Bergen.

[jchiu]

Bergen raises is one of few popular conventions that I will not agree to play. The primary reason is that it destroys game try sequences by using most of the room between 2M and 3M. The length of trump support does nothing to indicate the degree of fit in the remaining three suits. While the ninth trump in our hands helps the thin game come through, its effect pales in comparision to a working double fit, or a working shortness in the responder hand. To this end, I play direct single jump shifts as either fit-showing jumps or minisplinters.

 

1♥-3♣ = 4+♥, robust 5+♣, INV or better values (fit)

1♥-3♣ = 4+♥, 0-1♣, INV values precisely (minisplinter)

 

Note that in either of these cases, the most balanced length is the most common alternative, and opener should assume such a shape for his rebid.

 

The game tries that I play were originally developed by Kokish. They are dubbed help suit game asks and short suit game tries, and are intended to reveal the absence while hiding the prescence of cards in opener's hand. For example,

 

1♥-2♥-2♠ = asks the cheapest suit in which responder accepts a game try

2NT = accepts a spade game try

3♣ = rejects a spade game try, accepts a club game try

3♦ = rejects game tries in the blacks, accepts a diamond try

3♥ = rejects all tries (see note below)

1♥-2♥-2NT = short suit game try in spades

1♥-2♥-3m = short suit game try in the minor m

1♥-2♥-3♥ = trump game try, analogous to traditional 1♥-2♥-2NT

 

Note that the sequence 1♥-2♥-2♠-3♥ may show a trump accept if you choose to play 2♥ as constructive, namely as a hand where there is at least one game try that you would accept. Hands that would not accept game tries are routed through the forcing notrump sequence 1♥-1NT-2m-2♥. Also observe that after responder answers the help suit game ask, opener may bid any in-between steps to make a game retrial. It may be artificial (not too dissimilar from competitive sequences where their suit is two ranks below ours), or may ask responder to consider the suit bid more closely than the unbid suit.