Conventional major suit raises Larry Hammick larry@hammick.com 2002.01.31, minor correction of 2000.06.08 Contents ;Introduction ;Considerations other than slam ;Slam types and slam valuation ;Splinter raises ;Swiss convention ;Conglomerate major raises ;A Precision Club example ;Bergen Raises and Jacoby 2NT ;Raises by a passed hand ;Introduction An opening bid of one in a minor shows the values for an opening bid, but does not promise much in the suit; it need not even be the opener's best suit. But an opening 1H or 1S shows a genuine suit, and responder will often know at once that that is where the hand probably should play. This suggests that there may be merit in using some response to 1H or 1S as an artificial raise, or in having a whole bidding "subsystem" of major-suit raises. We will describe a selection of such conventions and subsystems. Let us remind the reader of two things a partnership must discuss before they can safely use any convention. 1. Effect of intervention: Say some artificial bid asks partner to specify the location of a side singleton. How does he answer if his right-hand opponent bids or doubles? 2. Range of strength: It is no good knowing that partner has a singleton diamond if you don't know whether he or the opponents hold the ace and king of clubs. ;Considerations other than slam When you raise because there is a chance for game, you would like to show where the side values are, but this is possible only to a limited extent. A single raise of 1H or 1S shows about 7-10 points or the distributional equivalent. The lack of bidding space makes it impractical to try to show where these values are; the single raise must usually be given immediately. If the hand is on the strong side (9-10) it is especially important to support partner at once, so that he can revalue a long trump suit. If opener is worth a game try opposite 7-10, he should not always just reraise to 3, but should try to help responder evaluate the side fit by means of some agreed type of game try. A nonforcing raise to three, either on the first or second round, shows about 11-12. But again this is only an estimate, and the actual value of the pair of hands depends somewhat on fit between them. When he is worth two bids, responder can sometimes show where his side values are before raising opener's major. KTx xxx Axxx KJx Partner opens 1S and I respond 2C, intending to support spades next. To bid diamonds just because of their 4-card length would not help partner to refine the valuation of his hand. Even if an 8-card major fit is certain, there are occasions for playing the hand in another denomination. A 4-4 in the other major, if it exists, is apt to be preferrable to a 5-3 or even a 5-4 in the suit opened. More common is the question of whether to play in the suit or in notrump. Personally I dislike any system of responses which rules out 3NT whenever there is an 8-card major fit. More than once I have made ten tricks at notrump when the other room, or the whole room, was making nine in a NINE-card major fit. ;Slam types and slam valuation The main aim of all game-forcing raises is to help evaluate the slam potential of the hand. There are several valuation factors to attend to. 1. Trump quality Jxxx AQ x AJTxxx Axxx Kxx AKxx KQ Twelve tricks on top, but not in spades! 2. A singleton or void facing a few losers KQxx AKQx J xxxx AJxx Jxx xxx AKQ A spade slam is good, but not if we swap South's minor suits. 28 HCP in three suits and a singleton in the fourth, or 26 and a void, is approximately the standard for a 6-bid on this type of fit. 3. A longish side suit, with entries, opposite a shortage. KJxx xx K AJTxxx AQxxx Kxx Axxx x KQJTxx of clubs with North, instead of the ace-high suit, would not work. 4. Less often, a second fit. A double fit worth ten tricks, plus controls outside, will produce on slam on 27 points or so. AJx Axxx x KQxxx KQxxx Kx xxx AJx 5. Rarely, great ruffing potential may be the key to slam. But in such deals there is apt to be competitive bidding, leaving little or no chance to evaluate the fit below game. Moreover, when opponents too can take a lot of tricks, it is better to play in 5 when cold for 6 than to take 500 or so from an enemy save. The remainder of this article will describe a representative set of conventional raises for showing these various strong fitting hands. ;Splinter Raises Splinter raises were popularized by Dorothy Hayden Truscott in the 1960's. (Their name is more recent.) A double jump shift response to 1H or 1S shows a fit, the values for game, and a singleton or void in the suit being bid. Examples of splinter raises are 1S-4C, 1H-3S, and 1H-4D. If responder subsequently cue bids the same suit, it shows a void or singleton ace. The sequence 1S-4H requires agreement between the partners. If in doubt, don't bid 4H; there will be a safer alternative. Before using splinter bids, it is very important to agree on their _strength_ . The same applies to the whole infinitude of bidding gadgets that show distribution; they are nearly useless if partner has to guess your gross strength. ;Swiss convention and 3NT response The Swiss convention uses 3 of the major as a limit raise and 4C and 4D as artificial game raises. In most variations the strength is limited by the failure to jump shift, say to 13-15 in high cards. Unless additional artificial raises are also being employed, there are three classes of usage: 4C shows KQxx or Kxxxx or better trumps and 4D denies them 4C shows three of the five "aces" (counting the trump K) and 4D denies them 4C shows good controls, 4D good trumps Some systems, such as Kaplan-Sheinwold and the 5-card-major version of Goren, use a double raise as limit, and use 3NT to cover all hands worth about 13-16 points in support. ;Conglomerate major raises This method assigns all the double jump shifts, plus the 3NT response, to different varieties of raise. 3 of the major is a limit raise. 1 step beyond the limit raise, i.e. 1H-3S or 1S- 3NT, shows an unspecified side singleton. 2 steps higher shows 17-18 HCP. 3 steps higher shows KQxx or Kxxxx or better trumps. 4 steps covers all other hands worth a game raise, but not worth a jump shift. 5 steps higher is 4 of the major, which has the usual semi- preemptive meaning. If opener makes the cheapest bid over the singleton raise, it asks for the location of the singleton: 1H 3S 3NT 4C/D/H singleton C/D/S 1S 3NT 4C 4D/H/S singleton D/H/C ;A Precision Club example In Precision, the opening 1H or 1S shows 5 or more cards in the suit and also limits the hand to 15 HCP or less. Subsequent bidding in Precision can therefore be especially accurate. As an illustration, we will reproduce the array of raises recommended by Terence Reese in his _Precision Bidding and Precision Play_. Single raise: the usual values, but some 6- and 7-point hands can be passed in 1C systems. Double raise: limit, possibly as little as xxx support. Game raise: as in standard systems, but in 1C systems it may be a little stronger in high cards. 2NT: Baron (balanced 15+). Responder need not have a fit, but this bid looks after balanced fitting hands that are too strong for Swiss (see below). Notice also that a 5-4 is not necessarily the best denomination if there is a 4-4 elsewhere. 1NT (forcing) followed by jump new suit or jump 3NT: a quite strong splinter raise with at least 4 controls. A jump rebid of 3NT shows a singleton in opener's second suit (which may be a 3-card minor). 1NT followed by game in the major: massive trump support, such as KQxxx plus an ace, or AKJxx plus a king. Helpful when opener is strong but has a headless trump suit. 4C/4D: a variety of Swiss, 4-card fit, no singleton or void. 4D suggests 5 controls and trumps at least KQxx or Kxxxx. 4C shows 5-6 controls with less in trumps, AJxx at best. Delayed game raise (new suit followed by 4-level support): a genuine side suit, 6 losers. This method (also used in Acol) finds slams based on a double fit and controls. 1NT by a passed hand is not forcing, so 2NT is used as a raise with powerful trumps or a side singleton. (1NT is available for a balanced 11-12). The values are enough for game opposite a sound opening. After this 2NT by a passed responder, opener has the following options: 3 or 4 of the major: signoff. 3D: invitation to game in the major. 3C: asks for the singleton, or 3 of the major if none. One should not assume that such an elaborate array of raises must be the best treatment. For instance, in the Superprecision system of Belladonna and Garozzo, 1NT is not forcing and there are only two artificial raises: 3NT shows 13-15 HCP balanced (maybe 5-3-3-2) but with a good fit: KQ third or K fifth at least. Double jump shift is a splinter raise, 11+ HCP, and the same quality of fit. ;Bergen Raises and Jacoby 2NT Due to Marty Bergen, this treatment is a cornerstorn of 2/1 methods, which rely on a forcing or nearly-forcing 1NT response and do not use strong jump shifts. In response to 1H/1S, showing five, there are several artificial raises: 2NT is Jacoby, q.v. 3C shows a 4-card fit and roughly 7-10 points. 3D is the limit (i.e. invitational) raise, with 4-card support. 3 of the major is a preemptive raise with at least a 4-card fit, about 0-6 HCP. 3 of the other major is an artificial game-forcing raise with a side singleton. Opener's cheapest rebid asks for clarification; 3NT by responder (if available, i.e. 1S was opened) then shows a void somewhere, and 4 of a suit shows a singleton there. 3NT shows any 4-3-3-3 with 3-card fit and 13-14 HCP. 4C shows 4-3-3-3 with 3-card fit and 15+ HCP. 4D is a more constructive game raise than 4 of the major. 4 of the major is the usual partly preemptive natural raise. 4 of the other major is natural. A response of 1NT, followed by 3 of opener's major, is invitational with a 3-card fit. Bergen has merit in part-score auctions in that the 3C and 3D responses accord with the Law of Total Tricks. Some players swap the meanings of 3C and 3D -- "Reverse Bergen raises". If the opening bid is overcalled or doubled, the Bergen convention is "off". The Jacoby 2NT response to a 1H or 1S is game-forcing with at least four-card support. Opener's rebids are: 3 of the same major: 16+ points. 4 of the same major: Weaker than 3, non-forcing. 3NT: 14-15 balanced. 3 of a new suit: Singleton or void there. 4 of a new suit: A good suit of at least five cards. ;Raises by a passed hand Sometimes a player will decline to open the bidding, but find his hand worth "half of game" in support of a major suit that partner opened in third or fourth seat. But because a new suit by a passed hand is not forcing, he may need to make a double or triple raise, at the risking of getting too high opposite a shaded opening. The Drury convention attacks this problem. After 1H or 1S in third or fourth seat, a 2C response (by a passed hand) is forcing. It is made _both_ when 2C is the normal response and on hands worth a limit raise or more opposite a normal opening. Opener rebids 2D _both_ when that is his normal rebid and when he made a shaded opening. This 2D is forcing, not because it may be artificial, but because it may be natural, with ample for game whether responder fits the major or not. Drury occasionally gets into trouble, for example when responder is 2-2-4-5 and the opening 1H/1S is shaded. "Reverse Drury" calls for opener to rebid his major only if the opening bid was shaded. Responder may pass that call but no other rebid (below game) in a new suit. A good treatment is to use a jump shift by a passed hand as a one- round force on a fitting two-suiter slightly short of opening strength. Even without such an agreement, some fit for opener is implied by this jump shift.