4.5 Natural Game Tries

Once your partner raises, and you have an invitation to game or slam, you can make a “natural game try” by bidding your second suit. Here are some examples:

West	North	East	South
	1♥	Pass	2♥
Pass	3♣

West	North	East	South
	1♠	Pass	2♠
Pass	3♦

West	North	East	South
	1♦	Pass	1♠
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♣

The reason we do this is to help partner to decide whether or not to go to game. It is much more useful than re-raising (1♥ - 2♥; 3♥ is a re-raise) because points that you have in his long suit help to build tricks, while points (other than controls) outside the suits are less useful. Let’s look at an example.

Opener
♠	AQ976
♥	K10985
♦	3
♣	A2

West	North	East	South
			1♠
Pass	2♠	Pass	?

Opener has a nice 5-loser hand, and after a raise showing 6-9 dummy points, is happy to try for game:

West	North	East	South
			1♠
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♥

Hand 1
♠	K84
♥	QJ3
♦	754
♣	9543

If parter has hand 1, with fillers in the second suit, 6 HCP is enough.
However, when he has hand 2, with soft values outside of opener’s two suits, even 8 HCP isn’t enough.

Hand 2
♠	K84
♥	763
♦	QJ4
♣	Q954

Responder just looks at his values in the second suit to decide. You should go to game when you have any of the following:

Ace, King, or Queen of the second suit
A singleton in the second suit with 3 or more trump.
A doubleton in the second suit with 4 or more trump.

Now it can get even better than that, Consider this hand:

♠	Q1054
♥	A853
♦	6
♣	7652

West	North	East	South
	1♠	Pass	2♠
Pass	3♦	Pass	?

Partner opens 1♠ and after you raise to 2♠ (either you’re not playing Shep’s raises, or you are a passed hand) partner makes a game try with 3♦.

What is your call?

It doesn’t get any better than this, you have 9 dummy points, and one trump more than you would need to accept the game try. So this time, instead of jumping to 4♠, there is an even stronger move you can make. Bid 3♥, to say you have a good holding in partner’s suits and a control in hearts.

Why do we bother with this? The reason is that sometimes partner’s second suit bid is actually a slam try. Give him this lovely hand:

♠	AKJ976
♥	K4
♦	A532
♣	4

Slam in spades is a great proposition and partner has only 15 HCP!

Natural game tries also work from the other side of the table. You hold:

♠	AJ863
♥	3
♦	Q76
♣	QJ85

West	North	East	South
	1♦	Pass	1♠
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♣

Hand 1
♠	K92
♥	107
♦	AK952
♣	K104

After partner’s 1♦ opener, you respond 1♠, and partner raises to 2♠. Instead of bidding 3♠ to invite to game, you bid your second suit.

The examples I've given in Hand 1 and Hand 2 are identical in strength and shape, but while the first one will make 5♠ if you find the ♠Q, the second one needs the spades to come in to make 4♠.

Hand 2
♠	K92
♥	K107
♦	AK952
♣	74

Now, there is one key thing to remember. The natural game try shows an unbalanced hand. Suppose you hold:

♠	KQ92
♥	Q87
♦	Q52
♣	A1043

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

You respond 1♠ to partner’s 1♦ opener, and are raised to 2♠.

Now your correct game try is 2NT. That carries the important message that you have only 4 trump, and asks partner whether or not he has 4 trump, and a minimum or maximum. Opener’s options are:

Pass	Minimum with 3 trump
3NT	Maximum with 3 trump
3♠	Minimum with 4 trump
4♠	Maximum with 4 trump

Well, you say, what about a heart stopper? My sincere advice is just don’t worry about it. The theory is that if you have game values and an 8-card major suit fit, you’re going to play in game in your major. If you have the values, but only a 7-card major suit fit, you will belong in 3NT most of the time. This doesn’t work every time, but then nothing does in bridge. In the long run, it’s a winning style to play according to the length of your fits.