There are many different types of Bergen raises that people play. We shall start with the classic Bergen raise convention…
Classic Bergen raises
After an opening bid of 1 Major (5 card suit) the responses are:
3M – 2-6 points 4 card support
3♦ – 10-12 points and 4 card support
3♣ – 7-9 points and a 4 card raise
And that is it…in its simplest form!
To show 10-12 points and a 3 card raise you would have to bid something like 2 of a minor and then support by jumping to 3 or 4 of the Major. Alternatively if you are playing 2/1 you can bid a forcing 1NT and again jump to 3 of the Major to show that hand.
More complex Bergen Raises
So again after opening a five card major this time the responses can be:-
4X = Void in that suit. Cannot show void in spades if hearts opened
3NT = balanced 3334 shape with 3 card support for the major (13-15pts)
A common sequence is 1M followed by the opposition doubling for take out.
If you wish you can keep Bergen raises on after a double…make sure you agree this with your partner.
There has been an overcall
Suppose the bidding goes 1♥ – 2♣ (overcall) – ?
Double – The other 2 suits 2♦ – Natural and forcing 2♥ – 3 card support weak 2♠ – Natural and forcing 2NT – Good 4 Card Raise 3♣ – A cue bid shows a 3 card raise 3♦ – A fit show – showing a good 5 card suit and 4 card support 3♥ – 3 card support weak 3♠ – A fit show – showing a good 5 card suit and 4 card support
What to do with 3 card support?
With 10-12 points and 3 card support – bid a forcing 1NT assuming you are playing 2/1 and rebid 3 of the major.
Alternatively bid 2♣ or 2♦ and then bid 3♥ / ♠.
After Undisclosed Splinter
After the undisclosed splinter you bid 2NT / 3NT to ask where the singleton is. Responder just bids the suit it is in or bids hearts to show a splinter in the major or the other major if you’ve agreed hearts.
Other Versions of Bergen
There are other versions of Bergen raises where you can show good 3 card raises straight away….useful if you aren’t playing 2/1 but then you cannot show undisclosed splinter bids as well if you play that particular system.
Also the downside of Bergen raises is you can give the opponents a chance to double your artificial bids to pinpoint a lead.
2 Way checkback or shortened form 2WCB has to be one of my favourite conventions. You can see a video that I’ve already done here: 2WCB Video. I’d advise you to take a look at that after looking through these detailed notes.
I’ve done a recent lesson on 2 way-checkback on Mark Nehs YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CIpTQ_V6e40 – this lesson uses the Strong No Trump opening.
This system works well playing 5 card majors and a strong NT. It also works well for weak No trump as well – but it will come up more often if you play a strong No Trump opener. After the sequence for example of 1X, Pass, 1Y, Pass, 1NT.
Playing a strong NT the 1NT response shows less than 15 points.
If you play a weak NT then the response shows 15-17, or 15-16 if you are old school.
There are 3 basic hand types:-
Sign off
invitational (usually going through 2♣)
game forcing 2♦ / slam try
Let’s look at the sign offs
1♣ – 1♠
1NT – ?
2♥ – shows 5 spades and 4 hearts
2♠ – shows 5+ spades wanting partner to pass
2NT asking partner to bid 3♣
Let’s look at invitational hands
The responses are:-
1♣ – 1♠
1NT – 2♣ (forces 2♦)
2♦ – ?
Pass – To play
2♥ – invitational values showing 5+spades and 4+hearts
2♠ – invitational in spades 5+ spades
2NT – invitational in NT’s
3♣ – invitational in clubs
3♦ – invitational in diamonds
3♥ – invitational with 5+ spades and 5+ hearts
3♠ – invitational with 6+ spades
If the bidding goes 1m (any minor), 1♥, 1NT, 2♠ without intervening bids then this shows a 44 major hand with game interest…where going through 2♣ would show 54 distribution and game interest…as remember the 1NT rebid does not deny a 4 card spade suit.
Let’s look at game forcing bids
2♦ is a game Force bid asking opener to describe their hand further.
3NT denies 4 hearts and 3 spades and shows a minimum
Alternatively you can make jump bids after:-
1♣ – 1♠
1NT – ?
3♣ – forcing showing 5+ spades and 5 clubs
3♦ – forcing showing 5+ spades and 5 diamonds
3♥ – forcing showing 5+ spades and 5 hearts
3♠ – forcing showing 6+spades
2 Way CheckBack can also be played over 2NT responses in a similar way as for 1NT.
The advantage of using 2 Way Checkback is that it can avoid going to the three level and avoid guesswork as whether or not something is forcing, semi-forcing or non-forcing.
The disadvantage of using 2WCB is you can no longer stop in 2♣.
Lets look at some hands:-
We are playing 5 card majors and a strong NT, so the 1NT rebid shows less than 15 points…so let’s look at some hands and the bidding to go with them:-
a)
b)
c)
d)
♠ Q3 ♥ AKJ72 ♦ 972 ♣ A7
♠ 73 ♥ AKJ72 ♦ A73 ♣ J52
♠ K104 ♥ K72 ♦ AJ109 ♣ K54
♠ K742 ♥ A5 ♦ K84 ♣ Q976
♠ K872 ♥ 5 ♦ K108543 ♣ 32
♠ KQJ842 ♥ 64 ♦ 985 ♣ 43
♠ A7 ♥ AQ985 ♦ 73 ♣ J1098
♠ AJ63 ♥ QJ97 ♦ 1053 ♣ K3
e)
f)
g)
h)
♠ Q7 ♥ K93 ♦ A10875 ♣ A107
♠ J73 ♥ AJ72 ♦ A73 ♣ Q52
♠ A109 ♥ KJ72 ♦ A73 ♣ J52
♠ Q109 ♥ AJ72 ♦ A73 ♣ J52
♠ A853 ♥ Q6 ♦ 5 ♣ 9765432
♠ KQ842 ♥ 64 ♦ K85 ♣ K3
♠ KJ842 ♥ AQ86 ♦ K6 ♣ Q9
♠ AJ842 ♥ K6 ♦ 985 ♣ AQ9
a) 1♥ – 1♠ – 1NT – 2♣ – 2♦.
The 2C bid forces partner to bid 2D and after partner didn’t raise in spades we simply try to play in the best contract which is likely to be 2D when you hold a 6 card diamond suit and partner is relatively balanced.
b)1♥ – 1♠ – 1NT – 2♠.
Because you didn’t go through 2♣, this makes the 2♠ a non-invitational bid. In other words it is FORCING your partner to shut up shop…you don’t want him to bid again.
c)1♣/♦ – 1♥ – 1NT – 2♣ – 2♦ – 2♥ – 4♥
Depending on your methods you are going to open 1 of a minor. You now go through 2♣ before bidding your suit again with 2♥. Partner has a maximum and 3 card heart support so simply raises straight to game.
d)1♣ – 1♥ – 1NT – 2♠
This sequence shows 4-4 in the majors and is invitational. As North is a minimum they can now just pass 2♠.
e)1♦ – 1♠ – 1NT – 2NT – 3♣
2NT is simply forcing partner to bid 3♣
f)1♣ – 1♠ – 1NT – 2♣ – 2♦ – 2♠
This sequence an invitational raise in spades. As north is weak but he does have three card spade support they can simply pass.
g)1♣ – 1♠ – 1NT – 2♦ – 2♥ – 2NT – 3♠ – 4♠
This is a game forcing sequence. Opener shows the 4 card heart suit and responder now bids 2NT. Opener now bids 3♠ to show a 3 card spade suit and responder now bids 4♠.
You can also play this system over a 2NT rebid…3♣ bids being the weak hands where you might have responded with a 4 count. 3♦ are staymanic and other bids are forcing to game and possible intrest in slam.
Other sequences
These are only a few sequences. Suppose you play a club relay system:
Both show diamonds and spades…but surely one is different from the other…they must be both game forcing…but I think the second sequence should show 5 diamonds and 4 spades and the first sequence should be more slam try and maybe 6/4 shape. The hands below would be great for 6♦
This video shows you how to set up bidding constraints on bridgebase. For instance this means you could for example make one hand always have 4 hearts, always have between 12-14 points, always have a minimum of 2 cards in every suit. Basically whatever you want to do….however you choose. This is a great way to practice certain hand types like 5-4 in the majors, weak 2’s, weak NT, 2NT openers and so forth….
It is used in Blackwood or RKCB after you’ve asked your partner for aces and you get an intervening bid.
So if you get a bid over 4NT you use one of the bids above or if you have more aces you make bids higher up to show two or three aces.
If you are playing RKCB you add in the King of trumps and queen of trumps into the mix as well….so:
Playing Blackwood DOPI
So when a 4NT blackwood is overcalled:
Double = 0 or 4 aces
Pass = 1 ace
+1 Bid = 2 aces
+2 Bids = 3 aces
Playing RKCB (1430) DOPI
So when a 4NT(1430) RKCB is overcalled:
Double = 1 ace or 4 aces
Pass = 1 ace
+1 Bid = 2 aces
+2 Bids = 2 aces + Queen of trumps
+3 Bids = 3 aces
Playing RKCB (0314) DOPI
So when a 4NT(0314) RKCB is overcalled:
Double = 0 aces or 3 aces
Pass = 1 ace
+1 Bid = 2 aces
+2 Bids = 2 aces + Queen of trumps
+3 Bids = 3 aces
Playing RKCB (1430) ROPI
So when a 4NT(1430) RKCB is overcalled:
Double = 1 ace or 4 aces
Pass = 0 aces
+1 Bid = 2 aces
+2 Bids = 2 aces + Queen of trumps
+3 Bids = 3 aces
Playing RKCB (0314) ROPI
So when a 4NT(0314) RKCB is overcalled:
Double = 0 ace or 3 aces
Pass = 1 ace or 4 aces
+1 Bid = 2 aces
+2 Bids = 2 aces + Queen of trumps
+3 Bids = 3 aces
This is a hand where I’ve just lost 13 IMPS because my partner forgot how to play the system…
North
South
♠ K863
♠ AQ10742
♥ AJ
♥ 964
♦ AK9864
♦ QJ5
♣ 6
♣ J
The Hands
So with this hand the bidding went:
North
East
South
West
1♦
2♣
2♠
3♣
4♣
Pass
4NT
5♣
5♦
Pass
5♠
Pass
Pass
Pass
The Bidding
So using DOPI-ROPI the 5♦ bid shows 2 aces….Now if you were playing normal blackwood that would be true…but we play RKCB so that bid now show only 2 of the 5 aces without the queen of trumps….so we missed the easy 6♠ because my partner should have bid 5♠ to show 3 aces (the king of trumps is counted as an ace in RKCB) and unfortunately the other team bid it. Oh well he won’t get it wrong the next time it occurs!
DEPO
This stands for:
Double = Even number of aces
Pass = Odd number of aces
I would suggest this just includes all the keycards AAAAKQ when playing whatever flavour of RKCB you choose to use.
So this is similar to a Jacoby 2NT bid…but different! It’s Swedish!
It’s also called other things: In Sweden it is called Stenberg 2NT, and in Denmark Bekkasin 2NT.
So partner opens 1M (so one of a major suit)….and assuming no intervening bids you now bid 2NT which is Swedish Jacoby. You can play it either game forcing or non-forcing to three of the major and shows possible interest in slam in that suit.
The responses are:-
3♣ – Any minimum hand
3♦ – A non-minimum with no singletons or voids
3♥ – singleton clubs
3♠ – singleton diamond
3NT – singleton in the other major
4♣ – void in clubs
4♦ – void in diamonds
4♥ – void in the other major
Suppose partner gives the negative 3♣ response…now 3♦ asks for singletons…
Again you bid step responses to keep the bidding as low as possible:
3♥ – No singleton/void OR a void in spades if you’ve agreed hearts.
3♠ – singleton club
3NT – singleton diamond
4♣ – singleton in the other major
4♦ – void in clubs
4♥ – void in diamonds
4♠ – void in hearts
Unfortunately there is no room to show a void in spades if you have it if you have agreed hearts, without going past 4♥.
Again there are different ways of playing this system….this is my modification of Swedish Jacoby.
Any other bids are cue-bids and 4NT would be RKCB (4130).
Lets look at some examples
a)
b)
c)
♠ KQ1086 ♥ 108 ♦ 72 ♣ AK73
♠ KQ1086 ♥ A872 ♦ K32 ♣ 2
♠ AJ8643 ♥ KJ5 ♦ K742 ♣ Void
♠ AJ54 ♥ 62 ♦ AQ854 ♣ Q2
♠ AJ543 ♥ 4 ♦ AQ ♣ A9873
♠ K1097 ♥ A2 ♦ AQJ ♣ 7654
a) 1♠ -2NT – 3♣ – 4♠. The 3♣ shows a minimum and therefore you are no longer interested in slam and just sign off in 4♠.