Polish Club Canape

Yesterday I felt inspired to tweak our system (the canape precision system Sean and I use) by introducing a two-way 1C opening and to incorporate canape into the responses and rebids to a 1C opening. So, after brief discussions with Shaz and Bryan, I set out to write up a system that would accommodate these things, not to be played with them but. I used no reference material and I don't think these system notes now look anything like any other system but I do have it so that auctions follow basically the same form as our canape structure for the minimum opening hands. After a couple of hours, I had a couple of pages of sequences that made sense at the time but for all I knew could be quite horrible. Then a couple of hours at the partnership bidding table and we realized this actually makes a lot of sense and allows us to bid the big hands in much the same was as we do the intermediate ones.

There are 2 downsides that I see. Opening NT is 15-17. Okay, not really a downside. It's just totally normal while nothing else in this system (when we get to open the bidding) is normal. and the auction 1C-1D-2D is too difficult to handle. In this case, opener is 17-21 with long diamonds or (4 diamonds and a longer side suit), a lot like our 1D opening which is 11-16 with long diamonds or (4 diamonds and a longer suit). Responder could have up to 11 if balanced, 7 if unbalanced, and may be fearful of bidding on without significant values. We may find ourselves in an inferior diamond fit when everyone else has no problem getting to the 5-3 or 5-4 major suit fit.

Our 1D through 2C opening bids are basically the same as before, but now the max is 16 hcp instead of 15 - they all are one-suited in the suit bid or 4 in the suit bid with a longer side suit. 2D is still mini-roman, now 13-16 instead of 12-15. 2M openings are 8-12 with a 6 card suit. 1NT is 15-17 instead of 12-15. the big change is that 1C is now either 12-14 balanced OR 18+ balanced OR 17+ unbalanced instead of any 16+.

There are a couple of big upsides in that it's fun and the opponents may not know how to react. I suppose most will or should treat it like a natural 1C, but I don't really know. I don't recall every actually playing against anyone playing a Polish club system.