[awm]

Natural, weak 2♦
Nonforcing 1NT response to 1M
Penalty doubles
Weak jump overcalls
Natural 1NT overcall

Of course, these are all really advanced, complicated conventions, and most modern players aren't up to learning them.

[EricK]

It is almost impossible to bid a lot of hands without take-out/negative doubles.

Other things are nice, but nothing else is as necessary.

Actually, for the last couple of weeks I have been playing an incredibly simple system with a new partner at a local club. The only convention we have used so far is one instance of Stayman - and that didn't actually help us. If we had been playing a 2m response to 1NT as naturalish (3+, invitational) we would have done better on that hand. On only one hand would a convention have come in handy and that is a cue-bid of opponents suit as an artificial force. But even that wasn't necessary.

[ABadPlayer]

I love to cue-bid - particularly as limit-raise+.

Multi just because it frees up 2♥/2♠

But my favorite overall bid has to be Wk 1NT.

[Blofeld]

Takeout doubles (of all varieties), without a doubt.

[Gerben42]

When does it count as convention, when is it "just bridge" or a way of life?

[Fluffy]

Take out doubles are just neccesary so comes first

To me splinter is second (but very far)

[kenberg]

If "convention", as opposed to "artificial call" means an agreement that would not be obviously in play to a first time player, I guess the "new suit forcing" by an unpassed responder gets the nod. Was 1C-pass-1S always played as forcing?

Certainly doubles were not always played for take-out, even 1C-X. This must be the most useful artifical bid. Goren won a few times playing that, Stayman, Blackwood, and not all that much more. I think I have heard that B. Jay Becker preferred not to even play Stayman, but I have never heard of anyone not playing take-out doubles. It's various cousins, close and distant, are useful.

Cue bids are good. They have the unusual feature of often working well even when they have not been carefully discussed. No doubt they work better with discussion though.


Ken

[Winstonm]

Rolling keycard kickback exclusion Gerber.

[dogsbreath]

hi all

in the context of playing on BBO my favourite and most useful convention is definitely 'NMF' .. most pick-up partners readily agree to play it and when something bad happens I just say 'NMF p .. Not My Fault'

Rgds Dog

[benlessard]

Transfers are the optimum structure for forcing bids.

They are simply the base of many relay systems.

It also give the opportunity to put the known hand on the table.


Ill play any tournament without neg X before playing a system without any transfer.

[civill]

Jacoby transfer is a good convention which I like most,although Jacoby was disputed in history.

[mikestar]

kenberg, on Feb 27 2006, 12:38 AM, said:

If "convention", as opposed to "artificial call" means an agreement that would not be obviously in play to a first time player, I guess the "new suit forcing" by an unpassed responder gets the nod. Was 1C-pass-1S always played as forcing? ...

In Culberton's Blue Book (about 1930), a new suit is not forcing, though it wouldn't be passed often--minimum opening, tolerance for the suit but not good support, etc. With game values you would jump shift. Culberson originated the term "forcing" and was one of the devlopers of the forcing principle.

However, the first unconditional forcing bid in Contract was the Vanderbuilt 1♣ opening--since it was strong but didn't promise clubs (very similar to a modern Precision 1♣), responder couldn't pass.

[Vilgan]

Favorite things:

In Standard: inverted minors

In Precision:

flipped positive responses to 1 club opener
10-13 NT first 3 seats regardless of vuln (in MP) and non vuln (in teams)

The standard conventions are fairly critical imo, transfers, splinter, RKCB, michaels, etc. weak NT isn't really a convention, but its provided quite a few entertaining auctions.

Eric

[luke warm]

all things lebensohl

[Tola18]

A couple of my minor favorites:

D of a conventional bid = the colour itself (as opposite to a take out D). Good way to find sacrifices, or leads. In some positions, feks against multi2D - to get in the bidding.

The stayman variation 1NT - 2Cl, 2H = hearts or both. (2NT = both is quite usual especially in my country Sweden).
These 2H lets me pass down any answer with weak but distributional hands. And it lets me invite with hearts if I do have an invite...

[Wackojack]

With a partner worse than me: Transfers
With a partner better than me: take out double
With a partner better than me who makes a take-out double of a weak 2 bid: Lebensohl
With a lucky partner: RKCB with specific King ask and 3RC ask
For fun: forcing pass 07 or 17+