When your partner decides to bid 1 of a major in the 3rd position in bridge…sometimes their bid can be weaker than a normal opening. It’s called a 3rd in hand opener. You can also do it in 4th position as well…usually when you hold the spade suit.

So we use an artificial bid of 2♣ or 2♦

The bid of 2♣ / 2♦ asks the opener for their strength….and shows either 3 or 4 card support depending on whether they used 2♣ / 2♦.

Very simply opener rebids their major if they are weak and bids anything else to show they have a sound opening bid.

Rebidding 2 of the major shows a hand with sub-opening values and any other bid now shows at least normal opening values.

This prevents the partnership from getting to the 3 level when only a 2 level contract can make.

Example Hands

So all of these hands you could open 1 of a Major in third or 4th

  1. ♠ – AQJ54 ♥ – Q984 ♦ – 6 ♣ – KQ10
  2. ♠ – 4 ♥ – AQ1097 ♦ – A986 ♣ – 974
  3. ♠ – AQJ105 ♥ – J102 ♦ – Q63 ♣ – 32
  4. ♠ – KJ10986 ♥ – A43 ♦ – KQ4 ♣ – 7
  5. ♠ – AK10986 ♥ – KQ3 ♦ – A4 ♣ – K7

After your partner bids 2♣ Reverse Drury, each hand would respond in the following way:-

  1. Bid 2♥ – Normal opening strength and shows 54 shape
  2. Bids 2♥ – weak opener…don’t go on partner
  3. Bids 2♠ – weak opener…don’t go on.
  4. Bids 4♠ – no other suit to show fast arrival…no slam interest
  5. Bids 3♠ – slam interest