2 Relays

(Courtesy of Bob Crosby)

In the old days after a 2 opener, there were positive responses. These positive responses showed a slam going hand with a good suit typically 2 of the 3 top honours. Over time, these positive responses fell by the wayside. This was partly due to the improvements in KCB, which could describe your suit exactly but mainly because other methods were deemed more useful.

In our system, we play 2 - P - 3 not as a positive response with clubs but a weak jump shift sort of hand in clubs without controls. These hands are far more frequent than positive responses with clubs and good hands can normally take care of themselves. Also 2 - P - 3 is no longer a positive response with diamonds. This again is a weak jump shift in diamonds with no controls.

Playing controls over 2 does away with responder showing a positive response. This is another reason why I dislike playing controls after a 2 opener. It is sufficient for me to know that 2 is no controls 2 is one, two or three and 2NT shows 4 or more. We prefer relays over a 2 response so responder can show a positive response with a good suit by “breaking the relay”. We have recovered our positive responses with this 2 structure.

Bidding theorists have avoided using 2NT as a response to 2 for two main reasons. The bid pre-empts the auctions using valuable bidding space. The 2 bid is pre-emptive enough as it is. The 2nd reason for avoiding 2NT is you are wrong siding the NT contract as the huge hand is coming down as dummy. We feel bidding 2NT by responder makes sense in only one instance, when you do not care if responder pre-empts the auctions or bids 2NT. No harm will be done if the 2NT response means 4 controls or more. With 4 controls, 4NT is safe as a contract by responder and most of the time the contract will eventually be at the 6 or 7 level. Transferring to the 2NT response even makes sense.

The 2 structure we prefer is as follows. 2 by responder shows no controls, 2 shows 1, 2, or 3 and 2NT shows 4 or more controls with a balanced hand. This treatment allows relays to occur after the 2 response so we can keep the contract under 3NT and get our two suiters described. This means we do not have to open huge hands at the one level and risk missing game or slam.

OK, we need some understandings after 2 - P - 2NT - P. The obvious auction in which to begin is:

2	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	Pass

This shows the NT range of hands and is of course forcing. 4 is Stayman, 4, 4 are transfers and 4 shows the minor(s). Super accepts are just too valuable not to use transfers. I prefer super accepts in these auctions be defined as just accepting the transfer and 4NT otherwise. 4NT as KCB when we know the controls already is silly.

Tom Gandolfo came up with an idea that is easy on the memory and efficient also. Assume that the 2NT response is like a 2NT opener so the 2 opener has the option of treating the response of 2NT as if it were opened 2NT. 3 is Stayman, 3, 3 are transfers and 3 shows a single suited minor hand. If you have a NAMYATS type of 2, opener leaps to 4 or 4 (no need to transfer) as you are big hand. At the 3 level, the transfers work like a relay in that responder can super accept or allow opener to describe a two suiter by the 4 level. You can show single suiters or two suiters economically this way.

When responder shows 4 or more controls, quite often opener will take control of the hand and all of the above is not necessary. However, two suited hands by the 2 opener still need to find a fit and the level will be determined later.

Partner opens 2, you hold Kx xx xxx KQJ10xx so with our methods we bid 2. Partner bids 2 or 2 which normally demands a relay. You break the relay to 3 so you show the old fashioned positive response in clubs. You have turned the tables with a relay system. You have described your hand to the 2 opener rather than the other way around. Same with a positive diamond hand, instead of taking the relay you show a positive diamond suit. Excellent!

How does responder show a positive major suit after a 2 opener? Again this is easy as you break the relay.

2	Pass	2	Pass
2	Pass	?

This sequence demands a relay to 2 but you hold AKQxxx x Jxx Jxx so you break the relay to 2NT.

2	Pass	2	Pass
2	Pass	?

This sequence demands a relay to 2NT but you break the relay to 3 with Kx KQJ10xx xxx Jx

2 openers have two main ways to show negative hands without controls. One is a jump to the 3 level in diamonds, hearts and spades and an immediate club raise. These bids all show 6 card suits or longer with no controls. The other is a direct 2 response which shows no controls but could hold up to 12 HCP. There are no further understandings after 2, as slam is usually out of the question.

The correct game is still an issue after a 2 response to a 2 opener. Since we open strong 2 suiters with a 2 opener, we need a way to find the best fit after a 2 response. When the 2 opener holds the boss suit and any two suiter with spades as the anchor suit, there is no problem. Two suiters with diamonds are opened with a strong 2 so no problem there either.

The fact that partner has bid 2 interferes with opener showing heart two suiters. I think a relay should be introduced in this one auction only.

2	Pass	2	Pass
3*	Pass	3	Pass
?

* forced relay to 3

I think responder should be forced to bid 3 on this auction with any hand type. This allows the 2 opener to describe her hand further. 3NT shows a balanced hand with hearts. 4 and 4 show a two suiter and 4 shows a 5-6 with enough strength for a 5 level preference. Spade two suiters with hearts would of course be shown via spades as the anchor suit. 4 would show the heart one suiter that is better than a Namyats type hand.

Partner opens 2 with Ax AKQ10x x AKJ10x and partner bids 2. Responder holds Q10x Jxx xx Qxxxx and must bid 3. Partner now bids 4 so now you can bid 4 or 5 to end the auction or 4 to say your hand is useful for clubs. Partner leaps to 6 with that encouragement and you are in the correct slam.

What about strong one suiters?

There are 3 ways to bid strong one suiters in our system after opening 2. A jump to game in a major shows the Namyats type hands of 8 1/2 – 10 tricks with a long suit. The stronger one suiter you use the relay structure. BJ held this “in between“ hand tonight. AKJ1098x Ax void A1098 and opened 2. I bid 2 and a 7-4 is just too strong to leap to 4. BJ chose 2 which forces me to relay to 2NT then BJ bids 3. The 4 level is reserved for cue bids by responder. Responder can not introduce a new suit at the 4 level in this particular auction. I bid 4 over 3 as a “source of tricks” or a cue bid implying spades and BJ takes a calculated risk by bidding 6. My hand is Qx KQ10xx xxxx Jx and the slam comes home when the heart jack comes down (hearts were 3-3 anyway).

The last way to show a strong one suiter is the jump bid. We play 2 as strong to eliminate the 4-4-4-1 from the 2 structure, therefore a jump bid sets the contract and demands a cue bid. Change BJ’s hand to AKQJ10xx Ax void AKxx and he would bid 3 over 2 . This sets the suit, so I would cue bid my heart control by responding 4. The next bid by BJ is defined to be suit asking in this particular auction. He bids 5 and we use step responses up the line with the return to trump as the “death response”. I would bid 5 to show 3rd round control or a doubleton. 5 would show the King, 5NT the KQ and bidding 7 would show the singleton. BJ has heard enough and leaps to 7.

Hear is a hand from a Bermuda Bowl where the French team got to 4 with their strong one suiter. Can we do better? A10x AKQJ10xx KQ10 void . We open 2 and partner bids 2 so we bid 3 which sets the suit. Partner must cue bid so he bids 3. You bid 4 as a suit ask and partner bids 4 showing nothing there. You now bid 4 which is a suit ask and partner bids 4NT showing the queen. You now bid 6 with confidence and outbid the French team.

After opening 2, a minor rebid is assumed to be a single suited hand. A rebid of a minor can not be a two suiter except in one rare instance (2 suiter in the minors). If you had a two suiter, you would go the relay route with your major even if you were 6-5 with a longer minor. If you had a 5-4-3-1 with a 5 card minor, you would make the “best lie” of bidding NT rather than bidding a 5 card minor. This leaves the minor bid after 2 as a single suited hand. As usual, when you have a single suited minor, the goal is 3NT. Responder can bid NT probes at the 3 level rather than a suit. You hold QJx xxx xxx xxxx and partner opens 2 and you bid 2. Partner bids 3 and you bid 3 to steer the contract to 3NT.

Partner has x KJ10 AK AKQJ10xx and 3NT makes while 5 goes down.

If partner bids hearts instead you can leap to 5 knowing that spades are wide open and partners heart queen is all you need.

What if responder has a one suiter after a 2 opener? With a good suit, the answer is easy you bid 2 and break the relay. What about a negative response with a 6 card or longer suit majors or minors? Give responder QJ1098x or Q1098xxx or Q10xxxxxx of spades for example. These are described with a jump response over 2 of 3. Partner bids 4NT which can not be Blackwood as you deny any controls with the bid. This bid asks for the length of your suit in simple step responses. 5 would show 6, 5 would show 7, 5 would show 8 and 5 would mean you grabbed the wrong card out of the bidding box.

Showing a good two suiter by responder

Tom and I had an excellent auction when Tom broke the relay to show a good two suiter. Tom held x xx KQxxx AJ10xx and I opened 2. Tom bid 2 and I bid 2 which is a relay. Tom chose to break the relay to 3 and over my 3 by bidding 4 to describe his 2 suiter. Nice natural bidding got us to a slam the opponents did not reach and in the correct strain.

Playing a relay structure after 2 is far superior to playing controls in my opinion. Controls work nicely on a few hands but you give up too much bidding space and remove natural bidding. Showing controls right away was invented by the forcing 1 theorists. I think you give up too much to play them after 2 at the two level. There just is not enough bidding room under 3NT. If responder bids 2NT showing 4 or more controls, bidding space all of a sudden becomes plentiful as you can play 4NT as a contract and you are usually in slam anyway.