Transfer Walsh

I've been playing transfer responses to 1♣ since November 2002 and they are probably the best thing we've introduced.

As mickyb said, "Majors are the most important suits. If you play Walsh, where you respond in a 4-card major rather than showing 4+ diamonds with a weakish hand, then you rarely bid 1♦ anyhow and logically it makes sense to use the cheapest responses to show the most important suits. Hence transfer responses to 1♣."

Our methods were originally derived from the Fallenius-Welland notes (PDF) that we found. Thus the responses to 1♣ are:

• 1♦ shows 4+ hearts, 4+ HCP
• 1♥ shows 4+ spades, 4+ HCP
• 1♠ shows 4+ diamond, 4+ HCP, denies a 4-card major unless game-forcing strength
• 1NT shows 5-10 HCP, denies 4-card major and 6-card diamond suit
• 2♣ is an inverted raise, showing 4+ clubs and 11+ points
• 2♦ shows 4+ hearts, 5+ spades, 0-7 HCP
  
• 2♥/2♠ are weak, 6+ suit, 0-7 HCP
• 2NT is 16+ balanced
• 3♣ is pre-emptive, showing a hand that wishes to play here opposite a weak 1NT

In terms of opener's rebid after, say, 1♣ - 1♦:

• 1♥ shows 11-13 balanced, with two or three hearts. If three hearts then no ruffing values, essentially no weak doubleton.
• 1♠ is natural, implying 4+ clubs and 4+ spades and unbalanced.
• 1NT shows 17-19 balanced, may have 3 hearts
• 2♣ is natural
• 2♦ is a natural reverse
• 2♥ is a hand that would raise a normal 1♥ response to two. So for us this will be a balanced 11-13 with 3 or 4 hearts, or a minimum heart-club two-suiter
• 2♠ is natural, game forcing hand with spades and clubs
• 2NT shows 15+ points, with 3 hearts and 6 clubs, or 4 hearts and 5 clubs
• 3♣ is natural
• 3♦ shows 17-19 balanced with 4 hearts
• 3♥ is natural, but may be weaker than normal methods. Typically a good opener with hearts and clubs, unbalanced.
• 3♠ is a splinter

The advantages of the method, as we play them, are:

• opener's 1NT rebid is 17-19. This permits very light responses to 1♣ without the concern of partner rebidding 2NT
  
• opener's 2NT rebid is now available as something special, as it is not required to show 17-19 balanced. We use it to show the Bridge World Death Hand, strong with 3-card support with 6-card minor, or 4+ support with 5+ minor
  
• it gives you more space to develop the auction
  

The disadvantage of the method is:

• it allows a cheap double of a suit that the opposition could not bid at the 1-level. The benefits of this seem to be negligible in our experience.

Putting balanced hands, even with 5 diamonds and 2 clubs, into our 1♣ opener means that the 2NT rebid can be used in the same way over a 1♦ opener. Additionally you can play transfer rebids by opener.

Our notes on continuations are fairly comprehensive but the method comes up a great deal, so it is a good investment of time and memory especially compared to some of the esoteric things we play.

There are other schemes available.

• http://www.geocities.com/gerben47/bridge/twalsh.html
• you can complete the transfer with 3-card support, jump with 4-card support and leave the 1NT rebid to show 12-14 balanced with 1-2 hearts