Jannersten Precision Asking Bids
contributed by Alice_B_Bare
Jannersten Asking Bids apply in Precision 1
auctions. Opener's rebids are not necessarily descriptive but instead ask responder for information about Controls, trump support, or side-suit holdings. In fact, any rebid opener makes is an Asking Bid, except when responder has made a negative response and opener then makes a non-jump suit rebid or a notrump rebid. A major advantage to Jannersten Asking Bids is the ability to seek needed information from partner while disclosing little to the opponents about the strong hand.
Alpha 1 - 1
/1/1NT - 2/2
non-jump in new suit... support and Controls
Beta 1 - 1/1 - 1NT...Controls
Gamma 1 - 1/1/2/2 raise - support
Delta 1 - 1/1/1NT/2/2 - jump in new suit top suit honors and side-suit aces
Epsilon after any ask.. new suit..round controls (1st,2nd,3rd)
Zeta 1 - 1 - jump in major support and controls
After a response to Precision 1, opener chooses which information to elicit from partner (controls, trump support, etc) by selecting the appropriate Asking Bid. The various Asking Bids are defined below and are followed by examples of usage.
Alpha question:
After a 1 opening and a positive response, opener shows a suit and wants a reply on the Alpha scale. He is asking about partner's trump support, and how many Controls (Ace-2, King-1) he can provide.
Alpha scale:
- 1st step - no support 3 or less controls
- 2nd - 4 or more controls
- 3rd - support with 3 or less controls
- 4th - with 4 or more controls
- 5th - AK or AQ
Beta-question: (Controls).
When partner responds 1 or 1
to the 1 opening, a rebid of 1NT from opener is the Beta-question. The 1NT rebid asks east to show the number of controls held. With no more than 2 controls, east goes just one step, to 2, 2 shows 3 controls and so on.
Gamma-question:
This is the normal precision trump asking bid: (tell me about your suit!)
1 - 1 - 2 The 2 spade raise asks about east's trump holding. East responds in steps:
- 1st - no top honor
- 2nd - 1 top honor, 5-card suit
- 3rd - 2 top honors, 5-card suit
- 4th - 1 top honor, 6-card suit
- 5th - 2 top honors, 6-card suit
- 6th - 3 top honors, 5-card suit or better
Opener may delay the Gamma Ask until the third round of bidding. Delayed raise of responder's major is also a Gamma Ask. A repeated Gamma question means that West wants the trump holding clarified.
Delta-question:
After the positive response opener makes a jump bid in a new suit which, as the Beta-question does, asks for the number of top controls.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 3* |
Pass |
*After responders positive response, opener sets diamonds as trump and asking for Controls.
Epsilon-question:
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 2* |
Pass | 2NT** | Pass |
| 3*** |
Pass |
** shows 1 heart honor in a 5 card suit
*** After having learned that responder has got one top honor in a 5 card heart suit opener, by bidding a new suit, asks for controls in clubs, either ruffing or honor.
Another Epsilon-question:
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 1* |
Pass | 2** |
Pass |
| 3*** |
Pass |
** 3 spades to the queen and at most 3 controls
*** asks for a control in clubs
After the positive response to the 1 opening. Opener uses an Alpha question, the answer to which shows at least 3 to the spade queen and at the most 3 controls, an ace and a king, or 3 kings. He continues with an Epsilon question of 3 to ask for control in that suit.
Zeta-question:
With a very strong hand, the player who has opened 1 may choose to force by jumping after a negative 1 response. If he makes the jump in a major it is an Alpha-ask, and if he jumps in a minor suit, he is asking for the auction to continue with natural bidding. When opener is so strong that, despite the negative response, he can make a game force, it will be because he has one or 2-suited hand. If he jumps to 2/2, he is asking for clarification of the precise trump support he will get. A special table is used for this, so let's call this trump support Zeta.
| 1 |
Pass | 1* |
Pass |
| 2** |
Pass | Pass |
** Opener's 2
asks only about heart support (and not at the same time for control control strength, as Alpha does). East gives information on the following scale: - 1 step - singleton or void
- 2 steps - doubleton or a top honor singleton
- 3 steps - 3 small or 1 top honor doubleton
- 4 steps - top honor to 3
- 5 steps - at least 4 small
- 6 steps - top honor to four
- 7 steps - 2 top honors
- 8 steps - 2 top honors to four (hope you never have to remember this)!!
Eta-question:
This has much in common with the Gamma, as it asks about the trump situation. It is only used after the impossible negative (don't need to go into this )
Theta-question:
An Alpha-question after a Beta needs a special scale of answers and this kind is called Theta.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 1NT* | Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 2** |
Pass |
opening, opener asks with Beta for top controls. **He continues with Theta to ask for heart support.
You may, at the start, have difficulty in remembering which is which of these asking bids. As an memory aide, Alpha is the cheapest possible question (example 1 after a 1 response), Beta is the next cheapest, 1NT., Gamma the next, supporting partners suit, Delta is a jump in a new suit and Epsilon is not used earlier than as a 2nd asking bid. Zeta appears a response of 1, and Eta is used after the impossible negative only
THE Alpha QUESTION.
Having opened 1 and gotten a positive reply of 1/1/1NT/2/2, opener, by showing a suit at the lowest level, asks the Alpha question. He is asking for support in his suit as well as for top controls. (2 on the 1NT reply is asking for majors and in this situation 3 is the Alpha question) West wants to know what sort of heart support east can provide and east replies by way of the following table:
- 1 step - worse than queen to 3 and not more than 3 top controls
- 2 steps - worse than queen to 3 but at least 4 top controls
- 3 steps - queen to 3 or better in openers suit (4 small cards is counted as the equiv of queen to 3) and not more than 3 top controls
- 4 steps - 4 card support with an honor (or better) and at least 4 top controls
Here is an example of Alpha at its best:
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 1* |
Pass | 2** |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 4 |
|
| 4 |
Pass | 4NT | |
| 5 |
Pass | 5 |
|
| 5NT | Pass | 6 |
|
| 7 |
** responder with 3 spades to the queen and also 4 controls, (1 ace and 2 kings). He shows his holding by going up four steps to 2
.Opener now knows that spades will make an excellent trump suit, and if it is not solid, only a trump void in RHO's hand will give the defense a trump trick.
THE Beta-QUESTION (Controls).
Having opened 1 and got a positive reply of 1/1, 1NT from opener asks the Beta question, which is for top tricks, aces and kings. example:
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 1NT* |
* Opener is not showing a balanced hand but asks how many controls responder has got, counting an ace as 2 and a king as 1. After having got the answer, opener can continue with either an Alpha (Theta) or a Gamma asking bid.
In case responder, with his first bid, made it impossible for opener to use 1NT as a Beta question, 4 is now being used for this purpose.
| 1 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 2* |
Pass | 3** |
Pass |
| 4** |
Pass |
** Responder gives the best possible answer by going 5 steps, showing at least a top honor to four and at least four controls.
** Opener now checks how many controls responder actually has with 4
THE Gamma-QUESTION.
Often the Gamma-question is not used until the 3rd round. Before that opener wants to get a general view of high cards, so he starts with a Beta-question:
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 1NT* | Pass | 2** |
Pass |
| 2*** |
Pass | 2NT | |
| 3 |
Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 4 |
Pass | 4 |
Pass |
| 5 |
Pass | 5 |
Pass |
| 6NT | Pass |
** 3 controls
*** Gamma
That responder has a positive response including biddable hearts suits opener very well. There is no hurry to find out with a Gamma-question just what sort of heart suit it is so, whilst he has the opportunity, opener checks responders's number of top controls by using a Beta question.
THE Delta QUESTION:
A jump in a new suit asks for top honors in the suit and, at the same time, for information about side-suit aces. 1 - 2 - 3
THE Epsilon QUESTION:
If opener later returns to a suit in which he has previously asked an Epsilon question he is asking for extra lower controls. Responder shows his extra controls, if any, on the following scale/ 1 step- not more than already shown 2 steps - also a 3rd round control (the first answer having shown 1st or 2nd) 3 steps- also a second round control (the 1st answer having shown the first round control