Welcome to the Convention-of-the-Week Club. ::-- Help-Suit Game Try
Courtesy : Matt@Bridgetoday.com April 30, 2002You pick up, neither side vulnerable:♠ Kxx♡ AJxx
♢ xx
♣ xxxxPartner opens 1S. You raise to 2S and partner rebids 3C. What is yourcall?Convention of the club : Help-Suit Game Try
The help-suit game try is a scientific device for bidding close games orstaying out of bad ones. After 1S, pass, 2S, or 1H, pass, 2H, a new suitby opener is a game try, telling partner that if it's a close decisionwhether to bid game, to look at the "help-suit" and see if he has anyhelp there.What is the definition of "help there"?Responder imagines that opener has three or four little in the suit bidand sees if he can cover some of those losers:A singleton or a doubleton is clearly helpfulExactly three cards in the suit is usually not very helpful, unless youhave the ace or two honors.Four or more cards in the suit might be helpful, but usually only if youhave an honor or two.So what do you need to make a help-suit game try?A help suit is at least 3 cards in length, and usually (but not always)a weak spot in declarer's hand.xxx or xxxx is a help suitAKxx or Axx is a help suitKJxx is a help suitCome to think of it, almost any long suit is a help suit!But a help suit shouldn't be too strong.For example, KQJx is not a help suit, since you don't need any helpthere!So "help-suit game tries" is very a natural convention, in most cases.♠ Kxx♡ AJxx
♢ xx
♣ xxxx1S - 2SAfter your raise to 2S, partner bids 3D and you bid 4S. You are on theborder, to bid game or not, and your help in diamonds is enough to pushyou over. If partner had bid 3H, you'd also bid game (you'd raise to4H), but over 3C, you return to 3S, because your xxxx is not any help.Let's see how you would do facing each of these three help-suit game-tryhands:♠ AQJxx ♠ Kxx♡ Qx ♡ AJxx
♢ KTxx ♢ xx
♣ Ax ♣ xxxx1S 2S3D 4SA close 4S game.♠ AQJxx ♠ Kxx♡ KTxx ♡ AJxx
♢ Ax ♢ xx
♣ Qx ♣ xxxx1S 2S3H 4HA close 4H contract. This is a difficult one, because 3H is important touse as a natural game try.♠ AQJxx ♠ Kxx♡ Qx ♡ AJxx
♢ Ax ♢ xx
♣ KTxx ♣ xxxx1S 2S3C 3SpassGood stop. This is a poor 4S.What do you lose by playing Help-Suit Game Tries?You lose three things :: --(1) You can't make a natural bid that might help you reach 3NT. For example:♠ AKxxx ♠ Jxx♡ xx ♡ QJxx
♢ KQJx ♢ xxx
♣ Ax ♣ KQx1S 2S3D 3NTpassThis would be a wonderful auction to the top contract, but usingHelp-Suit Game Tries, it can no longer be done, since 3D means something else.(2) You lose the ability to make a natural slam try.♠ AQxxxx ♠ Kxx♡ x ♡ xxx
♢ AKxx ♢ Qxxx
♣ Ax ♣ QJx1S 2S3D ?Here opener wants to bid 3D as a natural slam try. Notice that they canmake 6D on a 3-2 diamond break, and 6S makes if the club finesse works.But playing Help-Suit Game Tries prevents this exploration.(3) The short-suit game try tells the opening leader too much about your hand.Often it's right to lead the "help suit" on opening lead, since declarerhas identified it as his weak spot. This is especially true when theopponents stop in a partscore after using a help-suit game try.The good news is, however, that you can occasionally "psyche" a helpsuit game try, if you want, and this may catch the opponents off guard.For example:♠ AKxxxx ♠ Qxx♡ KJTx ♡ xxx
♢ Axx ♢ xxxx
♣ -- ♣ AQJ1S 2S3C 4SHere opener bids 3C to give the opponents the wrong picture of his hand.Maybe the opening lead will be a club, just what he wants!Note: If you try this tactic more than once every few sessions, you'dbetter have your partner alert the opponents: "Help-suit game try,usually, but my partner likes to fake this convention occasionally."
Check List: ::- Help-Suit Game Try,
(1) a new suit bid after partner raises one of a major to two of a major, asks partner to judge his hand for game, looking at his loser coverage in the "help suit."(2) Opener's rebid of 2S (1H-2H-2S) or 3H (1S-2S-3H) may be a natural game try.