Hamilton

By Danny Kleinman


One-notrump openings are preemptive in the true sense of the word. Whether weak or strong, they shut out more bids than any other one-bids. Neither responder nor opponents can make any bids at the one-level.

That was the impetus just before World War Two for Jack Marx of London to abandon the minimally-useful natural 2♣ response to 1NT in order to use 2♣ to hunt for 4-4 fits in major suits before bidding or inviting game. That convention, named “Stayman” after the war, soon became popular under the name “Stayman.” A worthwhile trade!

As the decades rolled around, “Two-Way Stayman” and “Jacoby Transfers” made the minimally-useful 2♦ response to 1NT unavailable---also worthwhile trades.

Until about 1960, intervenors used only natural methods to overcome the preemptive effect of 1NT openings, but then “Notrump Defenses” began to proliferate. Recognizing the greater importance of hearts and spades, Alvin Landy invented a 2♣ overcall that showed both major suits after an opposing 1NT opening.

Other pioneers soon followed. Around the time of the failed “Bay of Pigs” invasion of Cuba, Paul Allinger, Roger STern and Larry ROsler invented the first complex comprehensive Notrump Defense (“ASTRO”) and I adopted it enthusiastically.

While using it in tournaments with a favorite partner, I discovered a subtle flaw and made a small “fix” to the convention. I called the revised version KASTRO, hoping that adding my initial would strike fear into opponents who visualized a bearded Cuban revolutionist.

ASTRO was overambitious and overcomplicated, defining overcalls that more often showed 5-4 in two suits than 5-5 and often required a second bid by overcaller to complete the message. KASTRO did not fix this flaw, but complicated ASTRO further by providing different bidding sequences to distinguish hands with five hearts and four spades from hands with four hearts and five spades. Help!

I confess to a love for two-suited hands, five-five or longer. There are six of them:

1. Majors (the most important)
2. Minors (the least important)
3. Reds
4. Blacks
5. Peppers (think of Sergeant Pepper’s band)
6. Salts (if hearts and clubs are peppers, then spades and diamonds are salts)

Together with the four one-suiters they make ten.

Hamilton has the great merit of being comprehensive, providing ways to bid all ten, the first to do so clearly. Over the years it has been claimed as a brainchild not only by Fred Hamilton, but by Mike Cappelletti Sr., Jerry Helms, Julian Pottage and Alan Wollman. I predict that when the first little green man steps off his spaceship onto our planet, he too will claim to have invented Hamilton.

Let’s applaud Fred and his rival claimants for its merits. It’s almost a thing of beauty! It embodies three bright ideas.

First, it uses its signature 2♦ overcall, rather than Landy’s 2♣, to show both majors. It’s desirable for an artificial bid to fit snugly below the suit or suits it shows. Yes, in Landy, 1NT-2♣-pass-2♦ can ask for overcaller’s five-card major, but that’s a bug not a blessing, as it encourages players to treat 5-4 and 5-5 hands alike.

Second, it assigns the heaviest burden to the cheapest intervention, 2♣, which shows any of four hand-types, the four one-suiters. That’s clearly better than keeping Landy’s 2♣ to show both majors and using 2♦ to show any of the four one-suiters. If responder passes, partner can bid 2♦ to ask for overcaller’s suit.

That leaves the five two-suiters except “both majors” to the higher overcalls. It was already popular to use a 2NT overcall of suit openings to show the two lowest unbid suits (the by-now usual “Unusual" 2NT Overcalls), here both minors.

Then a heartium (“hearts and a undisclosed minor”) 2♥ and spadium (“spades and a undisclosed minor”) 2♠ fit neatly between the “both majors” 2♦ and the “both minors” 2NT. To ask “Which minor?” the partner of a 2♥ or 2♠ overcaller can bid 2NT.

There you have it, preserving penalty doubles of 1NT. But not “Ha, ha, my hand is stronger that your hand!” doubles of which bad bidders are so fond. Having played with Fred, I’ve seen his penalty doubles. They look like ♠A53 ♥KQJ1083 ♦A6 ♣98, perhaps not good enough to open a strong 1NT, but definitely enough to beat 1NT.

As happens with most conventions, Hamilton can be modified, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, sprouting several variations. Soon after learning Hamilton, I developed qualms. It struck me that natural 2♥ and 2♠ overcalls were too valuable to abandon. The hands for them seemed to arise more often than the hands for major-minor two-suiters.

I made some rough estimates and concluded that hands for each two-suiter arose only about three-eighths as often as for each one-suiter, so that a Hamilton 2♥ overcall occurred only about three-quarters as often as a one-suited 2♥ overcall.

Thus in 100 hands that merit intervening at all, we might expect these frequencies:

♣ 16
♦ 16
♥ 16
♠ 16
♣+♦ 6
♣+♥ 6
♦+♥ 6
♦+♠ 6
♥+♠ 6

That led me to invent Mirror Hamilton: 2♥ and 2♠ overcalls are natural, and the 2♣ overcall is based on clubs, diamonds, hearts and a minor, or spades and a minor.

When I next played in a tournament with Fred, he liked it enough to play it with me.

A couple of decades later, Mirror Hamilton became popular but was described by those who used it as “Modified Hamilton”---most unhelpfully, as there were several different ways to modify Hamilton.

Many people have phobias, most commonly claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights), and arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Some poor souls have more than one. I was lucky enough to have started life with none.

But during my youth I developed two. When I discovered girls, I developed nymphophobia (fear of sexy women). When I discovered competitive bidding in bridge, I developed spadophobia (fear of spades).

When I played Hamilton, all too often the auction began 1NT-2♥*-2♠-2NT*; 3♠, and I never got to show which minor I had. When I played Mirror Hamilton, it was worse still, as all too often the auction began 1NT-2♣*-2♠ to shut out both my suits.

So why not shut out responder’s spades before he could bid them to shut me out? Keep the 2♣ overcall to show any one-suiter, but bid beyond 2♠ with any two-suiter that does not include spades. I called this modification Simpleton because it was really simpler.

2NT remains “unusual,” showing both minors. Three of either minor shows that minor and hearts. What’s left? 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠. With spades and a red suit, overcall two of the red suit. That leaves a simple 2♠ overcall available for spades and clubs.

Do you see what is wrong with Hamilton, Mirror Hamilton and Simpleton alike?

Here’s the obvious flaw: you are not Fred Hamilton, and neither is your partner. And even if you know when to double for penalties, your partner won’t know when to sit and when to run.

Here’s a hand you might pick up tomorrow: ♠AQ42 ♥KJ65 ♦A73 ♣K7. You start to reach for the 1NT card in your bidding box when (fortunately!) you catch yourself in time and notice that it’s not your turn. The dealer on your right opens 1NT in front of you. The nerve! Why, you have a hand as good as his, probably better. You’ll show him: DOUBLE!

I wouldn’t. Fred Hamilton wouldn’t. You saw earlier the kind of hand with which Fred would double 1NT, and it looks nothing like this. He’d beat 1NT. You might beat 1NT too, but don’t be too confident.

Suppose you double and everybody passes. What will you lead against 1NT doubled? I know what I’d do. I’d alternate between scratching my head and rubbing my chin ... until the bell rings for the next round and the director pulls the board.

But of course I’m kidding. Clever though that is, I respect the game of bridge too much to try it. Instead I’d leave my head and my chin untouched, shrug my shoulders and lead the ♥5. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch my partner with ♥A10932. We’ll take the first eight tricks and beat 1NT doubled two.

Time for a self-congratulatory pat on the back?

Not so fast! What do you think Lefty has?

That’s right, a woefully weak hand with long clubs or long diamonds. He was going to pass 1NT if you hadn’t doubled. He couldn’t have run to 2♣, as he plays it as “Stayman,” nor to 2♦, as he plays it as a Jacoby Transfer.

But now he can. Or worse for you, he may have agreed to play a redouble as a transfer to clubs and 2♣ as a transfer to diamonds (part of a rescue system I call Parachute).

You’ve just given Lefty a chance to transfer to 2♣ or 2♦. What will you lead against 2♣ or 2♦ if he does?

If you’re willing to give up the penalty doubles that seldom stick (when Lefty doesn’t pull, partner often does), you can avoid a dilemma that Hamilton thrusts upon advancer. Suppose the auction begins 1NT-2♠-pass up to you.

You may have either (c) ♠87 ♥J6532 ♦43 ♣KJ98 or (d) ♠87 ♥J6532 ♦KJ98 ♣43. Should you bid 2NT to ask partner for his minor? If you do, he’ll have five cards in your short minor, but if you don’t he’ll have five cards in your minor---per Murphy’s Law.

Minor-Suit Hamilton uses a double of 1NT to show clubs and perhaps a major, and a 2♣ overcall to show diamonds and perhaps a major. Then after advancer accepts the transfer, intervenor bids his major if he has one.

Now Murphy’s Law won’t bite you. After 1NT-double-pass-3♣; pass-2♠-pass, you’ll know to correct to 3♣ with two or more clubs than spades but pass with two or more diamonds than spades. Similarly, a double followed by 2♥, or 2♣ followed by a major, clarifies which major-minor two-suiter intervenor has.

Once we decide to abandon penalty doubles of 1NT openings, new horizons appear in front of us. Suppose we use the double, instead of 2♣, to show a one-suited overcall. Then we can use 2♣, 2♦ and 2♥ overcalls to show two-suiters with the named suit and spades (“spadials”).

We’d hate to bid 1NT-2♥, showing hearts and spades, only to be there when partner has a good fit for hearts and a poor fit for spades but too little strength to raise hearts opposite our strong hand.

So with a strong two-suiter that includes spades, we can bid 2♠ (a “spadium”), letting advancer bid 2NT to ask for overcaller’s other suit. 2NT (minors) and three of a minor (that minor and hearts, “heartials”) are still available as two-suited overcalls while jumps to 3♥ and 4♥ can be played as strong and natural but jumps to 4♣ and 4♦ can be played as stronger heartials.

If there’s a guiding principle of Hamilton, it’s “Let’s take care of the two-suiters first, and worry about the one-suiters later.” But one-suiters are more frequent.

What if we build our notrump defense on the opposite principle, “Whatever else we do, let’s make sure we can still show our one-suiters directly, and as the only games we figure to be able to make with appropriate hands are in hearts and spades, let’s keep three-heart and three-spade jumps as natural and invitational!”?

So we’ll keep 2♣, 2♦, 2♥ and 2♠ as natural overcalls, with 3♥ and 3♠ as strong (but not forcing) jumps. That leaves 2NT (minors), 3♣ (peppers) and 3♦ (reds) in place as two-suited bids. Only the two-suiters that include spades are unaccounted. For them and them only, the otherwise less-than-useless double is available.

In reply to a Super-Natural double, advancer will often want to bid some number of spades. But sometimes he may want to know the doubler’s other five-card suit; then he can bid 2♣ (“Alert! What’s your other suit?”). Doubler replies 2♦ with five diamonds, 2♥ with five hearts or (???)---yes, 2♠ if his other suit is clubs.

This 1NT-double (spades and another suit)-pass-2♣ (which other suit?) query has another use. Suppose you have a hand like ♠A973 ♥874 ♦1092 ♣KQ6. You know you want to raise spades, but how high? I’ll like to reach 4♠ opposite spades and clubs, but opposite spades and a red suit, the most I can do is bid 3♠ and let partner bid 4♠ only if he has extras.

Which is better: showing the one-suiters directly or showing the two-suiters directly?

The one-suiters. Here’s why. Suppose you have ♠K1084 ♥62 ♦KQJ107 ♣A3 or similar. Playing Hamilton, you’ll overcall 2♣ and pass partner’s 2♦ reply. Playing Super Simpleton , you’ll double and rebid 2♦, which is slightly better because partner gets another turn. But using either of these indirect one-suited overcalls, you’ll be handcuffed by Lefty’s possible 2♥ response. In contrast, after making a natural 2♦ overcall, you can bid 2♠ next when 2♥ comes round to you. The benefit of overcalling in your suit directly is greater still when your suit is clubs.

Not long after I learned Hamilton, I persuaded one of my duplicate bridge partners to play it with me. Sure enough, a hand for it arose. I do not remember my exact hand, only that it contained five hearts and five spades with nine high-card points.

I smiled inwardly and waited for my right-hand opponent, the dealer, to open 1NT so I could pull out the marvelous new toy that went “zip” when it moved, “bop” when it stopped and “whirr” when it stood still. I wish I remembered his name, so I could scold him properly, but the nasty son-of-a-bitch passed. Frustrated, I passed.

Next morning, I thought, “Who needs Weak Two-Diamond Bids?”

Unlike Weak 2♠ Bids, which often shut out opponents who would otherwise bid 2♥, and unlike Weak 2♥ Bids, which often lead to 10-trick 4♥ games, Weak 2♦ Bids seldom lead to 11-trick 5♦ games and shut out very little.

So I invented, and subsequently refined....

A Phantom Hamilton 2♦ opening shows 5-5, 6-5 or (rarely) 6-6 in the majors in the Convenience Store Range (7-11 HCP). Here are the responses:

Game and slam bids place the contract.

2♥, 2♠ or 3♣ responses are signoffs, but opener can bid 3♥ or 3♠ with extra strength and a six-card major, or bid his singleton with 6-6 in the majors.

3♦ is game-invitational or better, and asks opener to pick a major. Opener may bid 4♣ to transfer to 4♥, or 4♦ to transfer to 4♠, with a maximum.

3♥ or 3S is natural and invitational.

4♣ or 4♦ is natural and forcing with a long strong suit.

2NT is artificial and game-forcing (often slammish), and asks about shape.

With 5-5 in the majors, opener bids three of a three-card minor if he has one, else 3NT. With 6-5 in the majors, opener bids three of his six-card major. With 6-6 in the majors, opener bids four of his singleton. Then responder places the contract.

Every artificial bid requires an alert, and you will do well to “pre-alert” your opponents. They have cue bids available in both majors. If they have a defense against the well-known Flannery 2♦, they may do well to use it against a Phantom Hamilton 2♦, and you should tell them so.

Suggest the following defense to them unless they prefer another:

Double with a strong balanced hand.

Bid minors naturally, jumps being strong.

Use 2♥, 2♠ and 2NT to show both minors, 2♥ showing longer clubs, 2♠ showing longer diamonds, 2NT showing equal length.

Bid 3♥ or 3♠ to show a running minor and a stopper in that suit, urging partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in the other major, or 4♣ without one.

Bid 3NT as a suggestion to play there.

Observing how some of my partners abuse Weak Two-Bids, I am tempted to define Phantom 2♥ and 2♠ openings similarly, but I’m just too fond of disciplined Weak 2♥ and 2♠ Bids to abandon them ... with most of my partners. So I won’t ask you to play Phantom Hamilton 2♥ and 2♠ Bids with me if you’ll listen to me sing....

Don’t open Weak Twos with freak hands (voids or five-card side suits). Don’t open Weak Twos with two “features” (aces, kings, or side suits like ♣Q1094). Don’t open Weak Twos with weak trump suits. Have two of the top three cards in your suit, with only one exception. A concubine (my term for a jack-ten combination) may substitute for the queen in her absence.

Give Me That Old-Time Religion: a good suit is a sine qua non of a Weak Two-Bid. Yes, I know: one of the verses goes “Let us worship Aphrodite, even though she’s rather flighty, ’cause she wears a see-through nighty, she’s good enough for me.”

When it comes to Weak Two-Bids and other preempts, a diaphanous blouse is definitely not My Love in Her Attire.