July 2003

FIVE-CARD MAJORS

The practice of opening a major suit only when you have at least five of them is perhaps the most important improvement in Standard American in 50 years. Almost everyone in North American has adopted five-card majors.

But little has been said or written about how to gain the most benefit from this practice. Over the next six months or so, I will define the best practices following a major suit opening.

FIVE-CARD MAJORS

THE SINGLE RAISE

Any time you, as responder, have at least three-card support for partner's major suit, that suit is going to become the trump suit.

The single raise is made normally with 6 to 9 points and three-card (or more) support. With 6 to 9 points, your hand is worth only one free bid and the only choice you should ever consider is to raise 1 heart to 2 hearts, or 1 spade to 2 spades.

So you have a nice suit of your own. DO NOT BID IT. You already know what the trump suit is going to be, so tell your partner the good news by raising his suit immediately.

For example, partner opens 1 heart and you hold:

S)  8 7
H)  9 5 4
D)  A Q J 4 3
C)  8 6 4

You have three hearts to complement partner's five. This is referred to as a "golden fit". As soon as you hear 1 heart you know hearts are to be trump, not diamonds or any other suit.

So do not respond with a diamond bid. You have seven high-card points and one distribution point. Raise 1 heart to 2 hearts - always.

WHY THE CLEANING LADY IS LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB

continued

When asked why she left her last employment she replied, "Well they paid good wages, but they played this game called bridge. As I was preparing refreshments, I heard one lady say, 'You jumped me twice when you didn't have the strength for one raise.' Two other ladies were talking and one said, 'Now its time for me to play with your husband, and you can play with mine.' Well I got my coat on and as I was leaving I heard one of them say, 'Well I guess we'll go home now, that was the last rubber.'"

BridgeSnaps newsletter is produced by John S. Thomas, author of Standard American 21.