Alpha is the strong hand's Primary Trump Asking Bid in their own main suit. In practice, you will
find that you use it less often than a low-level Beta combined with a subsequent Theta/Iota. I tend
to reserve Alpha for distributional 2-suited hands in the main because I have found that it is more
effective there, and less effective on single-suited hands. You will decide what fits best with your
own experience.
Alpha is always the first bid in an Asking sequence if it is used at all. If Alpha is not
used to initiate an Asking Bid sequence then it cannot be used later on. A bid is Alpha in the following
situations:
A jump-shift response by an unpassed hand to an Opening Bid of 1♦
or 2♣. eg: 1♦-2♥
is Alpha in Hearts.
A 3-level jump-shift by an unpassed hand over an Opening of 1NT. eg: 1NT-3♠ is Alpha in Spades.
A simple new-suit rebid by Opener after a 1♣ Opening and a positive response of 1♥
or 1♠. eg: 1♣-1♠-2♣ is Alpha in Clubs.
A rebid of 2NT by Opener after a 1♣ Opening and a positive response of 1NT, 2♣ or
2♦ is Alpha in the relay suit (because the
relay is a low-level Beta). Thus 1♣-1NT-2NT is Alpha in Clubs, because 1♣-1NT-2♣
is Beta.
There are no other situations where a bid can be Alpha
In the Same Suit
If Responder gives a negative response to Alpha (ie: 1 or 2 steps), then Opener is allowed to
make a Repeat Ask in the same suit. This Repeat Ask is a Theta
unless Responder has shown a balanced hand in which case it is Iota.
Any response that shows Qx or xxx agrees the suit as trumps.
If Responder makes a negative response to this Iota Ask (ie: showing less than Qx or xxx), then all Asking Bids
lapse with the exception of Gamma in Responder's suit below game level and
high-level Beta Asks. If trumps are explicitly agreed by natural means, then
Epsilons also become available again.
In these situations it is often (ie: a negative response to Alpha)
it is often better to hand over the Captaincy to Responder, space permitting, and allow them to bid their hand
naturally (ie: to show a second suit, additional length in their first suit, or partial support for Opener's Alpha
suit). Moreover, with a decent tolerance or support for responder's suit it is sometimes better to agree it
via Gamma rather than using Alpha, and enquire about the Alpha suit afterwards (perhaps with a view to
jump-shifting into that suit later on).
In a Different Suit
If Responder gives a negative response to Alpha (ie: 1 or 2 steps), then Opener is also allowed to
make a Repeat Ask in a different suit. This Ask is always Iota,
whether or not Responder has shown a balanced hand.
This second suit must be at least of 5-card length,
since the normal rules for Iota apply (ie: a 3-step response showing Qxx or KQ agree the suit as trumps).
With a second suit of 4-card length, Opener almost always hands over the Captaincy. If Opener does hand
over the Captaincy and a trump suit is explicitly agreed by natural means, then Epsilons
again become available. High-level Beta Asks are always available.
As can be seen from the above, a 3-step response or better agrees Opener's suit as trumps
and any subsequent bids in side-suits (unless a jump-shift, which is "to play" or invitational) is
either Beta or Epsilon.
The response to an Alpha Ask always affects the range for any subsequent Beta
in the sense that the "normal" Beta scale is never used if Alpha has been used. Thus if Responder shows
0-3 Controls, then the weak Beta scale is used, and if 4+ controls are shown to Alpha, then the strong
Beta scale is used. (If Alpha gets a 5-step or better response, there is no need for a later Beta because
Responder's exact number of controls is known).
