The Modest Club
by John Hartman

Casadega Group, US$30, ISBN 0 933862 008 (available from Modest Club).

This book, 92 pages long and beautifully illustrated, describes a bidding system using relays by responder to identify the opener's shape. I was unimpressed that only one hand was shown in all the examples. This gave me no opportunity to evaluate the soundness of the contract reached.

The 1 opening always shows 12-14 balanced, 1NT is 16-18 balanced and 2 shows an unbalanced hand with long clubs. This is a poor basis for a system. You can afford to load the 1 opening more heavily, as in Acol, rebidding 1NT when balanced and something else when unbalanced with clubs. Nor are we told how to bid with a balanced 15 points. Another problem arises after the 2 opening. This is a weak point in Precision Club, even though it is limited there to 11-15 points and can often be passed. In the Modest Club, 2 is 11-20, so you have to respond with 6-9 points in case the opener is strong. It must be difficult to bid accurately thereafter.

You respond 1NT (a relay bid) on most hands with 10+ points and no immediate fit. This asks the opener to rebid a second suit. A subsequent relay of 2NT asks him to identify a singleton that he holds:

A K 10 8 2   Q 6 4 2   A 8 7   10

West	East
1	1NT
2	2NT
3

The author explains that West's shape must now be 5-4-3-1, 5-5-2-1 or 6-4-2-1. It is an apparent defect that West has given no indication of his strength. He may have 12 points, he may have 19 points. That is the problem with giving incomplete auctions where you see just one hand. How can the reader evaluate the effectiveness of the system? Also the writer conveniently spares himself the task of illustrating how useful it is to know that West has a singleton club.

Many examples are given of the relays but less attention is paid to the problems caused by assigning artificial meanings to 1NT and 2NT. It is part of the Modest Club system that any non-jump response in a new suit is non-forcing, since you did not respond 1NT. Although no examples are given, you may have to respond 1 - 2 (non-forcing) on 6-9 points and J-x-x-x. Suppose instead that you have 10 or 11 points and a 1-4-4-4 shape. After 1 - 1NT - 2, you would like to bid 2NT. Since this would be a singleton-enquiry relay, you have no bid to make. You can hardly pass because partner may have a 19-count.

Detailed relays are offered opposite 1:

A 7 3 2   A 9 8   10 7 2   K J 6

West	East
1	1NT
2	2
2

1NT asks for shape and 2 shows a 4-3-3-3 hand. 2 asks what the four-card suit is. A pretty toy, yes, but how much use is this in practice? In summary, the author has built a system around a convention. This has caused some serious flaws in the overall system - flaws that are skated over in the book. It's an attractive volume to have on your coffee table (the front cover features a Venus by Botticelli, preserving her modesty with two fanned hands of cards). Is it worth a massive $30?

You must decide!

David Bird

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