From: varvel@cs.utexas.edu (Donald A. Varvel)
Subject: Bergen's version of Jacoby 2NT
Date: 20 Jul 1993 04:47:04 -0500
Organization: CS Dept, University of Texas at Austin


Somebody asked for it, so here it is: Marty Bergen's version of
Jacoby 2NT.  Some caveats:

1. If you're going to use this, you should get a copy of _Better
   Bidding with Bergen_, vol. 2, and go through all of his
   examples.
2. As with most of Bergen's stuff, there are several published
   versions.  "The nice thing about standards is that there are
   so many of them to choose from."  -- Tannenbaum
3. Chip Martel says his version is better.  I will post it, with
   some of Chip's comments, later.

On the other hand, once when I had nothing better to do I took
Bergen's forcing raises and Rosenkranz's and used each on the
other's example hands.  I was very much surprised to find that
Bergen's methods worked with nearly all of Rosenkranz's examples
but that Rosenkranz's methods worked with hardly any of Bergen's
examples, to the best of my ability to bid them.

First, problems with the usual method:
A. When opener shows an unbalanced hand, he says nothing about
   his high-card strength.
B. There is no way for opener to show an extra (sixth) trump,
   which may be crucial for slam purposes.
C. Responder can never say anything about his distribution, when
   often it is *his* ruffing values which determine slam chances.
D. Space-consuming jumps to the four level are too frequent.  Not
   only does the jump showing a second suit severely crowd the
   bidding, but slam exploration is very difficult after opener's
   jump to four of his major.

Auctions will be explained in terms of 1S-2NT.  1H-2NT is similar.

Opener's rebids:
3C  =  Non-minimums with singletons OR big balanced or semi-
       balanced hands.
3D  =  Non-minimum two-suiters OR *any* good hand that is anxious
       to learn more about responder's distribution.
3H  =  All hands with voids.
3S  =  All minimums with singletons.
3NT =  Good hands with a 6-card suit.
4m  =  Decent minimums, identifying cheaper ace or king.
4H  =  Decent minimums with no control in a minor suit.
4S  =  Signoff.

"Decent" tends to center around 13 HCP.  5-4 qualifies as a 2-suiter
when there are 13 HCP.  Big balanced is 17+, big semibalanced is
15+.

Over 3C or 3H opener will usually relay; over 3S, sometimes.  The
relay suit is the next higher.  Opener shows his shortness in steps,
in the order C, D, OM.  Over 3C-3D, with the big balanced or semi-
balanced hand opener bids the cheaper minor-suit control.  Non-relay
bids are asking bids, again in steps.  That is, over 3C, 3H is an
asking bid in clubs.  Responses are in steps, showing control of the
suit asked: 1st step shows no control, 2nd shows Q or XX, 3rd shows
K or X, 4th shows ace.

Over 3D responder shows shortness: 3H = doubleton club, 3S = doubleton
diamond, 3NT = doubleton heart, 4C = non-minimum 4x3, 4D and 4H show
singleton club and diamond respectively and a hand too strong to
splinter, and 4S shows a minimum 4x3.  (Bergen's splinters are limited
to 12 HCP at most.)

After all of this, cuebids and kickback follow.

-- Don Varvel (varvel@cs.utexas.edu)