The Eastern Mysticism Bidding System

Eastern Mysticism is a bidding system that employs the best elements of a strong club opening, a weak notrump, and 2-over-1. It is optimized for matchpoints but requires only a shift in judgment for IMP scoring.

This documentation complements the Eastern Mysticism Outline, which is a concise hierarchy of bids and responses, by providing the thinking behind the bids. A PDF of the Eastern Mysticism convention card is also available for download.

Throughout these pages, "m" refers to either minor; 2m, for example, collectively refers to 2♣ and 2♦. "M" likewise refers to either major.

Table of Contents

1. Background
   1. History of System Development
   2. Bidding Philosophy
2. Bidding
   1. Uncontested Auctions
      1. Opening Strong Hands: 1♣
      2. Opening Average Hands
         1. Opening 1♦
         2. Opening 1M
         3. Opening 1NT
      3. Opening Weak Hands
         1. Opening 2♣
         2. Opening 2♦
         3. Opening 2M
         4. Opening 3, 4, or 5 of a Suit
         5. Opening a Gambling 3NT
   2. Overcalling
   3. Dealing with Interference
      1. If 1♣ Is Overcalled
      2. If 1♦ Is Overcalled
      3. If 1M is Overcalled
      4. If 1NT Is Overcalled
   4. Conventions
3. Leads and Signaling