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.
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:
After: Pass - 1 - 2
(Drury) - 2
(Asking):
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.
Pass | Pass | 1![]() |
Pass |
2![]() |
Pass | 2![]() |
Pass |
2![]() |
Pass | 2NT** |
* 3 trumps, **Kokish game try
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.
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.
Responses to 3 are:
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:
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)
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):
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 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):
After: 1 - 2
(Constructive Raise):