Post by Peter LeightonI am looking for information on this system (I believe they are the
same, maybe not). Does anyone have information?
For the most part they are the same. Animal Acol differed in some details.
1) Evaluation methods for opening stressed by Baron & Meredith attempted
too much precision. Almost any hand with 7 LTC & 3 controls, or with 12
HDP+LP and decent suits was considered an opening bid in Animal.
2) Baron & Meredith tried to have more rigourous ranges for sequences
showing balanced hands than in normal Acol; Animal players tended to
simply play 12-14 1NT openings and 15-17 simple NT rebids.
3) Baron & Meredith had more exagerated preparedness than most Acol
players, opening 1C on some (442)3 types that few Acol players would;
Animal players tended to open the lower of two 4-card suits, 1C with 3
4-card suits with both majors, the middle suit with 3 4-card suits and a
short black suit. Few Acol players at the time followed either of these
approaches.
4) Baron & Meredith used a 2NT Staymanic bid in response to 1NT. Animal
players tended to use a KS-like structure.
5) Opening 2D, 2H, and 2S bids for Baron & Meredith were always Acol
2-bids. In Animal Acol they are except in 3rd seat. 3rd seat two bids
were destructive: the bidder was almost always weak; sometimes he had
the suit, sometimes he didn't. The passed hand 1st seat bidder was
barred after a 3rd seat 2-bid and the opener was expected to handle
opponents who doubled him out in his non-suit.
6) Animal players usually played double-barreled checkback Stayman.
7) Animal originally used control-Swiss responses; many players used
splinters, however.
8) Baron & Meredith used 1NT and double both as takeout doubles (of
different ranges); Animal players tended to use more normal methods,
though many used Roman jump overcalls.
Baronized Acol and Animal both
1) considered any 4-card suit biddable
2) adhered fairly strictly to the 4-trump rule for raises
3) played 2NT responses to opening bids as a strong (16+) hand, so
1x:2NT, 3NT (15-17) is forcing.
4) played Baron in response to 2NT openings
5) used Baron Grand Slam Tries
My old convention cards are useless for checking to see what I left out.
ACBL convention cards when I played Animal were tiny things compared
to today's card.