Canary Club

Relay Principles

Initiating relays

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)

Relay auctions after 1\d/1\h/1\s

The 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, the opener has a choice of rebidding his 6-card suit or bidding the fragment. With a 55 or 65 hand, the opener rebids his first bid suit. Responder bids No Trump or one of the opener's suits at his third call to establish the suit or suggest No Trump.

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

Examples

1	1N
2	2N	Game Force
3	?	shows 6 & 4
	3N	to play
	4	control, agreeing
	4	agreeing
	4	control, no control, agreeing
	4	natural sign off

1	1N
2	2	artificial Game Force
3	?	shows 4 & 6
	3	Agrees
	3N	to play
	4	control agreeing
	4	control, no control, agreeing
	4	sign off in
	4	sign off in

1	1N
2	2	artificial Game Force
3	?	shows 5 & 6 (with 55 open 1, bid , rebid )
	3N	to play
	4	agrees
	4	agrees
	4	sign off in
	4	sign off in

1	1N
2	2N	artificial Game Force
3N	?	shows 5422
	4	agrees
	4	agrees
	4	sign off in
	4	sign off in

1	1N
2	2N	artificial Game Force
3	?	shows 5⁺ & 5⁺
	3	control agreeing
	3	agrees
	3N	to play
	4	control, no control, agrees

If the opener has shown a one-suited hand, he bids his splinter over the second relay if he has one; bids his suit for the third time with 6⁺ cards and no singleton or bids the cheapest No Trump with a 5-card suit. The exception is:

1	1N	(=relay)
2	2	game force
		2, 3, 3 shows a singleton or void
		2N shows 4 and 5⁺ (2N not needed to show minimum 5332 because 1N would be opening bid)

— John Kinn 2018/02/26 18:49

What calls constitute a relay

First relay - a 1N response to a 1/1/1 opening
Second relay - the cheapest call even if the opener's first bid suit.

1/1/1 - relay - 3 same suit

The opener needs a semi-solid suit (one loser opposite a singleton) to make this jump rebid. The hand should have 5 or 6 (Roman) losers

Responder's rebids are:

New suit by responder is a control and agreement. This situation shows why the relay hand should not have a singleton and a suit of its own; It's virtually impossible for the responder to catch up.
3N is to play
Game is not encouraging

1/1/1 - relay - 2N

This call shows a maximum hand with a broken 6-card suit or a good 5-card suit. The hand can contain a singleton.