[S2000magic]

A comment in the thread on Fundamental Conventions prompted this:

Do you and your partner understand the meaning of sequences such as these:

1♠ - 2♠
3♦

1♥ - 2 ♥
2♠

1♠ - 2♠
2NT

These are game tries.

I've met many beginning bridge players who read books and sit in classes and fill in splinters and Bergen raises and Jacoby transfers on their convention cards and who, when I've sat down to partner them for the first time and ask them,"What sort of game tries do you use over 1♥ - 2♥ or 1♠ - 2♠?", stare at me as if I'm speaking Greek.

(Although I took a year of koine Greek in university, I've never been remotely fluent in it.)

A game try is just what its name implies: a bid that suggests that your partnership is on the brink of game, and solicits partner's cooperation in deciding whether or not to bid it.

You make a game try when you can see that you and your partner hold, say, 24 - 26 points between you; if your partner has a maximum for his bidding, you should be in game, but if he has a minimum, you should stop short.

A common situation is that partner opens 1NT (15 - 17) and you have a flat hand of 9 HCP: if partner has a maximum you should be in 3NT; if he has a minimum you shouldn't be. The natural way to convey this to partner is to respond with 2NT: he should pass with 15, bid 3NT with 17, and use his judgment with 16. This one's pretty simple, and most beginners have no problem with it (unless they use 2NT for some other purpose, such as a transfer; let's assume not).

A more complicated situation occurs when the bidding starts 1♥ - 2♥, or 1♠ - 2♠. Assuming that responder's raise shows, say, 6 - 9 points, opener should pass with about 16 or less (the total is 25 at most) and bid game (or force to game) with about 19 or more (the total is 25 at least); with 17 or 18, opener should make a game try, asking partner to bid game with 9, stop short of game with 6, and use his judgment with 7 or 8. The key to game tries is to help partner with his judgment.

The most common game tries (and, arguably, the easiest) are known as help-suit weak-suit game tries: opener bids another suit in which he can use some help from partner, with a holding like x x x, or x x x x. In borderline cases, partner looks at his holding in that suit and bids game if he has help (such as A x x, or K Q, or a singleton). Here are a few examples:

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 2
♥ J 4 2
♦ 9
♣ A Q J 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8 7 3
♦ A 7 5 3
♣ 10 4 2

1♠ - 2♠
3♥ - 3♠

With a minimum, responder stops short of game.

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 2
♥ J 4 2
♦ 9
♣ A Q J 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8 7 3
♦ A 7 5 3
♣ K 10 4

1♠ - 2♠
3♥ - 4♠

With a maximum, responder bids game.

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 2
♥ J 4 2
♦ 9
♣ A Q J 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8
♦ 10 7 6 5 3
♣ K 10 4 3

1♠ - 2♠
3♥ - 4♠

With a middling raise, responder looks at his heart holding; here his singleton fits well opposite opener's weakness, so he bids game.

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 2
♥ J 4 2
♦ 9
♣ A Q J 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8 6 2
♦ K 10 7
♣ K 10 4 3

1♠ - 2♠
3♥ - 3♠

With a middling raise, responder looks at his heart holding; here his three small hearts fit poorly opposite opener's weakness, so he stops short of game.

If opener doesn't have a particularly weak suit, he can use 2NT or 3 of his major as a game try; these encourage partner to look at his overall strength and not concentrate on a particular suit. For example:

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 2
♥ K 4 2
♦ Q J 9
♣ A 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8 6 2
♦ K 10 7
♣ K 10 4 3

1♠ - 2♠
2NT - 3NT

(Note that some players would open with 1NT, while others never open 1NT with a 5-card major.)

Opener
♠ A K 8 7 3 2
♥ K Q 2
♦ Q J 9
♣ 8

Responder
♠ Q 6 5
♥ 8 6 2
♦ K 10 7
♣ K 10 4 3

1♠ - 2♠
3♠ - 4♠

Here responder has a middling raise, but 75% of his high-card points are kings, so he calls it a maximum and bids game. If he'd had ♣ Q J 6 4, he would have passed 3♠.

(Note that some players use the bid of 3♠ here as a sort of preempt, not a game try; this is commonly called 1-2-3-Stop. Make sure you know how your partner uses it.)

There are more complicated game tries than these, but these should get you started, and should improve your bidding: now both partners get to use their judgment.

[Antrax]

I disagree with your second example. With three known losers in hearts, responder should decline, IMO.

[Cyberyeti]

Most of this is system independent, 1♠-2♠-2N in Acol is different and says "I have a 17-18 strong no trump with only 4 spades", the 5332 will probably try in a 3 card suit.

[S2000magic]

Antrax, on 2012-May-31, 00:58, said:

I disagree with your second example. With three known losers in hearts, responder should decline, IMO.

Fair enough. That's why there are horse races.

Feel free to fix my examples as you see fit, or to provide additional examples of your own. I do not remotely consider myself the final authority on bridge.

[S2000magic]

Cyberyeti, on 2012-May-31, 01:52, said:

Most of this is system independent, 1♠-2♠-2N in Acol is different and says "I have a 17-18 strong no trump with only 4 spades", the 5332 will probably try in a 3 card suit.

I should have mentioned that this is in the context of, say, SAYC. Nevertheless, 2NT in that sequence in Acol is a game try, just with a slightly different hand-type.

[Phil]

Nice post. I think discussions like this should be pinned.

[BumJr]

From your post: "The most common game tries (and, arguably, the easiest) are known as help-suit game tries: opener bids another suit in which he can use some help from partner, with a holding like x x x, or x x x x. In borderline cases, partner looks at his holding in that suit and bids game if he has help (such as A x x, or K Q, or a singleton)."

What you are describing is actually "weak suit" game tries, rather than "help suit" game tries. If you want partner to have useful values in the game try suit, then you would make a try with a holding of K J x or Q x x or something similar. Then, if partner has high cards in that suit, they are useful.

When making a "weak suit" game try on x x x or x x x x, you actually want partner to have nothing in the suit. Partner's best holding by far is a weak doubleton or singleton which, if you actually have the values for your bids, essentially guarantees that you have the values for game because none of your values would be wasted, they are all working together. For example, A x x opposite 3 small is not a great ace. It is taking one trick but not promoting anything in partners hand. K Q (doubleton) opposite three or four small is a terrible holding. Five points for one trick.

[S2000magic]

BumJr, on 2012-May-31, 12:23, said:

From your post: "The most common game tries (and, arguably, the easiest) are known as help-suit game tries: opener bids another suit in which he can use some help from partner, with a holding like x x x, or x x x x. In borderline cases, partner looks at his holding in that suit and bids game if he has help (such as A x x, or K Q, or a singleton)."

What you are describing is actually "weak suit" game tries, rather than "help suit" game tries. If you want partner to have useful values in the game try suit, then you would make a try with a holding of K J x or Q x x or something similar. Then, if partner has high cards in that suit, they are useful.

The literature (e.g., The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, published by the ACBL) tends to use the terms "help suit game try" and "weak suit game try" interchangeably, but you're correct: "weak suit" is a better description. I'll make the edit.

BumJr, on 2012-May-31, 12:23, said:

K Q (doubleton) opposite three or four small is a terrible holding. Five points for one trick.

I view it as five points for two (or three) tricks: one in high cards and one or two for ruffing losers (possibly depending on the quality of dummy's trumps).

As I said above, feel free to add your own examples: they'll help the beginners immensely.

[mycroft]

I agree with Antrax, because 3♠ is available as a "min-max" game try. 3♥, to me, says "if you can minimize my losers in hearts, go, even if your hand is a minimum".

As a side note, it's always useful to listen to the opponents' bidding when you're on defence, and this is one of the classic example cases. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 4♠, you're going blind. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 3♦-4♠, you have a better idea what to lead, and you know that they're on minimal game values. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 3♦-3♠; (pass), lead a diamond unless your hand tells you otherwise; they've already told you they have losers in diamonds!

Now, back to the bidding side. Now that you know that your opponents are listening, look at your hand and determine if you need to make that game try, or if you should just bid game and try to make it (jokingly known as a "Hamman game try", or "<other expert> game try"). I'm not trying to convince you that game tries are bad - I strongly agree with everything S2000magic said about that - but don't use them just because they're there. Like any other convention or treatment, use them appropriately, and they will serve you well; use them inappropriately, and they will backfire.

[S2000magic]

mycroft, on 2012-May-31, 15:56, said:

I agree with Antrax, because 3♠ is available as a "min-max" game try. 3♥, to me, says "if you can minimize my losers in hearts, go, even if your hand is a minimum".

As a side note, it's always useful to listen to the opponents' bidding when you're on defence, and this is one of the classic example cases. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 4♠, you're going blind. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 3♦-4♠, you have a better idea what to lead, and you know that they're on minimal game values. If the auction goes 1♠-2♠; 3♦-3♠; (pass), lead a diamond unless your hand tells you otherwise; they've already told you they have losers in diamonds!

Now, back to the bidding side. Now that you know that your opponents are listening, look at your hand and determine if you need to make that game try, or if you should just bid game and try to make it (jokingly known as a "Hamman game try", or "<other expert> game try"). I'm not trying to convince you that game tries are bad - I strongly agree with everything S2000magic said about that - but don't use them just because they're there. Like any other convention or treatment, use them appropriately, and they will serve you well; use them inappropriately, and they will backfire.

You bring up some good points, and one, at least, that can be exploited, perhaps.

You say that if the auction goes:

1♠ - 2♠
3♦ - 4♠

the defenders know that the partnership is on minimum game values, and that diamonds is their weak suit.

However, given that 3♦ in this auction is forcing (responder cannot let opener play in diamonds when a spade fit has been uncovered), opener could bid this way, intending to get to 4♠ anyway, and to mess with the opponents along the way. This isn't good tactics for a beginner - and I'm not advocating it for beginners - but experienced players can exploit it.

Just a thought.

[Cthulhu D]

IMHO This post by Fred and it's follow-up 2 posts down: http://www.bridgebas...447#entry193447

remains the best post on game tries in the forums, and it's sufficiently simple, natural and easy to be used by beginners.

[S2000magic]

Cthulhu D, on 2012-May-31, 19:18, said:

IMHO This post by Fred and it's follow-up 2 posts down: http://www.bridgebas...447#entry193447

remains the best post on game tries in the forums, and it's sufficiently simple, natural and easy to be used by beginners.

Good link.

[Zelandakh]

S2000magic, on 2012-May-31, 13:36, said:

The literature (e.g., The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, published by the ACBL) tends to use the terms "help suit game try" and "weak suit game try" interchangeably, but you're correct: "weak suit" is a better description. I'll make the edit.

I do not think you should. What you described is a help suit game try and known as such pretty much everywhere. By contrast I have never heard the term weak suit game try. Generally there are 3 common game try types: help suit game tries (you have losers in the suit and would like them covered); short suit game tries (you have shortage in the suit so any (non-ace) values there are wasted; and long suit game tries. The latter of these are where you bid a suit like KJxx. Many people get long suit and help suit game tries mixed up but weak suit game tries should not be an issue.

One thing I think you should consider adding to your write-up though is return game tries. That is, partner makes a game try but you are still not certain so you make a game try in return. These are subtly different from the basic game tries in that you often have to make the game try with a considerably less than perfect suit holding. As such, in auctions like 1♠ - 2♠; 3♦ - 3♥ the last bid is more of a general game try whereas 1♠ - 2♠; 3♣ - 3♦ should expect to highlight a potential problem in diamonds (since 3♥ was also available). In other words, the more game tries there are available the more specific the holding in the suit can afford to be.

Finally, there are complications such two-way/Nagy game tries. I agree with your judgement to leave this out of a N/B article. I especially applaud your last sentence which encourages better players with curiosity to do a little research without adding unnecessary confusion.

[blackshoe]

Zelandakh, on 2012-June-01, 01:19, said:

I do not think you should. What you described is a help suit game try and known as such pretty much everywhere. By contrast I have never heard the term weak suit game try. Generally there are 3 common game try types: help suit game tries (you have losers in the suit and would like them covered); short suit game tries (you have shortage in the suit so any (non-ace) values there are wasted; and long suit game tries. The latter of these are where you bid a suit like KJxx. Many people get long suit and help suit game tries mixed up but weak suit game tries should not be an issue.

One thing I think you should consider adding to your write-up though is return game tries.

I learned game tries from Ron Klinger's The Modern Losing Trick Count, which is, I suppose, an intermediate level book. He speaks of short suit game tries and long suit game tries, and both are precisely defined in terms of LTC, as are responder's (and opener's — he does speak of return game tries, although iirc he calls them something else, and they are also precisely defined) rebids. He also describes how you can use both (two-way game tries). Since I've always thought in terms of Klinger's "long suit" game tries, that's what I call 'em, and "help suit" and "weak suit" tries, and the distinction between them, regularly confuse me. I've had occasion to describe a "long suit" game try at the table, and had some people tell me "no, that's a weak suit game try", while others insist "no, that's a help suit game try". So in order to avoid silly arguments I stopped naming the damn things.

[S2000magic]

I propose that we call them WHLTYP (pronounced "wall-type": Weak-Help-Long-Take-Your-Pick) game tries.

[mycroft]

My reply is going WAY BEYOND novice level, so please ignore if you're just trying to learn about help suit game tries.

S2000magic, on 2012-May-31, 18:19, said:

You bring up some good points, and one, at least, that can be exploited, perhaps.

At your peril...

Quote

in this auction is forcing (responder cannot let opener play in diamonds when a spade fit has been uncovered), opener could bid this way, intending to get to 4♠ anyway, and to mess with the opponents along the way. This isn't good tactics for a beginner - and I'm not advocating it for beginners - but experienced players can exploit it.

Yes, you can, but I strongly suggest you don't. Here's the problem:

"I was always going to bid 4♠, I was just messing with the opponents." You have a good 17ish, bad 18-ish hand - and partner tanks over your game try before rejecting it. This is going to get you a TD call at best, and a rollback to 3M+1 at worst, and properly so.

As a result of this issue, going to game after partner rejects a game try should show a help-suit *slam* try, so that after the TD call, you can prove to anybody and everybody that you in fact *were* always going to game. Obviously it comes up less often with 1♠-2♠; but with 1♣-1♠; 2♠, responder can very easily have a HSST.

[S2000magic]

mycroft, on 2012-June-01, 11:07, said:

My reply is going WAY BEYOND novice level, so please ignore if you're just trying to learn about help suit game tries.

S2000magic, on 2012-May-31, 18:19, said:

You bring up some good points, and one, at least, that can be exploited, perhaps.

At your peril...

S2000magic, on 2012-May-31, 18:19, said:

in this auction is forcing (responder cannot let opener play in diamonds when a spade fit has been uncovered), opener could bid this way, intending to get to 4♠ anyway, and to mess with the opponents along the way. This isn't good tactics for a beginner - and I'm not advocating it for beginners - but experienced players can exploit it.

Yes, you can, but I strongly suggest you don't. Here's the problem:

"I was always going to bid 4♠, I was just messing with the opponents." You have a good 17ish, bad 18-ish hand - and partner tanks over your game try before rejecting it. This is going to get you a TD call at best, and a rollback to 3M+1 at worst, and properly so.

As a result of this issue, going to game after partner rejects a game try should show a help-suit *slam* try, so that after the TD call, you can prove to anybody and everybody that you in fact *were* always going to game. Obviously it comes up less often with 1♠-2♠; but with 1♣-1♠; 2♠, responder can very easily have a HSST.

I think you misunderstood my idea. I wasn't suggesting that you do this with a good 17ish, bad 18ish hand. I was suggesting that you could do it with a hand that is clearly worth game opposite even a minimum raise. In other words, I was suggesting that you could use help suit slam tries. If I'd been aware of the term, I'd have used it.

I agree with your analysis for the 17+, 18- hands.