Canary Club

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Relays are begun in the following ways:

• By bidding 1N in response to 1/1/1 and making the cheapest call over opener's rebid
• By making the cheapest response to 2/2 (See Development after 2 and 2
• By responding 2 or 2N to 2 (see Development after 2)
• By responding 2 or 2N to 2 (see Development after 2)
• By responding 3 or 3 to 3 (see Development after 3)

<html><a name=relayplainsuit></a></html> Relay auctions after 1/1/1

Opener's first rebid is discussed in the section titled Development after Forcing NT. After the second relay a game force is established. The only exception is that the auction can stop in an agreed minor at the four level if it was agreed at the three level. Opener bids naturally in the canapé sense. With a 5431 hand, he bids his 3 card suit; with 5422 he bids NT. With a 46 hand, he rebids his 6 card suit. With a 4630 hand, opener has a choice of rebidding his 6 card suit or bidding the fragment. With a 55 or 65 hand, opener rebids his first bid suit. Responder bids No Trump or one of opener's suits at his third call to establish the suit or suggest No Trump.

One problem that can occur is that opener's third bid can be 3, 3 or 3N not allowing responder the opportunity to set trumps below the 4 level in a major. In order for responder to show which suit is trumps (and make a slam try), he will have to implicitly agree a major by bidding 4 or 4. If one of opener's natural suits can be bid below game and the other cannot, then a bid of that suit is natural and other bids show a control and agree the second suit. If both of opener's suits can be bid below game, then the cheaper “raise” shows support in that suit and all other bids show support for the more expensive suit.