Continuation Bidding After 2NT SuperAccept [26 October 2009]

1.	Overview

	The task is to construct a program that will take as input a pair of hands, and apply bidding criteria to them, before analysing the probable success of the auction in question.

In this case, one hand is to be a maximum weak NT, with a 4-card major, whereas the other is to have five cards or more in the same major, thereby instigating a transfer sequence.

There should be further constraints on the responding hand, such that either game or slam is a marginal decision, viz:

•	8-10 HCP
•	15-18 HCP

Producing the 'engine' that will apply bidding criteria, whilst not a trivial task, only has to follow certain rules.

Then there's the problem of assessing how good the final result is - I'm hoping for help from DealMasterPro here.

2.	Responder's Hand

The point-count ranges should be fairly straightforward, as should the minimum length in a major. As to whether the hand contains additional length in the trump suit, and the distribution of the remaining three suits, we'll leave that up to DealMaster Pro.

3.	Opener's Hand

The specification here is that it must be at the upper end of the 12-14 range, must have four of the specified major, and must be balanced enough to be opening 1NT.

4.	Bidding Criteria

Responder's second bid should be fairly straightforward:

•	am I too weak to be interested in game? If yes, re-transfer and pass.
•	am I good enough to show slam interest? If not, simply bid game.
•	if I am good enough to show slam interest:
•		can I splinter?
•		do I have a biddable second suit?
•		does my HCP strength still justify a slam try? So I can re-transfer and then bid 3NT [need to define what I expect opener to do now]. Or re-transfer then bid RKCB.	Or bid RKCB direct.

Now to opener's third bid, where responder has made some kind of try. Good holdings from opener's point of view are:

•	no significant values in splinter suit
•	Axx or Axxx in splinter suit
•	Hxxx or Hxx or better in trial suit

5.	Using The LTC

Responder should proceed over opener's 2NT superaccept rebid using the LTC as a guide, and assuming opener has a 7-loser hand with the transfer suit as trumps. There's little scope now for game-try trial bids [3C is available, 3D is a re-transfer, anything else commits us to game anyway], so responder should bid game or not directly on the basis of his LTC. When the LTC indicates we could be in the slam zone, then we proceed more slowly.