Advanced Bridge

Lesson 2

“SOINX”

“SOINX” an acronym for “Scramble Out of 1NT Doubled (X)” is an artificial convention utilized when the Opponents double your Partner’s opening 1NT bid (evidencing an equivalency of approximately 16 or more HCP’s over a Strong (15-17 HCP) No Trump System, or 13 or more HCP’s over a weak (11-14 HCP) No Trump System, and you, the partner of the 1NT bidder, must decide, based upon your distribution, and/or the presence or absence of any of the remaining HCP’s left in the combined hands of you and your LHO (Doubler’s partner), whether to save your partner’s doubled 1NT, or to punish the original Doubler by steering the bidding into a penalty double scenario.

Example: North (Opponent)

“Double”

West (Partner) East (You)

1NT ???

The standard, more usual ways such a scenario is handled are either of the following:

a. Everything is natural to play.

Example: 1NT Dbl. 2H (To Play)

b. “Front of Card”; i.e., Stayman and transfers are both still in force.

Examples: (1) 1NT Dbl. “2C” (Stayman)

(2) 1NT Dbl. “2H” (Transfer to Spades)

The problem with the above-referenced extrication methods is that they fail to include a method wherein the NT bidder can be brought into the decision-making process when Partner has two suits with which to “save” the situation. The “SOINX” Convention, however, solves this problem and utilizes three bids by Opener’s partner, each of which signifies a very different kind of holding, and with variant intent. They are as follows:

???

a) A Redouble forces a puppet bid of “2C” by West, with East them placing the contract into a 1-Suiter by either passing if his/her suit is Clubs, or by bidding 2D, 2H, or 2S.

b) Any suit bid by East is the lower-ranking of 2 touching suits with the NT bidder either passing or bidding the next higher ranking whichever he/she prefers of the two offered choices.

(Examples: “2C” = C&D; “2D” = D&H; “2H” = H&S)

c) A “Pass” by Partner forces a “Redouble” by Opener. East now either converts the Redouble to penalties by passing; else bids the lower ranking of 2-Non-Touching suits (C= C&H; D=D&S) with Opener then choosing the lower-ranking by passing else converting to the higher-ranking suit if that be Opener’s preferred choice.

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