[Oren Goren]

WELOS: Webster's Extra-Light Openers System.

Back in the late 70s I had already gone through my psych everything phase, had been taught by duplicate to open light, and taught by Roth-Stone the importance of balancing.

These influences became:

Pre-Balance
Pre-Compete
Pre-Respond
Pre-Overcall

And, because of the Big Clubbers' strut and crow:

Pro-Scribe.

I spent a couple months trying to come up with a viable method allowing extra-light openers and constructive bidding.

Gadget after gadget worked a little but all nauseated me.

Finally, I got it, relieve the burden on the opener-responder-rebid system.

Lowering the upper level really wouldn't do it. Too many ambiguities third- and fourth-suit artifical might help out but yuck.

If I had not seen Woodson Two-Way NTs sometiime in the past I might not have had the necessary insight although they never occurred to me in the development process. (And only now because of tneir frequent mention in the ACBL chart.)

MINIs = 8-11 Total Points (TP); read HCP for the 8 in ACBL events.

MIDIs = 12-14 HCP NT; 12-15 TP suits.

MAXIs = 15(+) HCP NT; 16(+) TP suits (top depends on forcing openers).

Everything here and above First and Second Seat. You don't want to get frisky in 3rd or 4th seat with WELOS.


OPENING ONES
==========
Either MINIs or MAXIs.

1C/1D/1H/1S = 4+ 8-11 TP or HCP, or 15+HCP/16+TP.

Yes, you need to know how to prepare your rebid.

RESPONSES TO ONES
-------------------------
Jump Shift Only Force (besides Control Asking).

1/1 Suit or NT 6-14 NF. Denies 4+ cards in opening suit. If it is their hand, as is quite likely we have pre-empted their opening system, so don't let opener's RHO show her stuff cheaply.

Opener's rebid that is not a jump or reverse is a MINI.

2/1 Suit or NT/1 9/10+. Denies 4+ cards in opening suit. If it is their hand, as is quite likely we have pre-empted their opening system, so don't let opener's RHO shoe her stuff cheaply.

Opener's rebid that is not a jump, new suit at 3-level, or reverse is a MINI.

SP = Support points = TP + Goren fit adjustments (honor bonus, distribution bonus).

Single Raise: 4+ cards and 6-14 SP NF. Sometimes 3 cards; Goren 4M players know that.

Double Raise: 4+ cards and 15-16 SP NF.

Consider the single raise versus bottom MINI: no game.
Consider the single raise versus top MINI: no game probably, partner used Goren Support Points

Consider the double raise versus top MINI: game on.
Consider the single raise versus bottom MINI: no game probably.
Consider the double raise versus bottom MAXI: likely slam.

After 1C/D - 3C/D perhaps look for major, perhaps with gadget.

1NT response: 6-14 HCP NF; denies intervening suit or 4+ in opening suit.
2NT response: 15-16 HCP NF. denies intervening suit or 4+ in opening suit.


OPENING NT
========
A MIDI.

12-14 HCP; possible 5-card major, especially if weak.


OPENING TWO BIDS
=============
MAXIs.

12-15 TP NF 4(+) cards.

Learn how to prepare a rebid and you'll be OK with the loss of one level of bidding.

That is, don't be so proud of your 4-card spade suit. If you open a Two it is because you have distribution. Which means you have at least one other suit.

TWOS RESPONSES
----------------------

Largely depends on you.

Constructive only?

Run-outs?

We find cheapest bid over 2C/2D/2H relay asking for cheapest rebid suit (2NT rebid shows relay suit and no cheaper suit.

Over 2S, well, 2S is the bid I don't like very much. Maybe because "I" went from 1st to not-1st last hand in a Men's Pairs because partner opened 2S and then concealed his diamonds.

THIRD/FOURTH SEAT
==============

I read recently that a (fairly) light opener system would also get frisky in 3rd seat?

Boo! unless you have very nice length, strength in the suit.

OR, a hand that might work very well opposite a passed WELOS partner.

Larsson's analysis was that WELOS opens 83% of the opportunities (EHAA "just" 74%). In practice since opponents often were in first seat we opened 63%-80% of the hands in agressive duplicates.

In the ACBL-diluted WELOS, which demands 8 HCP he could have 7 HCP.

In real WELOS, if he has HCP worth a darn he has a hand too flat to make HCP+321 distribution add up to 8 TP.

WITH INTERFERENCE
==============

WELOS doesn't demand any particular methods, just remember that opener may have less than 8 HCP or 8-11 and a flat hand.

With 1/1 or 2/1 an opening MAXI is very likely to be able to re-open or free-bid.

Hey, if you understand and dig WELOS you are probably so smart the question of interference bidding is a piece of cake for you.

WHEN THEY OPEN
===========

If partner had a chance to open and didn't, what is the problem?

If not, use whatever methods you always use.


MODIFICATIONS TO WELOS
==================

Since I don't like the one bid, the 2S opener, I have tried to come up with alternatives, but all lose opportunity for the system to work to the fullest extent.

oren goren

[Oren Goren]

In the short time since I posted the card I read the Gerben Dirksen version of Fantunes.

Their NF Stayman + Doubleton Major Relay treatment fits WELOS near perfectly, the major consideration being they handle 5M422, a possible and maybe highly helpful feature of WELOS MIDI/Weak NTs.