MONACO
CONVENTION
The Monaco system was the original Relay System. It was devised by Mr. Pierre Ghestem of France, and used with Mr. Rene Bacherich in several World Championship tournaments. The main concept of the Relays some transfers is to bid in such a manner as to make the stronger hand become the declarer in the final contract. Below is an overall description of the Monaco bidding system.
Opening Bids
| All 1 Club openings show 13 to 23 high card points or a distribution of 4-4-3-2. This opening also shows no 5-card Major suit or 4-card Diamond suit.
If the opener has 18 to 22 high card points, then the opener is expected to open 1 Club and rebid by jumping a level in another long suit. |
| A 1 Diamond opening shows 13 to 23 high card points, a 4+ length in Diamonds, no 5-card Major suit, or a balanced hand with opposite variable 1 No Trump hand.
A 1 Heart response is a Relay, and a rebid by the opener of 1 No Trump shows the opposite variable 1 No Trump holding. A jump in No Trump by the opener would show maximum values. All other bids are then natural and are not forcing above 2 Clubs. |
| Any Major suit opening shows 10 to 17 high card points and a 5-card suit.
The cheapest response is a Relay. This Relay and any subsequent Relay is asking partner to clarify and describe his holding further. A 2 Club response is natural and forcing. A 2 No Trump response shows a 3-suited hand containing a void in the suit of the opener. Any response at the Two Level are tranfer responses. Any other response is natural and not forcing. |
| Using the variable No Trump, a 1 No Trump opening shows 13 to 15 high card points when not vulnerable, and 18 to 20 high card points when vulnerable. The opener first bids 1 Diamond and then rebids 1 No Trump with the opposite variable 1 No Trump holding.
A 2 Clubs response is a Relay. |
| A 2 Clubs opening shows 24 plus high card points, any distribution, and is forcing to game.
A 2 Diamond response is negative. Any Relay bid by the opener asks for further descriptive information, and a Super Relay, or skipping a bid, is an Asking Bid. |
| Any Suit opening shows 18 to 22 high card points, a 5-card plus suit, less than a 3-card Club suit. With a 3-card plus Club suit, the opening is 1 Diamond.
Any response at the Three Level is a transfer. A 3 Clubs rebid by the opener after a Relay by partner shows maximum values. |
Responses to 1 Club
| A 1 Diamond response is either a negative, showing 0 to 7 high card points, followed by a pass or a weak rebid,
or shows 10 to 11 high card points, followed by a jump in Diamonds or No Trump, or shows a game-going Relay, 11 plus high card points, followed by a Second Relay of jump to game. The opener can use a Relay of 2 Diamonds showing 18 plus high card points, which asks the partner to further describe his holding. |
| A 1 No Trump or 2 No Trump response is natural and limited. |
| A 2 Diamonds, 2 Hearts, or 2 Spades response is a Weak Transfer, signifying 4 or 5 playing tricks. |
| Any response of 3 of any suit indicates 6 playing tricks. |
Relays After 1 Club
| A 1 Diamond response is either a negative, showing 0 to 7 high card points, followed by a pass or a weak rebid,
or shows 10 to 11 high card points, followed by a jump in Diamonds or No Trump, or shows a game-going Relay, 11 plus high card points, followed by a Second Relay of jump to game. The opener then relays with 1 Heart, showing 4 Hearts, or |
| If the responder has a strong hand and requires additional information regarding the holding of his partner, then the responder continues to relay with 2 Diamonds, and then with 3 Diamonds or 3 Hearts.
The following diagram of the bidding sequences with the corresponding significance of the bid, relay, or transfer should clarify the Monaco system to a larger degree. It should be understood that the bidding system contains the requirement, that any rebid by the responder of 3 Diamonds or 3 Hearts forces the opener to rebid 3 No Trump. |
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Opener |
Responder |
Opener |
Responder |
Opener |
Responder |
Opener |
Meaining |
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1 |
1 |
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weak or natural or strong relay | |
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1 |
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4 Hearts or 4-4 in Majors | |
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2 |
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Second Relay, Game forcing | ||
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2 |
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4-4 in Majors | ||
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2 NT |
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no 4-card Major | ||
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3 |
Third Relay | ||
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3 |
3 Spades, 3-4-x-x | |
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3 NT |
less than 3 Spades | |
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1 |
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4 Spades | ||
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2 |
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Second Relay, Game forcing | ||
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2 |
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3 Hearts, 3-4-x-x | ||
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2 NT |
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less than 3 Hearts | ||
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1 NT |
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no 4-card Major. 1 NT shows less than 6 Clubs |
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2 |
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no 4-card Major. 1 NT shows less than 6 Clubs |
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2 |
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Second Relay, Game forcing |
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2 |
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3 Hearts |
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2 |
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3 Spades |
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2 NT |
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3-3 Majors |
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3 |
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7 Clubs, no 3-card Major |
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3 |
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2-2-3-6 |
If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.