3.8 Fourth Suit Forcing to Game

Why We Do the Things We Do!

After the bidding has started with three natural suits being bid by our side, responder will sometimes have the information she needs about fit, but will not have much idea about her partner’s values. Let’s look at some examples.

West	North	East	South
	1♦	Pass	1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♣

West	North	East	South
	1♥	Pass	1♠
Pass	2♣	Pass	2♦

West	North	East	South
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♦

In all of these cases, both hands have a very big range. Opener can have almost enough to jump shift (which we play as a very strong bid), so could have 18 or 19 points without the quality of suits needed to force to game, or the balanced hand needed to rebid 2NT.

This is a similar problem to the one we solved by using New Minor Forcing, and our solution is similar. We take a bid that is seldom useful naturally (the fourth suit — the last bid in all the above examples), and make that an artificial bid, in this case forcing to game. You seldom have a fit in the fourth suit, since three suits have already been bid, and you can bid notrump with a hand that doesn’t want to force and has some values in the fourth suit.

West	North	East	South
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	?

1NT	6 - 9, hopefully diamonds stopped
2♣	6 - 9, prefers clubs
2♦	Artificial, game forcing
2♥	5+ hearts, 6 - 9
2♠	4 Spades, 6 - 9
2NT	10 - 12, diamonds stopped
3♣	5+ clubs, 10 - 12
3♦	5+ hearts, 5+ diamonds, invitational to game
3♥	6+ hearts, 10 - 12
3♠	4 Spades, 10 - 12
3NT	13 - 15, diamonds stopped
4♣ - 4♦	Unused
4♥	6+ hearts, hoping to make
4♠	4 Spades, 13 - 15

West	North	East	South
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♦
Pass	2♥	Pass	?

2♠	4+ spades, 16+ HCP
2NT	16+ balanced, diamond stopper
3♣	4+ clubs, 16+ or good 6-loser hand
3♦	5+ hearts, 5+ diamonds, game force
3♥	agrees hearts as trump, 16+
3♠ - 4♦	Unused
4♥	13 - 15, needed some heart support

This approach is in keeping with the philosophy that when you have extra values, you take the bidding slowly, to find out as much as you can along the way. Therefore, after three suits have been bid, a jump in one of the three is invitational, whereas taking time out to bid the fourth suit shows a good hand (generally 16+), and with the in-between ones, we just bid game.

Opener’s Rebids After Fourth Suit Forcing

West	North	East	South
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1♠	Pass	2♦
Pass	?

2♥	Ususally 3 hearts, minimum hand, might have 2 hearts if weak clubs, no diamond stopper
2♠	5+ spades, 5+ clubs
2NT	Diamond stopper, any range, denies 3 hearts
3♣	5+ clubs, denies 3 hearts, denies diamond stopper
3♦	3+ diamonds, probably Axx or Kxx, trying to play Notrump from partner’s side, denies 3 hearts
3♥	3 hearts, 15+ dummy points

When Fourth Suit Forcing Does Not Apply

If opener’s rebid is a reverse or jump shift. Since both of these bids promise a rebid, responder has no need for an artificial force. It should be natural showing either length or some holding such as Axx or Kxx, where the lead might be better coming up to partner’s hand at notrump.

If responder’s suit was at the two-level. Over a major suit opening, our two-over-one response is a game force, so we don’t need an artificial force by opener. After 1♦ - 2♣, opener only bids a major with a better than minimum unbalanced hand, so we are again in a game force situation.

Fourth Suit Forcing only applies when bid by responder with no intervening bids of notrump or opponent interference.