MAJOR-SUIT
AUCTIONS
SSS by Danny Kleinman

SAYC. A 1H or 1S opening shows five or more.

RESPONSES TO 1H. 1S shows at least four spades and at least 6 points, and tends to deny a heart fit. 1NT shows 6-10 points and denies three hearts or four spades. 2C or 2D shows at least four of the suit, at least 11 points, and promises a rebid (unless opener bids game). 2H shows at least three hearts and 6-10 dummy points. 2S, 3C and 3D are strong jump shifts, inviting slam. 3H is invitational, showing at least three hearts and 10-12 dummy points. 3NT shows a balanced 15-17 HCP with specifically two small hearts and most of its strength in the form of queens and jacks rather than aces and kings. 4H is a weak distributional raise with at least five hearts and less than 10 HCP. 2NT is the "Jacoby 2NT," an artificial forcing raise promising at least 13 dummy points, and simultaneously asking opener to show shortness.  Opener must bid the suit of his singleton or void (if he has one) at the 3-level. Otherwise he bids 4H (less than 15 points), 3NT (15-17 points) or 3H (18 or more points). Then responder may attempt to sign off in game, cue-bid or bid 4NT (Blackwood) to seek slam.

RESPONSES TO 1S. Unstated specifically, but presumably analogous to responses to 1H (with spades replacing hearts in the descriptions of the bids).

SSS. A 1H opening, and a 1S opening slightly more so, usually shows five, but is permissible with a strong 4-bagger and a convenient rebid.

RESPONSES TO 1H or 1S. Responder's first task is to classify his hand as Type w ("weak, keep it open"), Type i ("intermediate, invite game") or Type g ("game force"), though these appraisals may change as the auction progresses. Mnemonic: wig.

With Type w, roughly defined as 6 to a bad 10 points, responder's priorities are: (1) Raise to two with at least 3-card support, though a flat hand with three small trumps need not do so. (2) Bid a 4-card or longer spade suit (over a 1H opening). (3) Bid 1NT (even if unbalanced). With Type i, roughly defined as a good 10 to 12 points, responder bids a new suit (usually his longest), normally choosing the cheaper of 4-card suits and exercising judgment with two roughly equal longer suits, taking his planned rebid into consideration. An exception occurs when responder's longest suit is hearts, for a 2H response to 1S normally shows five, and responder may have to bid a 3-card club or diamond suit instead. If responder bids a new suit at the 2-level, he promises a rebid unless opener makes a single raise or bids game.

With Type g, responder usually chooses an initial bid just as a Type i
responder does, but has several special responses available: (a) DOUBLE-jumps in new suits. These are VOID splinters (an unusual treatment, differing from the practice of most experts whose "splinters" are ambiguous, showing either singletons or voids) promising 4-card or longer support for opener's suit, a void in the suit bid, and game values (13 to a poorish 16 Support Points). If you use splinters of any kind (and for what other purpose would you want to use these double-jumps anyway?), you must alert and explain fully.  (b) Three of opener's major. This is a forcing jump raise, showing 4-card or longer support for opener's suit with 13 to a poorish 16 Support Points (including at least 10 HCP), and denying a void. (c) 2NT. This shows a balanced hand with stoppers in the unbid suits, two or three cards in opener's suit, no 4-card suit that can be bid at the 1-level, and 13-15 HCP. (d) 3NT. This shows a flat (4-3-3-3) hand with stoppers in the unbid suits and 16-18 HCP. The 4-card suit must be an unbid minor. You're better off not using it even with a "perfect" hand, for it preempts the search for a fit and subsequent slam probes. If you must use it, you'll do slightly better if you agree with partner that the 4-card suit is always DIAMONDS. Then opener's 4D can always set diamonds as the trump suit, and opener's 4C can always require responder to bid 4D so opener's 4H or 4S following can be SLAMMISH rather than an attempt to play there.  But not all partners will agree to this useful wrinkle. (e) Single jumps in new suits. These are strong and slammish, but restricted to three hand types (nearly all modern experts accept this restriction), which I call Type F ("fit"), Type B ("balanced") and Type I ("independent suit"). Mnemonic: FBI. Type F: primary (at least 4-card) support for partner's suit (at least a good 16 Support Points), but not necessarily a good suit of your own. Type B: a balanced hand with a good 5-card suit and at least a good 18HCP. Type I: an independent suit (at most one loser expected) with more than 4-level values. When you jump-shift, show which type you have by your next bid. DON'T jump shift with 2-suiters unless one of them is partner's; you can show strong 2-suiters by bidding one of them, then jumping in the other at your next turn.