Game Tries

 

Partner has raised our major to the two-level, we don't have enough to bid game on our own, we'd like to invite game somehow or another.  Methods abound, please see some of the possibilities below.

 

                                    3rd March, 2010                  Both Vul

 

 

 

                                                  7th January, 2009

 

                    Board 6                                            Board 23

                        North   East     South   West                            West    North   East     South

                        1♦        1♥        1♠                                                                    1♣

                        ??                                                                    Pass    1♥        1♠        Dbl (Support)

                                                                                                ??

                        ♠ A42                                                              ♠ A732

                        ♥ QJ987                                                          ♥ 984

                        ♦ T                                                                   ♦ KT2

                        ♣ T932                                                            ♣ KQ7

 

Two boards with the same theme.  In each case the opponents have bid two suits, we have game-invitational values in Partner’s suit.  As there is a choice of two cue-bids available, it’s usual to play that the cheaper cue-bid shows 3-card support and that the more expensive cue-bid shows 4+ trump support.  This being the case, on Board 6 North bids 2♠ and West on Board 23 bids 2♥, both being the more expensive and showing 4+ cards support.

 

                                          6th December, 2006          Board 19      E-W Vul

 

 

We’d say that the East hand is just about good enough for a game try.  What are your methods in this situation?  Here is a quick review of the most commonly used ones:

 

Natural Game Tries

Yes, just bid what we’ve got!  On the actual hand, we might consider showing our Diamond suit, but it’s a bit skimpy, we wouldn’t bother.  If we have no suit worth bidding we can try 2NT (5-3-3-2 type distribution with lots of outside stuff and presumably weak Hearts), or 3♥ (general game try).  There’s a lot to be said for this style, if only for its simplicity.

 

Help Suit Game Tries

Here, Opener shows his weak suit, typically one with 3 losers.  If Responder has this suit covered somehow or other (with shortness or high cards) he can bid game.  The trouble with a Help Suit Game Try is that it telegraphs the defense their opening lead.

 

Modified Help Suit Game Tries

In this method, Opener makes the cheapest call (2♠ here), asking the question “What is the cheapest suit you have in which you would not accept a Help Suit Game Try”.  In the responses, 2NT would say “I don’t accept a Help Suit try in Spades”, 3♣ would say “Yes, in Spades, but not in Clubs”, and so on.  This more complicated method does a better job of concealing Declarer’s hand.

 

Short Suit Game Tries

Here, we show shortness in the hope that this information will help Partner evaluate the suitability of his hand for game.  It’s simple enough, a new suit bid by Opener shows shortness.  On the featured hand, this method works rather well … East can bid 3♦ and West (who has virtually no Diamond wastage) can bid the game.

 

Two-Way Game Tries

With a little bit of fancy footwork, we can combine methods.  For example, you might want to use both short suit and long suit tries and here’s how it works:

-         A new suit shows length and values in the bid suit, as in 1♥ 2♥, 3♣

-         As a special case, 1♥ 2♥, 2NT is used to show Spade values, and this is because 1♥ 2♥, 2♠ has another purpose (below)

-         The cheapest bid (1♥ 2♥, 2♠ or 1♠ 2♠, 2NT) is a relay … Responder now also makes the cheapest bid available, whereupon Opener reveals his short suit … on the actual hand the sequence would be 1♥ 2♥, 2♠ 2NT, 3♦ would be the way of showing that Diamond shortness.

-         The auction 1♥ 2♥, 2♠ 2NT, 3♥ would show Spade shortness

Perhaps this method should be called Three-Way, because we also have available the auction 1♥ 2♥, 3♥ as a general game-try, which we can use whenever our hand is not suitable for showing shortness or length/strength.

 

Well, here ends our little Game Try tour.  What’s the best method?  That's easy, it's the one your Partner will remember!
 

                                          10th May, 2006                Board 8       None Vul

 

 

East has a very nice hand, but it’s not quite good enough to insist on game.  Some kind of game try is in order, and there are innumerable methods from which to choose.  One day, we’ll add a write-up to the System Library, but, in the meantime we’ll offer you one simple approach, and then a refinement.  The simple approach is the “Help Suit Game Try”, whereby Opener names a suit in which he would like help, and Responder goes to game if he has help in the suit (and a half-decent hand), or even if he has no help but a super-duper hand.  Using this approach, East bids 2♠ (help is definitely needed in that suit!).

 

The problem with the Help-Suit method is that it gives a road map to the defense, making it easier for them to find the right opening lead.  There’s an alternative Help-Suit method which is less helpful to the defense … Opener makes the cheapest bid (again 2♠, as it happens), which asks Responder to bid the cheapest suit in which he would accept a game try.  On the actual hand, West bids 3♥ over 2♠, saying that he would not accept any Help-Suit game try.  See the difference?  E-W have revealed no specific weakness in this auction, all that has happened is that West has shown a bad hand.  By the way, after 1♥ 2♥, 2♠, a bid of 2NT is used to show help for Spades.

 

                                          31st May, 2006                 Board 11      None Vul

 

 

East’s cue-bid of 2♣ showed Heart support and at least limit raise values.  How about South’s 2♦ rebid?  Is it a reverse showing a strong hand?  No, South is merely raising Partner’s (implied) Diamonds.

 

What next?  We like 4♥ here … only 7 HCPs, but who counts points when one has a fit with Partner and such magnificent distribution?  Of course, there’s no guarantee that 4♥ will make, but the omens are good … we have a 9-card fit (at least), half the HCPs (or close), Clubs over their Clubs with Dummy in the over-ruffing seat, and a couple of singletons.  And, anyway, there’s no point in asking Partner’s opinion here … we’ll make game opposite all sorts of minimum hands … and might go off opposite various maximum hands.  No, this is not a hand for game-try subtlety, it’s a hand for bidding what you hope you can make.

 

                                          16th August, 2006           Board 5    N-S Vul

 

 

In part-score battles, when we are in the direct seat, as East is here, it’s usually extra distribution or an extra trump which justifies taking one more call.  Here, we have minimum HCPs for our opening bid, and only 5 Spades, but we do have Diamond shortness … so, full value for a competitive 3♠ bid.  Needless to say, that 3♠ bid is not inviting game … if we had wanted to do that we would have tried 3♥, which says nothing about Hearts, it merely seeks Partner’s opinion about game.

 

                                          30th August, 2006             Board 25      E-W Vul

 

 

Partner has given us a simple raise, and we have a mere 13 HCPs.  Does that mean that we just pass?  No, we’d say that the hand is worth a game try.  Notwithstanding our modest point count, we have a five-loser hand, so we really don’t need much from Partner.  In the absence of any special game-try agreements we’d bid 3♥ here, simply bidding what we’ve got.

 

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