-bids come up a lot and although they are not so well-defined they put pressure on the opponents too, and when all else fails you can always try a light 3NT, and playing the cards as well as they do you will have a tough job beating it.

Then the 1-bids: These are forcing but natural, which might bring them too high if responder is extremely weak but normally it has great advantages over the field:

* Strong NT hands when playing a weak NT are no longer much of a problem as partner is already counting on some values when you open 1♣.
* Responder can be agressive when opponents compete compared to the field.
* GF auctions can be set up by responder with most 10-counts, so you can start finding the best game or slam early.
* Awkward hands that are normally close to opening a strong 2♣ need not fear their opening is passed out. Also, they can be described more accurately than what the rest of the field might manage.

Fantoni - Nunes will be in action in the next Bermuda Bowl. If you have a chance to watch them on Vugraph, do so. I have a feeling they Italy will finally win this time.

Using the opening style from the previous post has some consequences for the rest of the auction. If we open 1♣ we usually don't have 4♦. Responder with 4♦ then does not need to bid them, so hands with 4♦ and 4♥/♠ will respond in the major. Especially when the response is 1♠ this will have helped us shut out the ♥ suit. Some pairs go further and bid the major before ♦ even when the ♦ are longer. This style is called Walsh.

Now to the opening bid of 1♦. As this now shows at least 4 cards in many situations it is good to want to play this suit and tell partner about it.
I use this raise structure:
3♦: Pre-emptive with long ♦, about 3 - 6 HCP
3♣: Constructive raise with fit, about 7 - 9 HCP
2♦: Inverted, invitational or better with ♦
Perhaps you need to adjust these ranges if you have an agressive opening style.

Another thing is that you may have a hand with both minors. The auction 1♦ - something - 2♣ no longer shows longer ♦ than ♣. It could also be 4♦ + 5♣. Be sure to have discussed this with partner so he won't give incorrect preference with 3♣ and 2♦.

If you ask me what is the most neglected suit in bridge my answer is Diamonds. In standard American / French style opening 1♦ shows at least 3 cards. The idea around this is that 1♦ is a 4-card suit most of the time and that responder will just assume that this is the case, ignoring the hand with 4♠4♥3♦2♣. That's usually not going to make a difference, but sometimes...

Partner opens 1♦ and RHO overcalls 2♥. If you have a distribution like 3244 or so, there are two possibilities:
1. Partner has 4♦. You have a fit. They probably have a fit. We want to compete.
2. Partner has the dreaded 4432 hand. Yes, with 4 Hearts. They don't have a fit. Partner doesn't have real Diamonds, so we don't have a fit. Great. Although the chance of this is low, the problems created by getting it wrong are large.

My tip: Open 4♠4♥3♦2♣ with 1♣. You need to alert your opponents to this possibility when you open 1♣. Now that 1♦ shows more information than 1♣, it has become a good idea to open hands with 4-4 in the minors with 1♦. Heck, even hands with 4♦ and 5♣ that are too weak to bid a reverse can be opened with 1♦. The corollary is that you now have some extra information when partner opens 1♣: Probably he won't have 4 or more ♦!

The great majority of bridge players in the world play some kind of standard system that includes 2♣ as a strong opening bid. This bid takes away a lot of bidding room but this is a necessary evil in a standard system unless you play a system like Fantunes (the system played by Italian stars Fantoni - Nunes) or EHAA. Bad as it is, you are not alone. What often happens is that the opponents suddenly find bids when you open 2♣. They normally have about 3 points and a 6-card suit and are not vulnerable. Great. Partner, who is equally broke might tell you if he is completely broke or just moderately broke by doubling or passing, but then RHO raises his partner. Now the auction is at 3 something and I haven't shown anything.

As a response scheme to this opening bid, when it comes up AND opponents pass, I recommend Chris Ryall's Paradox responses which basically means that you respond 2♥/♠ if you have a really bad hand and 2♦ if you can be of some help to your partner. This however still doesn't cope with the auction being at the 3-level when your opponents happen to have shape but no strength.

The solution: Include a Weak Two in ♦ in your 2♣ opening bid (if this is allowed by system regulations). Since you will have the weak variation most of the time, opponents cannot afford to overcall on junk because they need their bids to describe strong hands, and the odds that you get to describe your big hand have improved by a mile. Also a Weak Two in ♦ is a nice preemptive bid to have in your arsenal anyway.

What about responder? Just follow the ParadoX response scheme at the 2-level and use 2NT as your favorite strong relay after a Weak 2. You might think it is dangerous to bid higher than 2♦ with a hand that doesn't want to go to game opposite an Acol Two in a major, but the odds of getting such a hand is remote. Besides, if you have nothing and your partner has a weak two, they probably can make 7 of something.

Hi everyone, I have finally decided to make a blog too. I will write about my views and bridge experiences here.