1. Why Precision?
Why is 2/1 more popular than Precision?
Because it seems simpler at first glance. Beginners tend to avoid artificial openings, although 2/1 has a
lot more conventions than any Precision based system. However, while they start easily with the "5
card majors", they end up using a lot of worthy and worthless conventions that try to cope with the
basic 2/1 deficiency: the awful big range of 12-22 of the opening bid.
I 've read over 100 bridge books and have played 1000s of online tournaments. It is amazing how many
books are written on subjects like "How to open the bidding" , "How to respond" , what to do if
someone overcalls. Some excellent books by Michael Lawrence include "How to balance" ,
"Judgement in Bridge" and a lot of interesting stuff which is really needed if you play 2/1. It is natural
to expect confusion, unstability and generic lack of precision in a system that opens with 12 to 22. They
have tried to write a big lot of the bidding subject, and yet all these books eventually overrule
themselves.
The problem of the 2/1 family is their FUNDAMENTAL deficiency of the opening bid of 12-22
points. No matter how many books you may read, no matter how expert in bidding you ever
become, you will always have to cope with this bug. You will never get through it.
If you take a look at any bridge store, you will find hunrdeds of that kind of books, and only 1 or 2
about Precision. And that is because in Precision, you immediately know the almost exact potential
of your hand. You do not care if the opponents interfere or preempt you. You have the knowledge.
So, instead of reading and understanding hundreds of (good!) books on the matter, you simply learn
and play precision within a week. And all these books are now useless!
Many say that you open 12-22 in 2/1, and you show strengh with your second bid. No one guarantees
(and if you play against me, its 100% sure you won't have a peaceful second bid even If I have
started with a 0 - hand), that you will have an easy second bid. In Precision, you do not need a
second bid to describe the hand. Yes, it is THAT easy. Nowadays, bridge is a bidders game. If you
think that you will have an easy rebid, then you are adviced to look for another game to spend your
intelligence.
Precision has the fame of being a system for experienced players. It is exactly the opposite that happens
at the table. When you meet someone and say "hey, do we play 2/1?" , there is an 99,9% chance that
you will be playing a version with conventions he is not familiar with, or vice versa. Taking into
consideration that the system itself is inacurrate, you are guaranteed to get a bad score. In precision,
contrary to what some believe, there are only a few variations which involve advanced asking bids etc.
The basic structure of the system almost always remains the same. So if you meet someone playing
precision, chances are that you will understand most of his bidding without asking yourself: "Now is
that a bergen raise? Or a cue bid ? Or a limit raise?" Pf.....
In short, Precision is a way smaller system than 2/1, and its great simplicity will aid you in winning
tournaments. Precision is safe; You will not overbid unless there is a good reason, and you will not
underbid because you really know the hand potential. If your partner opens 1 (11-15 not extreme) and
you have 9 points balanced, you know that you do not have a game; Others do NOT because the 1 can
be an 20. And now say that before you have a chance to bid, an opponent blows with 3 . Do you bid 4
?
In precision, unless you want to sacrifice for a reason, you know immediately that you do not have the
4 . If you are vulnerable, you will let opponents play 3 and take a top by setting them or even letting

2. them make 3 for +140. Others playing 2/1 will surely go to 4 , be set 1 or 2 tricks, and get a bottom
with their -200 or -500.
And a final advice: Precision will often get you to a contract that needs a good play to be made. Do not
blame Precision if you are not able to make the game you reached with it - the other tables will do and
you will get a bottom no matter the system.
So , I am not yet convinced! Precision is better all right, why very few play it?
Because they can't afford it. Precision is for clever people, and this is why you are here. Ferrari is one
of the best cars, but very few own it because it requires money; Precision is one of the best systems, but
very few use it because it requires intelligency. But as I said, this is why you are reading this anyway.
You are clever; it is now the time to exploit that feature to reach the best contracts there.
Simple.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aren't you tired from SAYC or 2/1 limitations and bloat?
Don't you want a precise bidding system?
Are you tired to GUESS your partners' hand ?
Do you like a nice tool that may confuse your opponents?
Do you want to be SURE when to bid and when to pass?
Are you sofisticated ?
If YES to some or all of them, then you NEED precision!