Martens books

UPDATE: the books are available at online shop MartensUniversity.com.

From one of the 48th European Team Championships bulletins I have found out that Krzysztof Martens, one of the best Polish bridge stars, has published five books (in english, thank God!). It was difficult to order the books, but after a series of emails with Mr. Martens (kmartens AT poczta.onet.pl), I finally got them.

Extra Length transfer bids - 107 pages
Contains a short overview of the classic 2/1 styles then a very detalied and interesting Martens innovation plus some training exercises. Martens ideea is basically to switch the meaning of 3rd round opener calls, in order to ease slam bidding, something like:

1♠ - 2♣
2♦ - 2NT; (GF, want to play notrump from this side)
- 3♣ = transfer to diamonds (5-5 shape)
- 3♦ = club fragment (5-1-4-3 shape)
- 3♥ = transfer to spades (6-4 shape)
- 3♠ = heart fragment (5-3-4-1 shape)
- 3NT = 5-2-4-2 shape

After this, reponder can easily start slam investigations by agreeing a suit.
A clear technical advancement, but only for dedicated partnerships, who are willing to invest hours of work on slam bidding after 2/1 sequences.


The Martens system - 232 pages
As the title says, yet another bidding system. Fortunately, even if you are not interested in changing your system now, you may pick some ideeas and/or bidding sequences since the base of the Martens system is quite similar to natural systems (closer to Polish Club in fact, but that's normal i guess ;-). See for example the blog post regarding stayman then transfer.


Hand evaluation - Bidding decisions - 146 pages
In my oppinion, the second best in this collection. After a theoretical discussion and some short quizzes, one hundred interesting problems, tough decisions in competitive bidding and/or slam investigations, all commented by Mr. Martens. I don't always agree with his analysys, but it's always interesting to see the thought process of a great champion.
Let's see one:

1♠ - DBL - 2♥* - DBL ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2♥*=transfer, 7-9 HCP, 3 card fit
pas - pas - 2♠ - 3♥
pas - pas - ?

♠ Q98
♥ Q932
♦ 87
♣ KJ86

You'll have to read the comments for Martens solution.

The World of transfers - 241 pages
A detalied analysis on many transfer positions, including the probably well known transfers after opponents/partner overcalls and other original or less known positions. For example, after opponent 3♣ preempt, Martens suggests loosing the natural overcall 3♦:
- DBL = normal take-out double
- 3♦ = hearts
- 3♥ = spades
- 3♠ = transfer to NT
- 3NT = to play
- 4♣ = two suiter, diamonds plus one major
- 4♦ = natural, constructive
Recomended only for bidding geeks.

Dynamic declarer play - Virtual European Championships part 1 - 230 pages
Probably the best book in this colection, 340 great declarer play problems, scored in IMPs. I only read the first ten problems or so and I estimate their dificulty somewhere at level 3 or above in Bridge Master, in other words real advanced/expert on BBO. Highly recomended for any aspiring bridge player.

Unfortunately, there is no website at this moment for those books. If you are interested, write an email to Mr. Martens (and probably mention my review ;-).

stayman then transfer

I get this new (for me) convention from one of the Martens books: transfers after 1NT opening and normal response to Stayman. The author calls it Stayman plus transfer, which is quite misleading, we already play Stayman+transfer as responses to 1NT opening.

It works like this:

• after 1NT - 2♣ - 2♦ :
• 2♥ = weak, with both majors (Garbage Stayman)
  
• 2♠ = transfer to clubs. may be a weak hand with 6clubs-4M (reponder will pass) or a strong GF hand with 5 clubs and a major in 4 (if is strong, the reponder continues in a natural way, or in polish style by bidding a singleton)
• 2NT = natural, invitational
• 3♣ = transfer to diamonds, as above (weak or strong)
  
• 3♦ = transfer to hearts. Smolen style, 5 hearts + 4 spades
• 3♥ = transfer to spades, Smolen (5 spades, 4 hearts)
• 3♠ = ?
• after 1NT - 2♣ - 2♥ :
• 2♠ = transfer to clubs (long clubs plus four spades)
  
• 2NT = natural, invitational
• 3♣ = transfer to diamonds (long diamonds plus four spades)
• 3♦ = transfer to hearts, slam invitational
• 3♥ = natural game invite
• 3♠ = heart fit, splinter
  
• after 1NT - 2♣ - 2♠ :
  • 2NT = ! transfer to clubs (long clubs + four hearts)
    
  • 3♣ = transfer to diamonds (long diamonds + four hearts)
  • 3♦ = ?
  • 3♥ = transfer to spades, slam invitational
  • 3♠ = natural game invite

Which are the advantages?

• very easy to remember. especially for Smolen hands (you'll know for sure which is the major in 5 and don't have to think about it) and for hands when reponder wants to issue a slam invitation in major
• ability to describe weak 6m+4M hands. very usefull for pairs, you search first for a major fit
• not much to loose (see below).

What you loose?
After 1NT - 2♣ - 2♠, 2NT is transfer to clubs (in all other sequences, 2NT is natural invitational, but here is not enough space). This means that you'll have to find a way to describe an invitational hand with 4 hearts. Martens overloads the heart transfer: 1NT - 2♦ = heart transfer OR only four hearts in an invitational hand. After this:

1NT - 2♦
2♥ = make the transfer with 2-3 cards in hearts
2♠ = maximal hand with four hearts
2NT = minimal hand with four hearts

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, the reponder bids:

• 2♠ = i have only 4 hearts and invitational. the bidding may stop in 2NT
• 2NT = i have 5 hearts, invitational
• 3any = natural, as after normal transfer, promises five hearts

Nice one, isn't it?

other bridge blogs

Other bridge blogs (in no particular order):

• Justin Lall
• Gerben Dirksen
• Keylime Express
• Frederick Staelens (free)
• BBO Inquiry
• Paul (the beer card)

Who is Krzysztof Martens

Krzysztof Martens is one of the best players from one of the best bridge playing nation, Poland. He is listed by World Bridge Federation as World Grand Master, the highest rank. An impressive career both as player and as coach, from which we shall note:

• one silver medal in Bermuda Bowl Yokohama 1991
• three bronze medal in Bermuda Bowl (1981, 1989, 2002)
• three gold medal in European Team Championships (1981, 1989, 1993) and two bronze (1991, 2001)
• one gold medal in Bridge Olympiad 1984 Seattle
• gold medal in World Transnational Teams 1982 Hammanet
• 1997-1999 coach of the Dutch National Womens Team which won World Championships in 2000
• 2000-2002 coach of the German National Women Team which won the bronze in the Bridge Olympiad in Maastricht and gold in World Championships in Paris

Mr. Martens recently authored five interesting bridge books. I'm fortunate enough to have them and I'm going to review them soon.

another slam from Stara Zagora

In one of the 8 board team matches, I was happy enough to play and make three heart slams! Play this one better than me, 6♥ on club lead:

♠ x
♥ xxx
♦ AKxxx
♣ Axxx

♠ AKQJ
♥ AKJxx
♦ xxx
♣ x

At the table, i finessed directly in trumps, planning to revert on discarding diamonds from dummy on spades if I don't find the ♥Q well placed.

This seems a rather inelegant plan and it's probably better to play directly: trump AK then spades discarding diamonds, then ♦ AK, ♣ ruff, ♦ ruff, ♣ ruff letting opponents take their trump trick when they wish.

Still, the queen of trumps was well placed so I wasn't punished on this board ;-)

a slam from Stara Zagora

So, we're back from Stara Zagora Bridge festival. Not much bridge we played there, but except this, everything was cool and we plan to go again next year.

I have two interesting slams from there. In one of the pairs sessions, me and my partner had:

♠ K10xx
♥ Kxx
♦ AQx
♣ QTx

♠ x
♥ AQJTxxx
♦ Kxx
♣ Ax

and we bid (from South, opps pass): 1♥ - 1♠ - 3♥ - 4♦ (cue) - 4NT (keycard) - 5♥ - 6♥. Probably not the best slam in pairs, but we usually like to bid slams. Now, left hand opponent leads a club. Thinking, thinking... What do you play from dummy?

I have spend some minutes on trying to see if I have any clue, however small. Ultimately, I thought we'll probably have the same bidding without the ♣10 and decided to ignore that card, playing Q from dummy. Winner ;-)

Our teammates (this was the pairs contest) made the same slam, doubled, on spade lead! How did this happened? Small spade lead, 10 from dummy, Q from the opponent who then tried to cash the ♠A too. And they call me lucky...

before Stara Zagora

Nothing special to post today. i'm leaving Bucharest to go in Bulgaria for Stara Zagora Bridge Festival. We'll see when i'm back if i'll be in the mood to post a review.