About Standard American Yellow Card
Key features
- 5-card majors
- Strong 1NT opening (15-17 HCP)
- Strong, artificial 2♣ opening
- Weak 2♦/2♥/2♠ (5-10 HCP, 6-card suit)
- Stayman & Jacoby transfers
Opening bids at a glance
- 2C — 22+ HCP: open the strong, artificial 2C.
- 2NT — 20-21 HCP, balanced shape: open 2NT.
- 1NT — 15-17 HCP, balanced shape: open 1NT.
- 1NT — 15-17 HCP with a semi-balanced 5-card minor and no 5-card major: open 1NT in the teaching sequence.
- 1NT — After passing originally, show an 18 HCP balanced hand with a 1NT reopening.
- 1S — 13-21 HCP with 5+ spades and spades at least as long as hearts: open 1S.
- 1H — 13-21 HCP with 5+ hearts (hearts longer than spades, or no 5-card spade suit): open 1H.
- 1D — 13-21 HCP, no 5-card major, diamonds longer than clubs: open 1D.
- 1C — 13-21 HCP, no 5-card major: open the longer minor (1C when clubs >= diamonds).
- 2S — 5-11 HCP with a 6-card spade suit: weak two in spades.
- 2H — 5-11 HCP with a 6-card heart suit: weak two in hearts.
- 2H — With 5-11 HCP, 5 hearts, and a 5+ card minor, open 2H as a weak two-style preempt in the Brownlee teaching sequence.
- 2D — 5-11 HCP with a 6-card diamond suit: weak two in diamonds.
- 3S — Less than opening strength with a 7-card spade suit: preempt 3S.
- 3H — Less than opening strength with a 7-card heart suit: preempt 3H.
- 3D — Less than opening strength with a 7-card diamond suit: preempt 3D.
- 3C — Less than opening strength with a 7-card club suit: preempt 3C.
- DBL — Opponent opened a weak two and responder bid 2NT as a feature ask. With a decent hand and a good 5+ card spade suit, double to show values/lead direction.
- 1S — Rule of 20: With 11-12 HCP and a 5+ card spade suit, the hand qualifies to open at the 1-level when HCP plus the two longest suits equals 20 or more. This distributional hand has enough playing strength to justify a light opening bid.
- 1H — Rule of 20: With 11-12 HCP and a 5+ card heart suit, the hand qualifies to open at the 1-level when HCP plus the two longest suits equals 20 or more. This distributional hand has enough playing strength to justify a light opening bid.
- 1D — Rule of 20: With 11-12 HCP and longer diamonds (no 5-card major), the hand qualifies to open at the 1-level when HCP plus the two longest suits equals 20 or more. This distributional hand has enough playing strength to justify a light opening bid.
- 1C — Rule of 20: With 11-12 HCP and longer or equal clubs (no 5-card major), the hand qualifies to open at the 1-level when HCP plus the two longest suits equals 20 or more. This distributional hand has enough playing strength to justify a light opening bid.
Competitive bidding
This system includes rules for overcalling when the opponents open, and for adjusting responses and rebids when opponents interfere in the auction. Key competitive features:
- Overcalls: With 8–15 HCP and a good 5+ card suit, the system recommends a simple overcall at the appropriate level.
- 1NT overcall: 15–18 HCP balanced, showing a strong hand with implied stoppers.
- Preemptive overcalls: 6–10 HCP with a 6-card major suit.
- Free bids in competition: Responses after an opponent overcalls require 8+ HCP (a “free bid” promises values).
- Competitive raises: Raising partner’s suit in competition shows genuine support with appropriate strength.