Cranberry Moscito is a major-oriented strong club system. Transfer openings work best in the first two seats. Please play another bidding system, preferably with natural major suit openings, in the last two seats. Examples are:

Notation

This book follows Strawberry Polish Club for hand evaluation, bidding notation, and punctuation in tables and prose.

References

General methods

Jan Eric Larsson. Good, Better, Best: A comparison of bridge bidding systems and conventions by computer simulation. ISBN 978-1771402415
Thomas Andrews. Thomas’s Bridge Fantasia
D.L.H. Morgan. Relay Systems and More
Bridge Base. GIB Bid Descriptions

Moscito

Paul Marston. MOSCITO 2005
Paul Marston. MOSCITO 2007
Jari Böling. J-Moscito
Bo-Yin Yang. Terrorist’s Moscito, or Major-Oriented Strong Club, with Interpid Two Openers
Moscito Notes

Project BOLD by Phil Rocquemore features unlimited transfer openings. Although its 1♣ opening is a transfer to hearts rather than a strong club, its general approach is similar to Moscito.

Other strong clubs

Arturo Franco, Marco Pancotti, and Daniel J. Neill. Blue Team Club
Jan Eric Larsson, Anu Uus, and George Wang. Kaninklöver / Cottontail Club: A Cheatsheet (2022)
Adam Meyerson & Samuel Ieong. IMprecision
Daniel Neill. Standard Modern Precision: Getting from Here to There. ISBN 978-1771401791
Edward Piwowar. PC - Meckwell Lite Precision Club

Openings

One-of-a-suit and 1NT openings split the HCP scale into three zones, from strongest to weakest:

Strong (16+): Open 1♣.
Heavy (13–15): Always open: balanced hands in 1NT, unbalanced hands in a suit.
Light (11–12): Open all eligible 12-counts. Select 11-counts with 5-card major or good playing strength.

Precision 2♣ takes 6+♣ in the limited zones since 1♠ promises diamonds. Continuations after 1♦♥♠ follow Moscito 2007 by Paul Marston.

The 2♦♥♠ openings handle the preemptive 4–10 zone separately. They are the same as in Strawberry Polish Club: Multi 2♦, Muiderberg 2♥♠, and unusual 2NT.


1♣!	STR ART, 16+
1♦!	NF TRF, 11–15, 4+♥, not 3433
1♥!	NF TRF, 11–15, 4+♠, not 4333
1♠!	NF TRF, 11–15, UNBAL 4+♦
1NT	13–15, 2–5♠, 2–5♥, 2–6♦, 2–6♣
2♣	NAT, 11–15, 6+♣
2♦!	PRE, 4–10, 6+♠♥
2♥!	PRE, 4–10, 5=♥, 4+♦♣
2♠!	PRE, 4–10, 5=♠, 4+♦♣
2NT!	UNT, 4–10, 5+♦, 5+♣
3x	PRE, 7+#
3NT!	Gambling, SOL 7+♦♣, 0–1 outside A/K
4♣!	PRE, S-SOL 8+♠♥, 0–1 outside A/K
4♦!	PRE, SOL 8+♠♥, no outside A/K
4♥♠	PRE, 8+#
4NT!	UNT, 6+♦, 6+♣

Choice between suits

Choice between major suits is similar to Transfer Walsh responses.

Transfer to the longer major suit
Transfer to spades with 5+♠ and 5+♥
Transfer to hearts with 4=♠ and 4=♥

Pick a major suit over a minor suit most of the time, but open 1♠ for the minor suit when you have 6+ cards in a minor suit and only 4 cards in a major suit.

	4=♠♥	5+♠♥
5=♦♣	1♦♥	1♦♥
6+♦♣	1♠, 2♣	1♦♥

The notrump ladder

11–12: 1♦♥♠
13–15: 1NT
16–18: 1♣ - 1♦ - 1NT
19–21: 1♣ - 1♦ - 1♥
22–24: 1♣ - 1♦ - 2NT
Game-forcing: 1♣ - 1♦ - 1♥

Hearts 1♦

Responses follow Moscito 2007 §2.1.2 and §3.3.

1♦ -
1♥!	(R), CONST+
1♠	F, 4+♠
1NT!	TRF, 5+♣
2♣!	TRF, 5+♦
2♦!	CONST+, 3+♥
2♥!	PRE, 3+♥
2♠	PRE, 6+♠
2NT!	LIM+, 4+♥
3♣♦	PRE, 6+#
3♥	PRE, 4+♥
3♠!	SPL, 0–1#, 4+♥
3NT!	BAL COG, 4+♥
4♣♦!	SPL, 0–1#, 4+♥

Over 2NT opener’s new suit is a slam try. Over 3NT opener’s new suit shows shortage.

1♦ - 1♠ -
1NT	0–4♦, 0–4♣
2♣♦	5+#

Relay 1♥

1♦ - 1♥! -
1♠	4=♠, 4+♥
1NT	4=♥ or BAL MIN 5=♥
2♣	5+♥, 4+♣
2♦	5+♥, 4+♦
2♥	6+♥
2♠	MAX, 5+♥, 4=♠
2NT!	MAX, 6+♥, no SPL
3♣♦!	MAX SPL, 0–1#, 6+♥
3♠!	MAX SPL, 0–1♠, 6+♥

1♦ - 1♥! - 1♠ -
1NT	NAT NF
2♣!	(R)

1♦ - 1♥! - 1♠ - 2♣! -
2♦!	BAL MIN, 4=♠, 4=♥
2♥!	4414
2♠!	4441
2NT!	MIN, 5+♥, 4=♠

After 1NT we depart from Moscito with a structure resembling XYZ. 2♦ is the game-forcing relay, as in XYZ. The two bids around it are invitational and differ only by heart length. 2♣ shows a doubleton heart, and 2♥ shows a singleton or void.

1♦ - 1♥! - 1NT -
2♣!	INV, 2=♥
2♦!	(R), FG
2♥!	INV, 0–1♥

1♦ - 1♥! - 1NT - 2♦! -
2♥	BAL MIN, 5=♥
2♠!	BAL MIN, 4=♥
2NT!	1444
3♣!	4=♥, 5+♣
3♦!	4=♥, 5+♦

Transfer raise 2♦

1♦ - 2♦! -
2♠!	MAX, 4=♠, 5+♥
2NT!	MAX, 5+♥, 4+♦♣
3♣♦!	MAX, 4=♥, 5+#
3♥	MAX, 1444
3NT	MAX, 6+♥
3♠!	SPL
4♣♦!	SPL

Spades 1♥

Responses follow Moscito 2007 §2.1.3 and §3.4.

1♥ -
1♠!	(R), CONST+
1NT!	TRF, 5+♣
2♣!	TRF, 5+♦
2♦!	TRF, 5+♥
2♥!	CONST+, 3+♠
2♠!	PRE, 3+♠
2NT!	LIM+, 4+♠
3♣♦♥	PRE, 6+#
3♠	PRE, 4+♠
3NT!	BAL COG, 4+♠
4♣♦♥!	SPL, 0–1#, 4+♠

Over 3NT opener’s new suit shows shortage.

Relay 1♠

1♥ - 1♠! -
1NT	4=♠ or BAL MIN 5=♠
2♣	5+♠, 4+♣
2♦	5+♠, 4+♦
2♥	5+♠, 4+♥
2♠	6+♠
2NT!	MAX, 6+♠, no SPL
3♣♦♥!	MAX SPL, 0–1#, 6+♠

After 1NT we depart from Moscito with a structure resembling XYZ. 2♦ is the game-forcing relay, as in XYZ. The two bids around it are invitational and differ only by spade length. 2♣ shows a doubleton spade, and 2♥ shows a singleton or void.

1♥ - 1♠! - 1NT! -
2♣!	INV, 2=♠
2♦!	(R), FG
2♥!	INV, 0–1♠

1♥ - 1♠! - 1NT! - 2♦! -
2♥!	BAL MIN, 4=♠
2♠	BAL MIN, 5=♠
2NT!	4144
3♣!	4=♠, 5+♣
3♦!	4=♠, 5+♦

Transfer raise 2♥

1♥ - 2♥! -
2NT!	MAX, 5+♠, 4+♦♣
3♣♦!	MAX, 4=♠, 5+#
3♥!	MAX, 4+♥, 5+♠
3♠	MAX, 4144
3NT	MAX, 6+♠
4♣♦♥!	SPL

Diamonds 1♠

Responses follow Moscito 2007 §2.1.4. Point ranges are copied from its 9–14 openings. Pass-or-correct bids cater for opener’s possible clubs.

1♠ -
1NT!	11+
2♣!	5+♠, 4+♥
2♦!	TRF, 5+♥
2♥!	TRF, 5+♠
2♠!	TRF, 5+♣
2NT!	LIM, ♦ support
3♣!	P/C
3♦	6–9, 3–4♦
3♥♠!	SPL
4♣!	SPL

Over 1NT opener bids 2♣♦♥♠ naturally, and responder’s next step is a relay. Over 2♣ responder’s 2NT is a good 3-card heart raise. Over 2♠ opener’s 2NT shows short clubs. Over 2NT opener’s new suit shows shortage.

1♠ - 2♦! -
2♥	0–2♥
2NT!	good raise, 3+♥
3♥	WK raise, 3+♥

1♠ - 2♦! - 2♥ -
2♠	5+♥, 4=♠
2NT!	G/T
3♣!	P/C

1♠ - 2♦! - 2♥ - 2NT! -
3♣♦	MIN, #
3♥♠	MAX, ♣/♦

Over 2♥ opener rebids the same way with spades as the suit.

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Cranberry Moscito