Description
A familiar situation: partner opens two notrump (20-21 HCP), and you are broke (or 0-3). Your options are to pass or transfer to a wretched five-card major at the three-level. With a six-card minor, you pass two notrump and hope for the best. Playing Topsy-Turvy, partner opens two clubs with that hand! You respond two diamonds (waiting) or two hearts to show spades. Partner rebids two hearts or accepts the transfer to show 20-21 balanced. From there, responder can pass two hearts (or two spades) or transfer/puppet to any contract in sight. In sharp contract to a two-notrump opening:
Topsy allows for final contracts in two of a major or three of a minor!
Topsy facilitates game invitations in any suit!
Weak responses to two clubs deliver garbage Stayman and mini-Smolen!
Two sets of major-suit transfers provide powerful slam auctions!
Puppet responses to two hearts quadruple system space!
Quantitative sequences show specific patterns and deliver exact count!
Auto-splinters are available in any suit at the four level!
All these advantages are available without compromising standard systems. Opener can show stronger balanced hands by opening two notrump (22-23) or rebidding two notrump (24-25), but those hands are far less frequent and you will rarely want to stop in a partscore. For those who are concerned with memory burden, a simplified version is condensed into a single crib sheet. Six other convenient crib sheets cover the advanced options.
