Rubensohl

(Courtesy of Bob Crosby)

Lebensohl over a strong NT was invented so that you can compete better and show game forcing hands immediately. The bad part of Lebensohl is that you must go thru a relay to find out partner's real suit and if RHO competes you might never know that you have a fantastic fit. In today’s game, the opponents always seem to use their toy to disturb your NT and RHO is getting into the act more and more to re-preempt the auction. Jeff Reubens from the Bridge World thought it was a better idea for partner to announce the suit directly with a transfer and your strength later with a D.S.I.P. double or a cue bid or by bidding again.

1NT	2	3	4
?

xxx AQxx AKxx Kx it might be a good idea to bid 5 since partner has announced hearts with her transfer. Partner's hand is x Kxxxxx xx Q10xx and playing Lebensohl he would have bid 2NT and with the same 4 bid by RHO the partnership is poorly placed. Neither side is aware of the huge heart fit!!

Competing for a partial is important as double partial swings are expensive. You hold xxx Ax Axxx AKxx and they overcall 2 after your 1NT bid. Partner bids 2NT Lebensohl and they bid 3. You guess that partner was competing in hearts so you pass. Wrong, partner had diamonds. x xxx QJ10xxx Qxx and you are on a hook for 5 and you sell out for 3 unaware of your huge diamond fit.

The device Rubens suggests to prevent RHO from jamming you is to replace the Lebensohl structure with a transfer structure. This allows the NT opener to know the suit immediately and by the simple act of accepting the transfer he can be dropped by partner if his intention was just to compete. If partner’s intention was to force, he can bid game or cue bid or bid Blackwood or whatever. The brilliant part of this structure is that you can define meanings to transferring into their suit.

Transfers also allows the concept of “super accepts” which can be used in this structure also. Useful space with two suiters are preserved with transfers along with the super accept understandings. All this and the contract is right sided!!!

Rubensohl applies when partner makes a 1NT overcall and they interfere. You can give a meaning to transferring into the 2nd bid suit if there is one. D.S.I.P. doubles rather than penalty doubles apply in these auctions also when they interfere after a 1NT overcall by partner.

Understandings are also necessary of RHO gets in the act, but these are just common sense. As per other Bridge principles, if they double bidding is the weakest action. Pass denies a fit and leaves room for a penalty double if there is one. A redouble is punitive and denies a fit with your suit. A cue bid or 3NT are super accepts even with RHO interfering.

The Super Accept

Everybody knows one of the main advantages of a transfer bid is the super accept. Knowing that when partner just accepts the transfer, she is not overly excited with her fit makes invitational sequences and slam decisions easy. Rubensohl replaced Lebensohl for a number of practical reasons. The 1NT opener knows the suit immediately in competitive auctions. This prevents pre-emption by the opponents and responder's suit is not unknown as in Lebensohl. In addition, the transfer structure puts opener in a straight jacket so the transfer provides more room for responder to show her hand (two suiters, slam tries etc). Since the 1NT bidder is forced to bid the transfer suit, responder essentially gets in two bids by bidding again at the same level. A two for one so to speak (Useful Space principle recommends transfers).

1NT	2	2NT	Pass
3	Pass	3

You have already shown a 6-4 in clubs and hearts and you are at the same level as bidding 3 forcing directly! Of course, Rubensohl also right sides contracts to the stronger hand for opening lead purposes. In my opinion, there should be a 4th aspect to the advantages of Rubensohl and that is the super accept.

If partner makes a Rubensohl bid in the minors, a super accept of course should be a 3NT bid with a stopper as that is the goal for good minor fits anyway. If the NT opener just accepts the transfer in the minors, she is not enamored with that particular minor. If partner pulls the super accept to the minor at the 4 level that is KCB for that minor as the Rubensohl hand is of course unlimited. If partner super accepts with a cuebid (their suit) it means she has no stopper or has wasted values in their suit.

x xxx KJxxxx AKx and partner opens 1NT with RHO overcalling 2. You bid 3 Rubensohl and partner super accepts with 3NT so you pass and get your +630. What if partner super accepts with 3? Partner has xxx AK AQx QJ10xx so you drive the hand to 6 and pickup your +1370.

Super accepting works best with the heart suit as it prevents 4 doubled on a shot as well as getting to good 4 games or slams. You open 1NT and LHO opponent overcalls in the bully suit. Partner bids 3 as the heart transfer and you have KJxx Ax Jxxx AKx so you just bid 3 and play it there. Partner has void J109xx Q10xx QJ10x and just wanted to compete. Partner can super accept with a 4 bid probably showing 4 trump. KJx Axxx Jxxx AKx and 4 is odds on with the above hand.

What about the monster hands in support of hearts? It is those hands you can super accept with a spade cuebid for small and grand slam purposes. Opponents are always crawling into your NT auctions with any hands especially on favorable vulnerability. Rubensohl is a nice counter measure to recover transfer sequences with super accept understandings. One thing that has always annoyed me is that "braying jackasses" just by bidding can punch holes in your bidding system. Rubensohl is so far superior to Lebensohl that it hurts. Experts who have not converted to Rubensohl should run, not walk to their Bridge psychiatrist.

Rubensohl - The Transfer Concept

March 28th 2006

I like Rubensohl because I do not like RHO jamming us out of the auction. This advantage has been mentioned in previous articles as the main reason we switched away from Lebensohl to that treatment. However, there is much more to transfers than meets the eyes. Transfers are in effect relays. Relays preserve bidding room as partner is put in a straight jacket and must “puppet” as ordered.

Take this hand as an example. x AJ10x AKxxxx xx

Partner opens 1NT with the opponents overcalling 2. Playing Lebensohl you bid 3 forcing and partner bids 3NT. You make one more try by bidding 4 and partner bids 5 and all pass. Partner's hand KQJx KQx QJx Kxx and they lead the club queen and you are –100. Now the Rubensohl auction. You bid 3 over 2 which is a transfer to diamonds so you have right sided the contract. You now bid 3 and you describe your 6-4 by the 3 level!! Partner now bids 3NT and that ends the auction for +660.

Another advantage of the transfer is the super accept. Same hand and this time the NT opener has xxx KQx QJx AKJx and bids 3 as a super accept in diamonds. Partner bids 3 and Blackwood gets you to your cold 6. Even without a super accept, you should get to the correct diamond contract. Do not forget that partner may be only competing and plans to drop you. A super accept is just that, a super hand.

Kantar has added a twist to his version of Rubensohl (everybody seems to have their own ideas). Kantar has realized that 5-5 in the minors are horrible to describe in competition after 1NT. Kantar reserves spades to describe both minors. If they overcall in hearts, you always have hearts to transfer to spades, so the spade bid is idle. If they overcall in spades, you do not need a spade bid as Stayman is defined as transferring to their suit. Kantar says play a spade cue bid as the minors also. Therefore spades always show the minors playing his version of Rubensohl.

1NT

2

3

Pass

Opener: xxx Axxx KJxx AK

Responder: x xx AQxxx QJ10xx and you arrive at 6 for +1370.

Try getting their without a Rubensohl toy showing the minors. Partner will probably just bid 3NT showing no stopper and you bungle to your minor game.

Do not forget a very obvious advantage of Rubensohl that gets overlooked with all the other advantages. You right side contracts from the strong NT hand. Leading up to the strong NT is certainly better than leading thru it.

1NT	2	3	Pass
4

* With Kx QJx Axxx AQxx you have wrong sided the 4 game.

Partner holds: xx AKxxx Kxxx Jx

4 goes down one but cold from your side.

Two Suiters (Rubensohl)

November 1st 2006

Rubensohl unleashes the hidden power of transfers. Transfers allow useful bidding space as the NT bidder gives information by accepting or super accepting the transfer. Two suiters are shown by the time honoured principle of transferring into one suit and bidding the other. There is no ambiguity as the 2nd bid must be a second suit rather than an ambiguous cuebid.

Here is a hand from a Spingold where 3NT was reached at one table and at the other table 7. Only a 17 IMP swing.

Axx xx AKxx AQ10x

x AKxxx xx Kxxxx.

The auction at one table went:

1NT	2	3	Pass
3NT

3NT for +630. At the other table they played Rubensohl so they bid 3 with partner denying good hearts or a strong preference for 3NT by just accepting the transfer (super accept inference). The negative inference of knowing that partner did not like hearts nor having duplication of value in spades, the Rubensohl bidder bid 4 over partners 3. This now was super accepted with a 4 cuebid and a 4 cuebid resulted. 4NT brought two aces, a specific king ask showed the heart King. 7 was an easy bid by the 1NT opener. Nice auction!

Transfers as a tool in competition are very under rated by the average Bridge player. They think it is just to let the strong hand play the hand. Far from it! The transfer allows super acceptance or denial, saves bidding room and announces your suit immediately in competition. All this in addition to right siding the contract!

Experts use the transfer after partner's major and the opponent's takeout double also. This assists the partnership to handle one suited hands or one suited hands with a fit. Do not just limit the transfer tool to a NT opener, there is more than meets the eye with this bid.

Rubensohl – Minors

June 9th 2007

Experts play Rubensohl when the opponents interfere over their NT with the majors. Rubensohl is defined for dealing with interference by the majors only. What if the opponents overcall in the minors or artificially with the minors? Unfortunately, this is a game time decision depending on which toys the opponents are using. There are some standard understandings though which we will discuss below. Lebonsohl is still alive and well over both minors even though you play Rubensohl over the majors.

If the opponents overcall with an artificial 2, a direct double by responder is Stayman. If the opponents make an artificial double, you just ignore them. If you bid 3 over their artificial 2 that is forcing with clubs. If you wish to compete in clubs, you bid 2NT Lebonsohl and pass partners 3 response. A 2 or 2 bid by you is to play and a jump in those major suits is a one suiter major forcing.

If the opponents overcall with 2 artificially showing the majors, we have some common understandings. 2NT is Lebensohl so we can compete in diamonds and clubs that way. A direct 3 or 3 bid is natural and forcing. A double says let me at the majors. Invisible cue bids enter the fray after the 2 bid. Since they are announcing the majors, if you have a minor two suiter with competitive values bid 2. If you wish to force to game with the minors, bid 2.

Since Lebensohl understandings still apply after the minor overcalls, a leap to 3NT is systemic. If 2 or 2 are natural bids, a leap to 3NT denies a stopper in that suit. If these minors are artificial, a leap to 3NT says nothing about that suit.

If the minors are natural bids, a double is penalty on every vulnerability except the terrorist vulnerability. If we are vulnerable and they are not, the double is D.S.I.P. so we can get to our best vulnerable game. If partner converts the double on this vulnerability, they are really in trouble.

Lebensohl vs Rubensohl

Lebensohl over a strong NT was invented so that you can compete better and show game forcing hands immediately. The bad part of Lebensohl is that you must go through a relay to find out partners real suit and if RHO competes you might never know that you have a fantastic fit. In today's game the opponents always seem to use their toy to disturb your NT and RHO is getting into the act more and more to re-preempt the auction. Jeff Reubens from the Bridge World thought it was a better idea for partner to announce the suit directly and your strength later with a D.S.I.P. double or a cuebid or by bidding again.

1NT	2	3	4
?

xxx AQxx AKxx Kx

It might be a good idea to bid 5. Partner's hand is x Kxxxxx xx Q10xx and playing Lebensohl he would have bid 2NT and with the same 4 bid by RHO the partnership is poorly placed. Neither side is aware of the huge heart fit!

Competing for a partial is important as double partial swings are expensive.

You hold xxx Ax Axxx AKxx and they overcall 2 after your 1NT bid. Partner bids 2NT Lebensohl and they bid 3. You guess that partner was competing in hearts so you pass. Wrong, partner had diamonds. x xxx QJ10xxx Qxx and you are on a hook for 5 and you sell out for 3 unaware of your huge diamond fit.

The device Rubens suggests to prevent RHO from jamming you is to replace the Lebensohl structure with a transfer structure. This allows the NT opener to know the suit immediately and by the simple act of accepting the transfer he can be dropped by partner if his intention was just to compete. If partner's intention was to force, he can bid game or cuebid or bid Blackwood or whatever. The brilliant part of this structure is that you can define meanings to transferring into their suit.

Let's assume a 2 overcall first. He uses 2NT as the first transfer which signifies clubs, clubs shows diamonds and diamonds show hearts. Pretty simple! Bidding 3 (transferring into their suit) is Stayman without a stopper. A direct 3 bid is a transfer to 3NT without a stopper and a direct 3NT shows a stopper.

Next let's discuss a 2 overcall over your strong NT. A 2 bid is natural and non forcing. A 2NT bid is a transfer to clubs, a 3 bid a transfer to diamonds. 3 (transferring into their suit) is available for something you want to invent and Rubens suggests Stayman without a stopper in their suit. If the NT opener does not have a 4 card or a heart stopper he just accepts the transfer otherwise he bids 3NT. A 3 or 3 bid both shows spades and forcing so you can define one of them to show a stopper in their suit. A jump to 3NT directly would show no stopper but a pretty rare bid.

If the opponents overcall a natural minor, this treatment is as follows. Two level bids are natural and non forcing.

With a 2 (natural or not) overcall, a double is Stayman without a club stopper and two level bids are natural and competitive. A jump to 3, 3 and 3 are natural and forcing. A 2NT bid (transferring to their suit) can be defined as Stayman with a stopper.

With so many toys being bid over 1NT with modern bidding, Rubensohl has a distinct advantage to announce your suit early as the bidding may take off with RHO getting into the act. He knows partner's suit(s) but you do not know your partner's suit with the Lebensohl 2NT. There is a tactical advantage knowing that you have a fit immediately so you are not jammed out of the auction.

The above is a very very basic overview of Rubensohl. There are many versions of Rubensohl around. Tom Gandolfo and I play the Kantar version but even that gets modified.

If the opponents bid artificially or bid the minors naturally, Lebensohl or other understandings are on. If the opponents make artificial doubles or 2 bids showing a single suit, we just ignore and systems on. A double of an artificial 2 bid is simply Stayman. Rubensohl applies after a 1NT overcall also and RHO interferes. The underlying new concept with Rubensohl is the trick of transferring into their suit. This is Stayman or a 3NT bid without a stopper.

Tom Gandolfo suggests that transferring into their suit should also be a way of asking partner if he has a stopper in their suit as well as Stayman. If the NT opener does bid a 4 card major and partner now bids 3NT he does not have a stopper. If you do not either, scrambling for the best contract commences.

Kantar Version Modified

Example 1

1NT	2	3	4
?

With xxx AQxx AKxx Kx it might be a good idea to bid 5 since partner has announced hearts with their transfer.

Partner's hand is x Kxxxxxx xx Q10xx but playing Lebensohl he would have bid 2NT so with the same 4 bid by RHO the partnership is poorly placed by not knowing the suit.

Competing for a partial is important as double partial swings are expensive.

Example 2

1NT	2	2NT	3
?

Playing Lebensohl, You hold Ax xx Axxxx AKxx and guess that partner was competing in hearts so you pass.

Wrong, partner had diamonds.

With x xxx QJ10xxx Qxx, you are on a hook for 5 but you sell out for 3 unaware of your huge diamond fit.

How it Works

When the opponents bid artificially or bid the minors naturally, Lebensohl or other understandings are on.

When the opponents make artificial doubles or 2 bids showing a single suit, we just ignore them and systems are on.

A double of an artificial 2 bid is simply Stayman or cards (partnership preference).

Rubensohl applies after a 1NT overcall also with RHO interfering.

After a 1NT opening bid and a natural 2 or 2 overcall (also playable if the overcall shows the bid suit along with an unknown minor).

1NT - 2 (Natural or Maj-Min) - ?

• Double is penalty, D.S.I.P on terrorist vulnerability (us vulnerable)
• 2 is Natural, not forcing.
• 2NT is a transfer to 3
• 3 is a transfer to 3
• 3 is (transfer to their suit) Stayman or 3NT without a stopper
• 3 is a transfer to 3
• 3 is both minors (example x xx AQxxx KJxxx)
• 3NT is Natural with a heart stopper
• 4 is Gerber (for aces only)
• 4 is a transfer to 4 (If followed by 4NT, Keycard Blackwood)
• 4NT is Natural

After a 2NT transfer to 3 you can:

• (1) Pass
• (2) Bid 3 or 3, natural, showing 6-4 with six clubs, forcing.
• (3) Bid 3NT slam try in clubs

After a 3 transfer to 3, you can:

• (1) Pass
• (2) Bid 3 or 4 to show six diamonds and four of the bid suit.
• (3) Bid 3NT, a slam try in diamonds

3 is a transfer to their suit. Note: Transferring into their suit should also be a way of asking partner if he has a stopper in their suit as well as Stayman. Opener bids:

• 1. Accept the transfer to their suit with no major or stopper
• 2. Bid 3 with 4+ spades. When the NT opener bids 3, and partner now bids 3NT he does not have a stopper, or 4 spades. When you do not do either, scrambling for the best contract commences.
• 3. Bid 3NT with a stopper, without 4 spades.

After a 3 transfer to 3, you can:

• 1. Bid 3NT and give partner a choice of game contracts.
• 2. Raise to 4 (slam try as you did not bid Texas transfer).
• 3. Bid a new suit, natural, probably 5-5.
• 4. Bid 4NT, natural, with five.

1NT - 2 (Natural or Maj-Min) - ?

• Double is penalty, D.S.I.P on terrorist vulnerability (us vulnerable)
• 2NT is a transfer to 3
• 3 is a transfer to 3
• 3 is a transfer to 3
• 3 is Stayman or 3NT without a stopper (transfer to their suit)
• 3 is both minors (example x xx AQxxx KJxxx)
• 3NT is Natural with a spade stopper
• 4 is Gerber (for aces only)
• 4 is a transfer to 4 (If followed by 4NT, Keycard Blackwood)
• 4NT is Natural

After a 2NT transfer to 3 you can:

• (1) Pass
• (2) Bid 3 or 3, natural, showing 6-4 with six clubs, forcing.
• (3) Bid 3NT slam try in clubs

After a 3 transfer to 3, you can:

• (1) Pass
• (2) Bid 3 or 4 to show six diamonds and four of the bid suit.
• (3) Bid 3NT, a slam try in diamonds

After a 3 transfer to 3, you can:

• 1. Bid 3NT and give partner a choice of game contracts.
• 2. Raise to 4 (slam try as you did not bid Texas transfer).
• 3. Bid a new suit, natural, probably 5-5.
• 4. Bid 4NT, natural, with five.

3 is a transfer to their suit. Note: Transferring into their suit should also be a way of asking partner if he has a stopper in their suit as well as Stayman. Opener bids:

• 1. Accept the transfer to their suit with no major or stopper
• 2. Bid 4 with 4+ hearts.
• 3. Bid 3NT with a stopper, without 4 hearts.

With this treatment, the transfer always shows the suit immediately, in case RHO interferes.

Rubensohl, like Lebensohl

• Applies when partner makes a 1NT overcall and they interfere.
• You can give a meaning to transferring into the 2nd bid suit if there is one.
• D.S.I.P. doubles rather than penalty doubles apply in these auctions also when they interfere after a 1NT overcall by partner.

If RHO Competes

Understandings are also necessary of RHO gets in the act, but these are just common sense. As per other Bridge principles, if they double,

• Bidding is the weakest action.
• Pass denies a fit and leaves room for a penalty double if there is one.
• A redouble is punitive and denies a fit with your suit.
• A cuebid or 3NT are super accepts even with RHO interfering.