Friday, October 03, 2003 4:25 AM
Texas
Transfers
PITBULLS:
Texas
Transfers allow the strong NT hand to declare the game contract . So do Jacoby
Transfers which begs the question why play Texas Transfers ? It is baseball season
so the best answer can be a baseball analogy . In baseball there is a pitcher
that is called the setup man. He comes in around the 7th or 8th
inning to setup the closer who pitches the 9 th inning. Texas Transfers are the
same thing . They clarify Jacoby Transfers by the simple inference that you did not choose to make a Texas Transfer !
It sets up the Jacoby transfer sequences.
A
Texas Transfer is either weak or very strong with a 6 card or better suit .
Therefore this further defines Jacoby Transfers as 5 or 6 card suits that are
either game invitational or slam invitational.
If you did not play Texas Transfers and you had a slam going hand with a solid
major you had to use Gerber. This declared the slam from the wrong side of the
table . Playing Texas Transfers , you leap to 4 of the transfer suit , bid
Blackwood which opens up queen asks and all the other nice things that come
with KCB . In addition , you are declaring the contract from the correct side
as you have transferred.
What
do you do with a 5 card major and a balanced 16 or 17 HCP hand ? Playing Texas
Transfers it is easy . You transfer to your major via a Jacoby Transfer and bid
4NT which has to be quantitative. Partner did not super accept in the major so
she has no major fit . This sequence can not be Blackwood . If partner super
accepted then of course it is Blackwood.
You
must have a forcing to game bid
after making a transfer in order
to investigate slam. There are two slam tries playing Jacoby Transfers. One relies on the inference that you did not make a Texas Transfer . You make a
Jacoby Transfer and partner does not super accept . You now leap to game in
that major . This is a broken suit slam try . You need a major suit honour card
for further slam exploration. The 2ND slam try is bidding spades
after a heart transfer . This sets
the suit as hearts and the location of controls are the deciding factor whether
you reach a major suit slam.
1NT-P-2♦-P
2♥-P-2♠-P
2♠ is a slam try agreeing
hearts as trump saying nothing about spades. 3♥ is also a slam try but the idle 2♠ bid
leaves more room for Q biddng.
1NT-P-2♥-P
2♠-P-3♠
3♠ is a slam try not invitational . Partner did not super accept and you did not
make a Texas Transfer
. Playing this bid as invitational with a 6 card suit is silly . If you had a 6 card suit with invitational
values you would “take a shot “ at game with a Texas transfer. If you had a 5
card suit and invitational values you would bid 2NT. Having a forcing bid after a transfer is more
important then a very rare invitational bid. Jumping to game as a slam try
takes up too much room. Do we really need invitational sequences with a 6 card major ?
5-5 in the
majors needs to be discussed by an established partnership. With a forcing to
game 5-5 , we go the Jacoby transfer route. With a non forcing to game 5-5 in
the majors we use Stayman.
I had this
hand Kx KQxxxx J1098 Q and partner opens 2NT. Not playing Texas
transfer this hand is almost unbidable. You transfer to hearts and then Q bid
spades. Is it not easier just to transfer to hearts and bid 4♥. Since you did not make a Texas Transfer you
must be making a slam try.
Another
advantage of Texas Transfers is using Exclusion Blackwood after a 1NT opener .
You transfer to hearts and then bid 4♠ . This is exclusion
Blackwood with hearts agreed. You transfer to 4 of a major and bid at the 5
level . This is Exclusion Blackwood in that suit .
AKQxxx KQxx void Kxx 1NT-P-4♥-P
5♥-P-6♣-P
Jxx Axx Kxx AQJ10
After
Blackwood , 6♣ is specific suit ask . A bid of 6 diamonds shows the queen of
clubs. A cold grand bid off the
diamond Ace and a minimum NT opener !