Dear Ed & Peter,

What bidding system can approach mostly for freak hand? And what system is the best way to the expert ? :)

Thanks in advance, Somsak Toon.

Reply from Ed Hoogenkamp ('South'):

Dear Somsak Toon,

The answer is: there is no answer. A bidding system has to fit the two players. That can be a natural system or a highly artificial system. I, for one, am totally lost in an artificial system. Firstly because I have to put too much energy in remembering it and secondly because I have the feeling I cannot take decisions based on 'feeling'. The system tells me what to do and I feel like a puppet on a string.
I am convinced that in an artificial system freak hands can be bid better and more accurate..... if the opponents let you! But they don't. They keep interfering at a high level and I lose the advantage of my system. For that reason some pairs who play artificial systems, don't play it when they are vulnerable against not. They never get the chance to use it!

Let's see how what Peter has to say. I think his favourite system is opening 1♣ on all hands with less than 15 points and 1♦ on all hands with more than 15 points. He thinks it's a highly artificial and effective system.

Regards from Barcelona

Reply from Peter van der Linden ('North'):

Dear Somsak Toon,

Being a non-expert in bidding systems, I can only give you some common ideas. You ask for both the best system for freak hands and the best system for experts.
Firstly: bidding freak hands is not so much a matter of a bidding system as well as feeling, experience and talent. Sorry, but freak hands are a class in themselves...
Secondly, about the best bidding system for experts: I have played Precision Club for many years, basically an artificial system, the strongest opening being 1♣. I played a very basic version of it though, meaning most bidding (apart from some opening bids) was very natural. My experiences with the system were very good, I think in undisturbed bidding, artifical systems are surely superior.
Opinions differ very much however about which kind of system is best in practice.
Ed has already pointed at the Achilles heel of artificial systems: interfering opponents. The best artificial bidders therefore have even more agreements to counter these interferences. So theoretically artificial systems still should be best - providing its users make an enormous effort in learning the system and keep it up to date against new 'threats' (anti-bidding gadgets).

But why take my (non-expert) word for it? Which systems do the world's leading players use?
- Most of them play a basically natural system, though usually peppered with a lot of gadgets/agreements. Norwegian ace Geir Helgemo once told me when I interviewed him: 'Get your suits in first'. Meaning: it is important to pinpoint your long suits as quickly as possible; indicating your exact point count has a somewhat lower priority. This way you are less likely to be in a fix after 'their' high interference.
- On the other hand: some of the world's best pairs do play a highly artificial system, e.g. Bocchi-Duboin (this pair has split up recently by the way).

My conclusion: if you like to indulge yourself in bidding theory and are willing to spend a lot of time learning and updating it, you could try a highly artificial system.
But for most bridge players a basically natural system will be better. Even then there is a lot to learn; there is no such thing as simple natural bidding at the top level...

Regards from Orkanger