Very Simple Precision

(for Mee)

Opening Bids

The Strong 1♣ Opener

Remember, the 1♣ bid isn't the good point of Precision. The limited openers, especially 1M and 2♦ are the good point. It is possible to build quite a complicated system of relays, but you can do adequately well without it.

Responders's First Bid

Remember, 1♣ is forcing, so Responder cannot pass. There is one problem shape: 4441 hands. There are four reasonable ways to handle this:
  1. Lie a little and bid a 4 card minor
  2. Lie a little and bid NT
  3. Add a conventional response (e.g. 2♠ALERT says 4441 8+, 2NTALERT then says "tell me your singleton")
  4. Use the impossible negative: bid 1♦ initially, and then make a jump to either your singleton, or to NT if partner has bid your short suit
Since these hands "never" come up, to save memory cells, I recommend one of the lies.

After Responder bids 1♦

Finally natural bidding starts: Again we have the 4441 problem, and again I recommend a white lie.

After 1♣-1♦ then Opener bids Natural but Non-Forcing Suit

Responder finally is allowed to pass with a pile of dreck. But with 5+ points -- or even less holding a fit for Opener's suit -- Responder should bid a new suit (usually 5 cards), raise, or bid NT.

After 1♣-1♦ then Opener bids NT

Play your normal NT system.

After Responder Makes a Positive 1♥, 1♠, 2♣ or 2♦

Further bidding is natural. Once a fit is found, slow bids show extra strength, jump raises to game show minimum strength. A jump to a new suit (e.g. 1♣-1♦-1♥-3♣ or 1♣-1♦-1♥-2♣-3♠) shows a fit for Partner's suit and a splinter.

After Responder Makes a Positive NT call

For simplicity, I recommend you just play your normal NT system: Stayman, Transfers, and everything. Yes, this wrong-sides the contract, but it's easy to remember.

Competition

The opponents love to interfere in your 1♣ auctions, so you need to have adequated defenses in place. Most people play X by Responder as showing 5-7 points with any strength and other bids natural and GF.

An even simpler system, which I recommend for beginning Precisioneers, is that if it starts 1♣ and the next opponent interferes; or it goes 1♣-(Pass)-1♦ and that opponent interferes, use the "borrow an ace" rule. That is, you bid exactly as Standard American, except the 1♣ bidder subtracts an ace from their hand, and the Responder adds an ace to their hand.

The 1♦ Opener

This bid is basically the same as a 1♣ or 1♦ bid in Standard - it shows either a minimal range NT hand (11-13 in our case) or it shows some kind of hand with long diamonds. Bidding over is basically exactly the same as in Standard, however, note the following:
  1. Responder should subtract 2 points from their hand. So while you might bid 1♥ with 6 points and 4 hearts in Standard. You'll need 8 points in Precision.
  2. When making an inverted minor raise, remember Opener might only have 2, so you should have 5 diamonds to bid the strong 2♦ALERT and 6 to bid the weak 3♦ALERT
  3. If you don't like saying "Could be Short", it is possible to play this bid as promising 3+ diamonds. You will have to pass some hands with 5 clubs and a 4 card major and 3=3=2=5 shape hands, but those hands often don't work out well anyway.
  4. If you open 1♦, partner bids something, and you bid 2♣ALERT, that shows at least 5-4 in the minors, but either way around.
  5. If the bidding goes 1♦-1M-1NT, then 2♣ is New Minor Forcing.

The 1♥, 1♠ Openers

The bid Precisioneers love. Responses are basically identical to Standard, except Responder subtracts 2 points from their hand like with 1♦ openers. With 14-17 points and a 3+ card fit, Responder can jump to 4♥ALERT|4♠ALERT immediately, but this needs to be alerted since it could be either preemptive or to make. (With fewer points, make a 3M limit raise. With more, try for slam).

The 1NT Opener

Play your favorite NT system. Remember to subtract a point since the range is 14-16 not 15-17.

The 2♣ Opener

There are various complicated systems, but I recommend the following simple system:

The artificial 2♦ Asking bid

Responder always has at least invitational (11+) strength to use this bid. Usually it is trying to find a 4-4 major suit fit, but it could be trying to find out about strength or worried about stoppers in one or more suits on the way to 3NT.

Opener responds:

The 2♦ Opening Bid

This shows 11-15 high card points, 0 or 1 diamond, 3-4 or 4-4 in the majors, and 4 or 5 clubs. With a weak hand, Responder places the contract, otherwise makes some sort of game try.

After 2♦-2♥

With 3 hearts (and therefore 4 spades, 1 diamond, 5 clubs), Opener bids 2♠ over 2♥. This is a calculated risk which wins big when Responder is 4-4 in the majors, and only rarely loses. Responder will usually either have 3 spades (one 4-3 fit is as bad as another) or enough clubs that 3♣ is a viable place to play, or enough hearts that 3♥ is a viable place to play.

In any case, after the bidding goes 2♦-2♥-2♠, Responder can pass or re-correct to 3♣,3♦ or 3♥ and those bids absolutely require Opener to pass.

The 2NT Asking Bid

Usually Responder has a 4 card major and either invitational (11-13) or game going (14-17) strength, and wants to make sure they aren't ending up in a 4-3 fit. But this could also be part of some kind of slam try. With a 5 card major, Responder can just invite with 3M or go to game with 4M.

Opener's bids:

After any of the maximum bids, Responder usually knows how to place the contract or can bid 4♦ to ask for aces. After the 3♣ minimum bid...