83 Bypass 4 Card Suit

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Adventures in Bridge, Inc.

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(83) More 2/1 Game Forcing: Bypassing 4-card Suits


Date: March 2014 © AiB Robert S. Todd
Level: Intermediate robert@advinbridge.com

General
2/1 Game Forcing auctions have lots of advantages over standard auctions – Fast Arrival, Cuebids,
Splinters, etc… We want to get into 2/1 Game Forcing auctions as often as possible – unless it is going to
make our life too difficult to do so. Here, we will discuss ways to get into 2/1 Game Forcing auctions
(when to do so and when not to) and how it may help us. Specifically, we will look at auctions where we
can choose to make a 2/1 Game Force instead of responding in another suit (cheaply and naturally – by
bypassing a 4-card Major.)

1 Opening Bids
When partner opens 1 and we have a 5-card  suit we will bid 1 on almost every hand (unless we
have 4+card  and plan to just raise .) But when we have a 4-card  suit and a Game Forcing hand we
have a choice between bidding 1 or making a 2/1 GF bid into 2-minor. Let’s look at some examples.

4-3-3-3
With a 4-3-3-3 hand we know we have a  fit, so sometimes it can be easiest to look for the  fit (4-4
fits are generally better than 5-3 fits.) But with most hands the auction will be easier if we start with a
2/1 GF. We will usually have a 4-card minor to make a 2/1 GF into, but in this specific case we will have
to bid 2 on a 3-card suit in order to create a 2/1 GF.

Note: If we bypass our 4c suit it becomes our responsibility to show our 4-card suit later. Opener will
not go out of their way to show their suit, expecting us not to have one.

4-card  with 4+card Minor


Example Distribution: 4-2-3-4
In this case it is excellent to start the auction with a 2/1 into 2. Since Opener has shown 5+ the rest
of the auction reveals itself naturally – Opener bids their suits or notrump. It is clear in these auctions
that we search for a Major suit fit first, minor suit fit second, and notrump with a balanced hand after
that. Once again, Responder must show their 4c suit if they bypass it.

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Example Auction with 4-2-3-4 Distribution


1 - 2 -
2 - 2 -
2N – 3N

1 - 2 Auctions
When it comes to bidding the minor suits, these auctions become far more complex. We want to think
of this auction as more like an inverted minors auction (that happens to be a Game Forcing) than we do
like a 2/1 GF auction. The reason for this is that 1 - 2 auctions become complex. The meaning of the
bids becomes muddled – it is not clear if we are showing stoppers or showing actual Major suits. To
clarify (fix) this problem we agree not to bypass our 4-card Majors in this particular auction. Thus, 1 -
2 denies a 4-card Major just like 1 - 2* does.

Conclusion
In modern bridge there are times to show our 4-card Major and times when it is easier to bypass them.
This can be complicated, but the general rule is that we bypass these Majors only in an effort to make
our life (future bidding) simpler. Having a good understanding of these 2/1 Auctions (as well as other
auctions, like Walsh Style bidding) makes things with Partner go more smoothly – we will both be
thinking the same way and focusing on the same goals together.

(83) More 2/1 GF: Bypassing 4-card Suits 2

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