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Inverted Minors
"Standard" methods do not provide for a forcing minor suit raise and many partnerships get around this by playing "Inverted Minors": 1♣ 2♣ and 1♦ 3♦ are good raises (at least game-invitational, maybe only 4-card support) 1♣ 3♣ and 1♦ 3♦ are preemptive raises (at least 5-card support) All of these sequences deny a 4-card major.
7th April, 2010 E-W Vul
West’s 2♦ was an Inverted Raise, showing Diamond support (often 5 of them, but not always), game-invitational values or better, and denying a 4-card major. What are your methods after an Inverted Raise? The two most commonly used natural follow-ups to 1♣ 2♣ or 1♦ 2♦ are: - Show Stoppers, attempting to determine if a No Trump contract is viable. So, 1♦ 2♦, 2♠ says “I have a Spade stopper but not one in Hearts”. And 1♦ 2♦, 2NT says “I have a stopper in both majors”. - Show Hand-Type: 1♦ 2♦, 2NT shows a minimum balanced hand, and may or may not have major suit stoppers. 1♦ 2♦, 3♦ is also minimum, and usually unbalanced or with extra Diamond length. Responder may pass either of these sequences with a minimum
To us the stopper method seems somewhat unstructured, we prefer the Hand-Type method, which has the benefit of allowing Opener to limit his hand as well as describing the general nature of his hand.
4th August, 2010 Both Vul
North’s 2♣ was an inverted raise, showing at least game-invitational values, and denying a 4-card major. After that, those 2♠, 3♦, and 3♥ bids were all strength-showing, with something in the bid suits. Now North must take charge with Roman Key Card. In past Wednesday Games, for minor suit auctions, we have extolled the virtues of Minorwood, Redwood, and (best of all!) Bothwood, and here is another prime example. After South has bid 3♥, North’s 4♣ can be played as Minorwood as it passes these two basic tests: - The auction is game-forcing - The minor suit has been agreed
7th December, 2011 N-S Vul
Let’s assume that South’s 2♦ is an Inverted Minor bid, which is to say: - It shows game-invitational values - It shows Diamond support - It denies a 4-card major
And North’s 3♠? It’s a splinter, and as South has not guaranteed more than game-invitational values, North presumably has extras, at least in terms of playing strength, if not HCP. As for South, she does not have much in the way of extras, but she does have a hand that is somewhat improved by the splinter. Many pairs use 4♦ here (Minorwood) to ask for Key Cards, but we don’t think that the South hand is quite good enough for that. But she is good enough for a cue-bid of 4♣ and, as it happens, that will embolden North to head slamwards.
6♦ is a great contract, with 12 easy tricks.
4th June, 2008 Board 16 None Vul
2♦ was an Inverted Raise, showing at least invitational strength, with Diamond support, and no 4-card major. Some partnerships like to bid stoppers here, but a simpler (and in our view more effective) style is to bid the hand-type: - 2NT is a balanced minimum - 3♦ is an unbalanced minimum - 2♥ and 2♠ show something in that suit and enough for game - Side-suit bids at the 3-level show shortness If these are the methods in use then West has an obvious 2NT rebid.
As luck would have it there was another 1♦ 2♦ auction on Board 25. East South West North Pass 1♦ Pass 2♦ Pass ??
East’s hand was: ♠ K763 ♥ J ♦ QJT86 ♣ KQ6 It’s another minimum opening, but this one is unbalanced, an obvious 3♦ bid.
6th February, 2008 Board 11 South North ♠ K ♠ A54 ♥ KJ4 ♥ A8 ♦ 643 ♦ AQT2 ♣ AKJT93 ♣ 8652
1♣ 2♣ 2♥ 2NT 3♣ 3♦ 4♣ 4♥ 6♣ Pass
The time has finally come for The Wednesday Game to tackle the thorny subject of Inverted Minors, and it is featured as our Convention of the Week. There are various Inverted Minor follow-ups, this was the meaning of our featured auction: - 2♣: Invitational values or better, no 4-card major. North might have bid 3NT (showing 13-15) but reasoned that she was too slammish for that. - 2♥: As played by this pair, 2♥ showed something in Hearts and was game-forcing. - 2NT: Natural - 3♣: Still forcing, of course, presumably interested in a Club slam. - 3♦: Shows something in Diamonds, cooperating in the slam hunt. - 4♣: Minorwood - 4♥: Using 1430 responses, so this shows 0 or 3.
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