The concept for "the Little Major" was born[1] late in 1962 while Reese was en route to a tournament in the Canary Islands with Boris Schapiro.
[2] Reese promulgated three general principles:[3][2] As the system evolved, it was awarded an 'A' licence by the English Bridge Union (EBU) which meant that it could be played in certain restricted events.
It was first used in 1963 in international competition by Schapiro and Reese at the 23rd European Team Championships in Baden-Baden, Germany.
[4] The meanings of opening bids are as follows: The Little Major was described in Bridge Magazine on two occasions, the last in the August 1969 issue.
The Little Major was abandoned entirely when its two-year EBU 'A' license was withdrawn "on the grounds that not enough players were playing the system".