By Peter Rhead
Bergen Raises
We have spent little time on Bergen Raises. But they are worth mentioning again if for no other reason than to know what the opponents are doing when they use Bergen Raises.
Bergen Raises are one of your possible responses to partner’s opening of a major suit. They show both your strength and support for partner’s bid major suit. To partner’s opening of One Heart or One Spade, you respond either Three Clubs or Three Diamonds. These two bids show at least four-card support for opener’s major suit and the strength of your hand. The bid also interferes with the opponent’s defensive bidding.
In the Bergen Raises, Three Clubs indicates a strength of 6-9 points. Three Diamonds indicates a strength of 10-12 points. Many players including myself prefer to play Reverse Bergen which reverses the strength of Three Clubs and Three Diamonds. The idea of the reverse is that with Three Clubs, the stronger bid (10-12 points), the partnership has more bidding space to get to a possible game or slam contract.
Guideline One: The Bergen Raise indicate at least four-card support of opening partner’s major suit bid of One Heart or One Spade.
Guideline Two: There are only two Bergen Raises responding bids. Both indicate hand strength and require an alert. They are Three Clubs (6-9 points) and Three Diamonds (10-12 points). These may be reversed by agreement with your partner.
Guideline Three: The jump provided by the Bergen Raises helps to prevent the opponents from making a defensive bid. However, if opener’s left-hand opponent does bid, most partners play that the Bergen Raises are cancelled and resort to natural bidding.
For more complete information, check out “Bergen Raises” in Barbara Seagram’s 25 More Bridge Conventions You Should Know, page 21.
Next Week: Examples of when you and partner could use the Bergen Raises.
Remember, as we all fight COVID-19 with social isolation, if you want your Bridge fix, online competition is available for all skill levels. From the ACBL Bridge website, you can hook up either to play live people or to play robots. Either way you test or consolidate various Bridge skills. At ACBL.org just click on “Play Bridge” and follow the prompts for various choices.
If you wish to promote an activity in your Bridge group or ask a Bridge question, send the information to vrhead23@gmail.com and I will try to include it in this column.
Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.
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