Little Major
Encyclopedia
The Little Major is a bridge
bidding system
devised primarily by Terence Reese
.
The concept for "the Little Major was born" late in 1962 while Reese was en route to a tournament in the Canary Islands with Boris Schapiro
. First with Schapiro and then with Jeremy Flint
, Reese created the bidding system as "an Awful Warning of what might happen if every country playing international championships were to arrive with its own wholly artificial system". That project was soon overtaken by events and the system "was found in itself to be extremely interesting".
Reese promulgated three general principles:
As the system evolved, it was awarded an 'A' licence by the English Bridge Union
(EBU) which meant that it could be played in certain restricted events. It was first used 1963 in international competition by Schapiro and Reese at the 23rd European Team Championships in Baden-Baden
, Germany. That created a great deal of interest.
Flint and Reese used the Little Major in the 1964/65 world team championship at Buenos Aires
.
The meanings of opening bids are as follows:
The Little Major was abandoned entirely when it's two-year EBU 'A' license was withdrawn "on the grounds that not enough players were playing the system". The entry for the Little Major in the 1971 edition of the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge had already noted that it was "now obsolete".
The Little Major was described in Bridge Magazine on two occasions, the last in the August 1989 issue.
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
bidding system
Bidding system
A bidding system in contract bridge is the set of agreements and understandings assigned to calls and sequences of calls used by a partnership, and includes a full description of the meaning of each treatment and convention...
devised primarily by Terence Reese
Terence Reese
John Terence Reese was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields...
.
The concept for "the Little Major was born" late in 1962 while Reese was en route to a tournament in the Canary Islands with Boris Schapiro
Boris Schapiro
Boris Schapiro was a British international bridge player. He was a Grandmaster of the World Bridge Federation, and the only player to have won both the Bermuda Bowl and the World Senior Pairs championship...
. First with Schapiro and then with Jeremy Flint
Jeremy Flint
Jeremy Flint , an English bridge player, author and horse racing enthusiast, was one of the world's leading professional players.- Life & bridge career :...
, Reese created the bidding system as "an Awful Warning of what might happen if every country playing international championships were to arrive with its own wholly artificial system". That project was soon overtaken by events and the system "was found in itself to be extremely interesting".
Reese promulgated three general principles:
- Aggressive openings on all hands that are ill-equipped for competition. All such defenceless hands are opened 1S or higher.
- Early definition of range and type. Opening suit bids from 1 to 2 are precise as to range and pattern.
- Extension of bidding vocabulary through use of relay bids and two-way bids.
As the system evolved, it was awarded an 'A' licence by the English Bridge Union
English Bridge Union
The English Bridge Union or EBU is a player-funded organisation that promotes and organises the card game of duplicate bridge in England. It has an office in Aylesbury with a staff of more than twenty people...
(EBU) which meant that it could be played in certain restricted events. It was first used 1963 in international competition by Schapiro and Reese at the 23rd European Team Championships in Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
, Germany. That created a great deal of interest.
Flint and Reese used the Little Major in the 1964/65 world team championship at Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
The meanings of opening bids are as follows:
- 1 = four or more hearts, might include a longer minor. Might be three hearts with a long minor (or both minors with 16+ high card points (HCP). A 1 response is a relay.
- 1 = four or more spades, might have a longer minor or a 17-19 notrump hand. Can be three spades with a long minor or both minors with 16+ HCP. A 1 response is a relay.
- 1 = NT hand of 20+ points, an Acol two-bid or stronger, or a weakish balanced or semi-balanced hand of approximately 3 to 6 HCP.
- 1 = 12-15 points, 5-4 or better in the minors.
- 1NT = 14-16 balanced.
- 2, 2 = 12-15 with a fair suit, unbalanced one suiter.
- 2, 2 = five or more of the suit bid and four or more of a minor. 16 to 20 HCP
- 2NT = Either a weak minor suit pre-empt or a strong distributional minor two-suiter.
- 3, 3 = Strong, mainly minor-suit hand, 15-18, usually 6-4 or 7-3.
- 3 up to 4 as in Acol.
The Little Major was abandoned entirely when it's two-year EBU 'A' license was withdrawn "on the grounds that not enough players were playing the system". The entry for the Little Major in the 1971 edition of the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge had already noted that it was "now obsolete".
The Little Major was described in Bridge Magazine on two occasions, the last in the August 1989 issue.