Bidding Conventions >

Help Suit Game Try


A help suit game try (aka weak suit game try) may occur after an auction begins 1 : 2 or 1 : 2.

When opener holds game-invitational values (15-17 points), she can bid a new suit at the cheapest level to say, "Partner, I'm interested in game, but I have weakness in this suit. Please bid game if you have a good holding in this suit." Partnership styles vary, but examples of suits meriting a help suit game try are:

  • xxx(xx)
  • Jxx(xx)
  • Qxx(xx)
  • QJx(xx)
  • Kxx(xx)
  • KJx(xx)
  • Axx(xx)

Note that a help suit game try can be made with only a three-card suit, but it does not need to be alerted under ACBL tournament rules.

After hearing a help suit game try, responder should bid game with 0 - 1.5 losers in the suit. (In other words, a first or second round control.) With 2 - 2.5 losers, responder must exercise judgement. And with 3 losers (e.g. a worthless tripleton), responder should sign off in 3/.

Examples of responder's possible holdings in the help suit:

Holding # Losers Responder's action
void
AK
x
Ax
KJxx
0 losers
0 losers
1 loser
1 loser
1.5 losers
 Bid game
xx
Kxx
QTxx
2 losers
2 losers
2.5 losers
Bid game with a maximum
xxx
Txxx
Jxxxx
 3 losers
3 losers
3 losers
 Sign off in 3/

A drawback to help suit game tries is that they help inform the defense's opening lead, especially when responder stops below game.


Examples

OpenerResponder
6SAJ8
HAKT53987
DKQJA763
CQ743962

Opener
1
3 (1)
Pass
Responder
2
3H (2)

  1. A HSGT in clubs
  2. Signing off with a poor club holding, despite 9 HCP


OpenerResponder
JT9SA63
HKQ8632J94
DAJ6543
CA2K54

Opener
1
2 (1)
Pass
Responder
2
4H (2)

  1. A HSGT in spades
  2. Bidding game with a help suit control (the ace)


OpenerResponder
AJT62S9754
HAT5KQ2
D9756
CAKJ8543

Opener
1
3 (1)
Pass
Responder
2
4S (2)

  1. A HSGT in diamonds
  2. Voids and singletons count as first and second round controls, respectively


Other Considerations

After 1 : 2, a 3 may or may not be a help suit game try. This requires partnership discussion:

OpenerResponder
AJT62SKQ8
HAQ65KT73
D7J65
CA96532

Opener
1
3 (1)
Pass
Responder
2
4H (2)

  1. Natural and forcing with 15+ points
  2. Bidding the heart game with 4-card support

This sequence is natural because a 4-4 fit is often preferable to a 5-3 fit. These two hands play better with hearts as trumps, because the spades can be used to pitch club losers from dummy. Declarer can draw trumps in three rounds, run the spades, and then ruff a club in dummy for an overtrick. With spades as trumps, 10 tricks are the limit.

Note that this problem does not occur when the auction begins 1 : 2 and opener rebids 2. This is because responder should not be holding 4 spades and 3 hearts. With that distribution, he should initially reply 1, not 2. So there is no need for opener to probe for a secondary 4-4 spade fit.

Lastly, the adoption of help suit game tries means that opener's 3/ rebids ask for help in the trump suit:

OpenerResponder
AK6SJ82
HJ8532T74
D3KQJ2
CAKJ3Q65

Opener
1
3 (1)
Responder
2
Pass (2)

  1. My hearts are lousy
  2. So are mine!

As an alternative to help suit game tries, see short suit game tries.