Lesson 4(b) - Supporting partner's opening suit bid

 

Responder is ready to raise opener

   - in accordance with the following agreements:

Immediate raises by responder

• When responding to an opening bid of one of a major (1♥/♠)

Responder's first priority will be to set opener's major as trumps by raising to the appropriate level whenever the hand contains three-card or more trump support.

If responder's total points (HCP + DP) are

0‑5 TP          Pass, with or without a fit

6‑9 TP          Raise 1 level to 2M- simple raise

Exception: If you hold 0-7 HCP, 5 or more trumps and a singleton or void – a so-called weak freak or pre-emptive game raise PGR – jump straight to 4M!  It may make, or else it takes away useful space from the opponents, who may be quite strong.  Just do it!

10‑12 TP       Raise 2 levels to 3M - jump raise

13‑15 TP       Enough values for game, but too strong to bid game immediately (which signifies a weak freak).  Shift to a new suit and bid 4M over opener’s rebid – called a delayed game raise DGR. 

• When responding to an opening bid of one of a minor (1♣/1♦)
  Responder's priority is to introduce a four-card or longer major suit.
  Failing that, responder will bid notrumps if at all reasonable.
  Otherwise, responder raises the opened minor with five or more cards in support.

0‑5 TP         Pass, with or without a fit

6‑9 TP         Simple raise to 2m

10‑12 TP     Jump raise to 3m

• Note: No mention is made of raising a minor with 13+ TP. Responder will usually bid another suit or notrumps rather than commit the partner­ship immediately to playing in the minor suit.  Remember that minor suit tricks count for only 20 points each.  And a minor suit game is way up at the five-level.  The minors aren't called the minors for nothing!

Later raises in the auction

The process of bidding partner's suit at any stage during the auction is called raising and announces that a suit fit has been discovered.

After the opening bid has been made, any new suit introduced by either player, major or minor, guarantees a minimum of 4 cards in that suit.  (The label 'five-card majors' applies only to an opening bid of 1M.)

Say, for instance, responder intro­duces a major suit into the auction in reply to opener's one of a minor, promising only four cards in that major.  If opener raises that major, it shows 4-card support.

Any unsupported suit repeated (rebid) by either player now promises at least one card more than it showed the first time, and preferably six if it was the first suit bid by that player.  Thus fewer cards are required in the other hand for a suit fit.

Say opener bids 1♥ and responder bids 1♠.  If opener rebids 2♥ , she now promises six hearts.  If responder still has interest in game she would be able to raise hearts with only two-card support.

• Note: Although an opening bid in a minor promises only three cards, a rebid by opener in that minor shows preferably six, but only five on a bad day e.g. with 4♦s and 5♣s.