Godfather 2NT

(Courtesy of Bob Crosby)

Godfather 2NT (Logic)

4th suit forcing at the two level is ugly. Every Bridge player has had bad experiences with that bid. Quoting Susan Culham among others " I hate 4th suit forcing”. Confusion over stoppers, wrong siding 3NT, pre-empting partner out of minor suit games, slams and Moysean by leaping to 3NT. Poorly defined quantitative auctions due to the ambiguity of 4th suit forcing. We need a tool to prevent jumping to 3NT by responder to show a good hand and violating the “fast arrival” concept. Responder pre-empting the auction from opener and leaping to game to show strength is a silly concept.

In our opinion, the best way to improve 4th suit forcing is to play 2NT by responder as a “new suit” forcing one round. The positive Bridge logic stems from many factors. The NT is right sided by having stoppers in the 4th suit. The 2NT bid allows the auction to remain under 3NT to pattern out, get to minor slams and major suit Moyseans. The Godfather 2NT allows opener to “show where you live” so you can escape to a partial. The 3NT bid by responder as a fast arrival “picture bid” emerges. You do not pre-empt opener by leaping to 3NT when alternative contracts, games or slams are still possible.

Tom and I do not play this new Godfather 2NT understanding. Tom held KJxx Ax Qxx QJxx, I opened 1. Tom bid 1 and I bid 2. Given the diamond fit, distribution and soft values, Tom’s hand is a 3NT bid with Standard methods so he bid 3NT as did everybody else in the field. 3NT pre-empts partner so usually ends all auctions. Leslie led a heart and 3NT goes from 4 down vulnerable to 6 down vulnerable depending on the defense 5 hearts, 2 spades and a diamond for sure and responder may get squeezed in spades for some more down tricks.

Some of my partners and I have had a lot of experience playing this “Godfather 2NT” treatment and we originally had a relay by the opener to escape out of 2NT. We have now changed that and only have repeating the suit and a few other 6-4 or 5-5 understandings as a way of escaping from 2NT. With this hand, I would have bid 3 over 2NT which is showing where I live and supposedly showing a weak 6-4 since I rebid diamonds first. 10xx Q KJ1098x AKx. Tom would look at his Ax of hearts so noting that I am “scared” of a 3NT game for some reason should infer that I have a heart singleton since my bidding showed 10 minor suit cards. Tom corrects the contract to 3 and that’s where we play it. -400 (down 4 vulnerable) and +130 is a lot of IMPS to win because your system is just more accurate that that of the field. Essentially, we would have got to a 11 (singleton queen) opposite 13 HCP diamond partial.

Leaping to 3NT with a flat 13 HCP opposite an opening bid is an educated guess but a guess nevertheless. This approach does not have to be that way. By bidding 2NT as a one round force, you bring partner’s opinion whether 3NT should be the final contract but escaping under the 4 level. Remember all opener has done is made a simple bid at the two level. This could be any kind of distribution with controls or soft values, with 12 HCP’s - 17 HCP’s or with a partial fit for responder's first suit. The Goren leaping to game contradicts partnership Bridge and is a single handed “taking a shot”. When you use up bidding space to arrive at your contract, you are taking partner out of the decision making process. Depending on your partner’s abilities, this may be a good or bad thing. 3NT should end all auctions unless opener wanders into the 4 level which is dangerous. 3NT is not pulled from a position of weakness so you are investigating alternative contracts at the 4 level beyond your 3NT game.

Seeing the logic of a bidding treatment is a huge advantage in Bridge. You play Jacoby 2NT and inverted minors as invitational hands or better so why not 2NT as responder? According to the Bridge World, 2NT was forcing to game by responder for the first 35 years of Bridge. 2NT changed to invitational after that when 4th suit forcing was invented. This change was probably made due to matchpoints and matchpoint scoring. In IMPS, why not have the 2NT bid show invitational plus as so many other modern bids are defined? You get to a lot of Meckwell type games which are positively re-enforced in IMPs. These games make quite often. I have written many articles on this subject and my partners and I have field tested the concept for well over a year. We have no complaints and have won many IMPS since we implemented the bid. We both fail to see the down side in improving an ugly bid like 4th suit forcing and preserving bidding room under 3NT. The first 35 years of Bridge 2NT by responding was forcing to game, the next 35 years 2NT by responder was invitational. Now the next era, a compromise. 2NT by responder is defined as an “either/or” bid of invitational plus.

2NT by responder as a “new suit” goes along away to improve 4th suit forcing at the two level as 2NT describes a class of NT hands which otherwise would have to be bid with an ambiguous 4th suit or a dramatic ambiguous leap to 3NT. Leaping to game with good hands violate fast arrival principles so inaccurate bidding is the norm. XYZ is an excellent fix for 4th suit forcing at the one level. This allows the Cabay 2 Way NMF to repair 4th suit forcing at the one level. The Godfather 2NT should be extended to cover all 2NT bids by responder 4th suit or not, directly bid or in competition. The new concept remains the same.

2NT as a contract in IMPS is a silly place to play a hand! 2NT is usually tougher to make than 3 of a minor and there is no game bonus for making 2NT. The decision in IMPS to pass 2NT invitational is dangerous as you have +600 riding on your decision. People get off to the wrong opening lead, finesses are on side or opponents mis-defend. You are weighing all this against trying to make exactly +120? In modern bidding, 2NT is hardly ever defined as a place to play a contract. Let's make it complete and having 2NT to play a contract by responder only exist in match points. In IMPS, it is too dangerous to play 2NT as they may be in 3NT making at the other table. Also in IMPs, we can escape to 3 of a minor as a contract instead of 2NT which is dangerous in matchpoints as +110 vs +120 is a zero. I think this is the aversion that players have against playing this concept. They are still thinking matchpoints where their Bridge roots are. With matchpoints, play 2NT by responder the old way. In IMPS, you have mathematics on your side. Play 3NT down one instead of 2NT making, lose 4. Play 3NT again down instead of 2NT making lose another 4. The 3rd time lucky, you make 3NT so win 12 recouping all your losses and then some. Get really lucky and make two out of 3 of these close games and a blitz comes your way.

We have taken 2NT completely from our system bid by responder as a place to play a contract. Even a direct jump to 2NT after a minor opening, is invitational plus (Godfather). A direct 2NT in competition is limit raise plus. Even a forcing 1NT can not play a 2NT contract as this is invitational plus also. Opener must escape somewhere via a relay or bid game. The only time we can play 2NT is after an aborted 2NT invitation (opening 1NT) or by passing a 2NT opener. 2NT in competition is quite often systemic either Lebensohl or a two suiter. We just avoid playing 2NT as a contract. We have also reversed captaincy in these auctions. As openers are quite variable when making a 2 level rebid, the opener is no longer captain with responder describing a flat invitational hand to her. Opener now describes her hand to the 2NT bidder, so responder is captain of the auction. Opener can show her pattern and range and let responder captain the auction to the right contract.

Godfather Bids

I received an E-mail from Steve Lawrence where he said, Have you heard of "Godfather Bids" It's an "invitation that you can't refuse". The answer is yes, but we call them “new suit 2NT”. I guess Godfather bids by definition can apply to any invitational sequence, but we limit them to the invitational 2NT only, right now. Same idea in that all 2NT bids by responder are invitational or better hands. All encompassing, in that a jump to 2NT by responder is limit raise or better so an invitation you can not refuse (for one round anyway). 2NT by responder after opener makes another bid at the two level, is also a one round force. A 2NT bid directly by responder in competition is also “Godfather” and forcing to a rebid of opener's minor or other escapes.

Since a Godfather 2NT is forcing one round, you need a way to escape to a partial. We use hand patterns as our basis of escape. There are only a few hand patterns to consider after a response and a 2 level rebid by opener. Grannovetter recommends the 6-4 rule with those 6-4 hand patterns. Opener bids a non forcing to game 6-4’s by rebidding your 6 card suit first. Forcing to game 6-4’s bid your 4 card suit first. Forcing to game needs a definition as you only rebid at the two level initially. Opener makes this bidding decision based on whether she would accept a 2NT game invitational bid. OK, That’s easy.

Rebidding your suit by opener for the 3rd time is of course a standard escape. This is of course bailing out to your suit after 2NT. Showing a 5-5 pattern after a 2NT response should also be non forcing, if the 2NT bid may be invitational. A forcing to game 5-5 by opener should be shown by jumping in your 2nd suit after 2NT. Patterning out with 5-4-3-1 hands are forcing to game. All other bids are forcing to game. With balanced opening hands, you must raise to 3NT and play them a la Meckwell.

1	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2NT	Pass
3*

* 3 is non forcing as it shows a 6-4 bid the “weak way”.

1	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2NT	Pass
3*

* This sequence is a game force as the 6-4 is shown the “strong way”.

1	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2NT	Pass
4	Pass	?*

* 4NT is to play, so 4 is kickback agreeing clubs and 4 Kickback agreeing diamonds.

1	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2NT	Pass
3

Patterning out (4th suit by opener) is the strength of this system and is a game force.

1	Pass	1	Pass
2	Pass	2NT	Pass
3	Pass	4NT	Pass
5	Pass	6

A10x AKJxx K109x x

KQJxx Qx Ax J10xx

I do not recommend “Godfather” bids for matchpoints as you must be able to play in 2NT. In IMPS, who cares which partial we play?

Godfather 2NT (Patterning Out)

My partner and I won a number of IMPS on boards where we played in a 4-3 major suit fit when it looked like 3NT was not the place to play it. Partner had K10x x 10987x AKQx, opened 1. I responded a spade so what is you rebid? I feel partner made the best bid of 2. Why bid 2 ? You are not strong enough to “pattern out” and encourage partner. If you rebid 2 with partner leaping to 3NT, do you now pull to 4? This can be very wrong, if there is duplication of value in hearts. 3NT was played at the other table so we won 10 IMPs for our 4 Moysean making. The opponents at the other table did not support spades and when the leap to 3NT was made they were trapped in that contract.

We play 2NT by responder as a “new suit” forcing one round. This bid is also called the “Godfather 2NT” or an invitation you cannot refuse. This is an excellent addition to natural bidding that allows the opener to pattern out before 3NT is reached. This allows you to investigate properly at the 3 level rather than the 4 level. I held AK9x xx Axxx Qxx, partner opened 1. I responded 1, partner bid 2. I bid 2NT forcing one round and partner patterned out by bidding 3. I had horrible diamond spots so with partner showing a singleton diamond encouraged me to bid 4 for another pickup. Partner held Jxx AKxxx x Axxx and 3NT is a hopeless contract. I made 4 by ruffing a number of diamonds. Which contract would you rather be in with a diamond lead?

A natural system has an advantage over a forcing club system by the ability to “pattern out”. The Godfather 2NT forcing by responder as a new suit is built for this hand evaluation strategy. Partner can pattern out so nice minor suit slams can be reached after the 2NT bid. Partner opens a diamond, you respond a spade. Partner bids 2 so you have Jxxx AQx KJx Kxx. In standard methods you leapt to 3NT so partner passes with x Kxx AQxxx AQJ10. With the new suit forcing bid, partner “patterns out” to show extra by bidding 3 so +1370 is reached in diamonds. A leap to 3NT, of course pre-empts partner and constructive bidding is halted.

Jumping to 3NT pre-empts opener so “patterning out" at the 4 level is risky so not recommended. If partner leaps to 3NT, it usually ends all contracts. With the 2NT by responder as the new suit concept, a leap to 3NT can be a “picture” bid showing exactly a 15-17 NT opener range and quantitative bidding or pulling the 3NT to a minor from a position of strength can dictate the final contract. A leap to 3NT with the opponents in the auction can also be just a shot.

Playing the Godfather 2NT forcing one round prevents the ugly 4th suit forcing auction where the NT gets wrong sided. The 2NT forcing allows natural bidding in a natural system, hence the advantage over artificiality. The range of a two level rebid by opener.

Godfather 2NT (Limit raise or better)

4th suit forcing is very clumsy at the two level so needs some repair work. 4th suit forcing violates one of the strengths of natural bidding because it introduces artificial sequences. These sequences introduce ambiguity so just confuses auctions. The only purpose of 4th suit forcing is so that jumps and jump preferences and 2NT by responder can be invitational. This treatment means that good balanced hands by responder must be bid with 3NT which contradicts “fast arrival” and pre-empts opener when she holds an intermediate hand. As per all modern bidding theory, the 2NT invitational bid is thrown in the garbage can in order to improve 4th suit forcing. This conceptual bid by responder is sometimes called the “Godfather 2NT” or an invitation you can not refuse. Since we are discussing 4th suit forcing by responder, this means three bids have already been made. Three bids at the one level are handled nicely by XYZ. Three unique bids with the 3rd bid at the 2 level causes a problem. Flat NT hands by responder with a stopper in the 4th suit should be bid with a NT bid, not a 4th suit forcing bid. Keep balanced hands in the NT family of bids. Leave 4th suit forcing for distributional hands or a fit with partner or balanced hands without a stopper in the 4th suit.

Godfather 2NT (Escaping)

Most experts now play the Godfather 2NT by responder which is defined as invitational or better. This new “either/or” understanding eliminates some bad 4th suit forcing auctions and allows natural bidding and “patterning out” by opener to occur under 3NT. Prevents pre-empting opener by leaping to 3NT with responders 13-15 HCP. If opener has opened a flat hand, there is no escape as you cannot pass 2NT. If you have a minimum 5-4-3-1 with your 5 card suit not that robust, you must bid 3NT as patterning out is forcing to game anyway. You bid 3NT with all other balanced hands so if responder was invitational, you are in a Meckwell 3NT. So partner play it well. 2NT as a contract to play a hand is not possible.

How can you escape into a partial after the Godfather 2NT by responder? The answer is hand pattern dependent. There are only a few hand patterns to consider after a response and a 2 level rebid by opener. Grannovetter recommends the standard 6-4 rule with those 6-4 hand patterns. Opener bids non forcing to game 6-4’s, by rebidding the 6 card suit first. Forcing to game 6-4’s bid your 4 card suit first after opening your 6 card suit. OK, That’s easy.

Since 2NT by responder can be unlimited, we reverse “captaincy”. In order to escape 2NT, opener now must describe her hand to responder rather than passing 2NT with a minimum. This way works much better since openers range is so wide 12-17 and any type of distribution. Difficult to bid minor suit slams or games are found and avoiding the 3NT trap is a nice side effect. Playing a minor partial when we know a suit is wide open is an advantage. Passing 2NT to show you are weak, lands you in wrong partials. This will no longer happen.