Reverse Drury with Kokish Game Tries & Constructive Raises

Many players have adopted 2 way reverse Drury. While it is great to know about the 4 card support, giving up the 2 response is costly when a simple relay can confirm or deny 4 card support. The treatment below uses a relay with Kokish game tries. This gives you the ability to play 2 as natural or, as some prefer, as a constructive raise. The downside is it is a bit taxing on the memory and the opponents may interfere.

Reverse Drury with Kokish Game Tries & Constructive Raises

After a 3rd or 4th seat major suit opening, a 2 response is Reverse Drury, an invitational raise of the major by the passed hand. The 2 Drury bid can be made with 3 or more trump.

After a 2 Drury limit raise, opener can sign off in 2 of the major or can bid 2 which confirms a full opener and is an asking bid.

Over the 2 asking bid, responder bids:

• With 3 card support, responder bids 2 of the major.
• With 4 card support, responder treats 2 as a Kokish game try, responder bids the lowest suit in which a help suit game try would be accepted.

After: Pass - 1 - 2 (Drury) - 2 (Asking):

• 2 shows an invitational hand with 4 which would accept a heart game try. If opener needed help in another suit, then opener can sign off in 2. After Opener has tried to sign off, if responder also has help in clubs or diamonds, responder may bid the next lowest suit in which a game try would be accepted. Without help in clubs or diamonds, responder must pass 2.
• 3 an invitational hand with 4 spades which would accept a club game try, but not a heart game try. If opener needed help in hearts, then opener can sign off in 3.
• 3 an invitational hand with 4 spades which would accept a diamond game try but not a heart or club game try.

If opener needed help in clubs or hearts, then opener can sign off in 3.

The same treatment can be used after a 2M response indicating an invitational hand 3 card trump support. The next step is a Kokish game try. Responder bids the lowest suit in which a help suit game try would be accepted.

Pass	Pass	1	Pass
2*	Pass	2**	Pass
2***	Pass	2****

* Drury,** Asking, *** 3 trumps, **** Kokish game try.

• 2NT shows responder would accept a spade help suit game try
• 3 shows that a club help suit game try would be accepted and a spade help suit game try would not be accepted.
• 3 shows responder would accept a diamond help suit game try and would reject a spade or club game try
• 3 by responder says that no help suit game try would be accepted.

Pass	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2	Pass
2*	Pass	2NT**

* 3 trumps, **Kokish game try

• 3 shows responder has an invitational hand with 3 spades and would accept a help suit game try in clubs.
• 3 shows responder has an invitational hand with 3 spades and would accept a help suit game try in diamonds but not in clubs.
• 3 shows responder has an invitational hand with 3 spades and would accept a help suit game try in hearts but not in clubs or diamonds.
• 3 shows responder has an invitational hand with 3 spades and would not accept a help suit game try in any suit.

Short suit game tries can be used since Kokish covers the need for help suit game tries.

Pass	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2	Pass
2	Pass	?

3/ are short suit game tries. 2NT is a short suit game try with a singleton spade and 2 is the Kokish Game Try.

Pass	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2	Pass
2		?

3// are short suit game tries. 2NT is the Kokish Game Try.

A voluntary bid of 3M by opener is a trump suit game try.

For more advanced partnerships

The following treatment is recommended to allow the responder to show shortness in response to the 2 asking bid. The shortness asking bids are similar to those used in Hardy Major Suit Raises.

If 1 is opened in 3rd or 4th seat, we have the luxury of showing an invitational hand with 3 trump and shortness.

After: Pass - 1 - 2 (Drury) - 2 (Asking)

• 2 shows 3 card support with an undisclosed singleton or void - 3 (Where?)
• 2NT shows 4 card support with an undisclosed singleton or void. - 3 (Where?)

Responses to 3 are:

• 3/ shows an invitational hand with 4 spades and a singleton or void in the suit bid
• 3 shows an invitational hand with 4 spades and a singleton or void in clubs

With 4 card support and no shortness, after the 2 asking bid, responder will bid 3// to show the lowest suit in which a game try would be accepted. A 3 response shows a hand with 4+ trumps, no shortness, which would not accept a game try in any help suit.

So the advanced treatment after a Drury response to 1 - Pass - 1 - 2 (Drury) - 2 (Asking) is:

• 2 - 3 card support and an undisclosed singleton or void. 3 (Where?) (3 would show club shortness) Note: This overrides the earlier treatment of Pass - 1 - 2 - 2 - 2 which previously showed 4 trumps and willingness to accept a heart game try. The downside is you will play 3 when you need help in hearts. The upside is you will find more games and slams by showing 3 card support and shortness.
• 2 - 3 card support with no singleton or void.
• 2NT - 4 card support with a singleton or void. 3 (Where?) (3 would show club shortness)
• 3 - 4 card support and would accept a club help suit game try
• 3 - 4 card support and would accept a diamond game try, and reject a club game try
• 3 - 4 card support and would accept a heart game try, but not a club or diamond game try
• 3 - 4 card support but would not accept any help suit game try

If hearts is the trump suit, a 2 response to the 2 asking bid shows an unspecified singleton or void with 4 hearts. (It seems when hearts is the suit there is no response available to show 3 hearts and and singleton). The reason to treat 2 as splinter showing is to leave room to identify the splinter with a 2NT asking bid over 2. Now shortness can be shown with 3, 3 or 3.

After: Pass - 1 - 2 (Drury) - 2 (Asking)

• 2 (4+ trumps & shortness) - 2NT (Where?)
  • 3 shows an invitational hand with 4 hearts and a club splinter.
  • 3 shows an invitational hand with a singleton or void in diamonds.
  • 3 shows an invitational hand with a singleton or void in spades.

With 4 card support and no shortness, responder bids the lowest suit in which a help suit game try would be accepted. Note the shortness showing bids take precedence over showing a suit in which a help suit game try would be accepted.

After: Pass - 1 - 2 (Drury) - 2 (Asking):

• 2NT is used to show a hand with 4+ hearts, no shortness, and invitational values which would accept a spade game try. Note the 2 response would have shown a undisclosed singleton or void.
• 3 shows an invitational hand with 4+ hearts with no shortness which would accept a club game try but would reject a spade game try.
• 3 shows an invitational hand with 4+ hearts with no shortness which would accept a diamond game try but would reject a spade or club game try.
• 3 shows an invitational hand with 4+ hearts with no shortness which not accept any help suit game try.

The opener may elect to make a short suit game try rather than a Kokish game try.

1 - 2 (Drury) - 3// are short suit game tries

1 - 2 (Drury) - 2/3/ are short suit game tries

A double jump shift is a splinter bid:

1 - 2 (Drury) - 4// are splinter bids

1 - 2 (Drury) - 3/4/ are splinter bids

2 Constructive Major Suit Raise by Passed Hand

2 by the passed hand is a constructive raise showing a good 7-9 points with 3+ trump support. The goal here is to avoid inviting over 1M-2M if game is not a possibility, and to position for a penalty double over competition after 1M - 2 - 2M.

Responder may elect to pull a penalty double with 4 card support and values concentrated in the major.

After a 2 constructive raise, opener can sign off in 2 of the major, make a short suit game try or make a Kokish game try. A jump shift is a splinter.

After: 1 - 2 (Constructive Raise):

• 2 is a sign-off.
• 2 is a Kokish game try. Responder rebids the lowest suit in which a game try would be accepted (2NT = spades) Note: This leaves room to cover all suits.
• 2NT is a short suit game try in spades
• 3/ are short suit game tries
• 3 is a trump help suit game try
• 3/4/4 are splinter bids.
• 4 is to play.

After: 1 - 2 (Constructive Raise):

• 2 is a Kokish game try. Responder can sign-off in 2. Otherwise bids the lowest suit in which a game try would be accepted.
• 2 is a sign-off bid.
• 2NT is invitational offering an alternate contract
• 3// are short suit game tries.
• 3 is a trump suit game try
• 4// are splinter bids.
• 4 is to play.