Double Club System

Examples of the Kokish Relay

When is the Kokish Relay Used?

When opener has a balanced hand with 20-22 hcp (or, rarely, 27-30 hcp), he opens with 1. If responder bids 1, opener next bids an artificial 1, and will bid 1NT or 2NT on the next round.

Opener will also start with 1, planning to rebid hearts, when he has a club-heart two-suiter with clubs longer than hearts. If responder bids 1, opener next bids 1. For the time being, this is artificial. But when opener's next bid is a natural suit bid, and not NT, his 1 bid is revealed to be natural.

Strategy for Responder

Responder will normally bid 1, an artificial relay, after which opener will describe his hand.

But if responder has club or heart support and the values for a single raise, he must break the relay now and bid either 2 or 2.

Some examples will make it clear why this is, and what is achieved by doing so.

Responder also breaks the relay, this time by bidding 2, when he has a strong hand (13+ hcp) with diamonds as the prime suit.

Examples

Example 1

	K 4 3
	A K J 5
	A J 7
	K Q 3

West
1

1
1NT 3

East
1

2
end

	J 8 5 3
	Q 4
	9 8 3 2
	8 5 2

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends to rebid 1NT next, showing 20-22 hcp balanced.
2:	Responder completes the relay as requested.
3:	Opener makes his planned rebid.

The Kokish Relay gives us the advantage of playing in 1NT, whereas our opponents will be playing in 2NT. Since 6 or 7 tricks is a more likely outcome than 8, we will very likely score better then our opponents and can certainly never do worse.

Example 2

	K 4 3
	A K J 5
	A J 7
	K Q 3

West
1

1
1NT 3
2

East
1

2
2

4
end

	J 10 8 5 3
	8 4
	9 8 2
	8 5 2

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends to rebid 1NT next, showing 20-22 hcp balanced.
2:	Responder completes the relay as requested.
3:	Opener makes his planned rebid.
4:	Responder makes a transfer to spades (our NT systems are on, since there has been no natural bid).

You will notice that, because responder has already bid spades artificially, the final spade contract is wrong-sided in spite of the transfer sequence. That is unfortunate but unavoidable.

The great advantage, as in the previous example, is that we are playing one level lower than our opponents will be. Since 7 or 8 tricks is the likely outcome, we are likely to score better then our opponents. Only if the wrong-siding element costs us a trick (unlikely against good defenders, more possible against poor defenders) can we do worse than our opponents, and only then if their contract is making.

Example 3

	A K J
	A K
	A Q J 7
	A Q 9 3

West
1

1
2NT 3
3NT 5
end

East
1

2
3

4
6NT

	Q 10 5 3
	J 10 5 2
	8 2
	K 5 2

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends to rebid 2NT next, showing 27-30 hcp balanced.
2:	Responder completes the relay as requested.
3:	Opener makes his planned rebid.
4:	Asking about major suits.
5:	No 5-card or 4-card major suit.

Because such strong hands are extremely rare, most partnerships have no agreement (or can't remember their agreement) about how to show such hands and how to investigate suit fits after doing so.

There is no such problem in the Double Club System. Even a hand as strong as this one can be shown with a 2NT rebid. Our 2NT response system applies, and both partners will know exactly what every bid means.

Example 4

	5
	A Q 9 7
	A J 3
	A K J 8 4

West
1

1
2

East
1

2
end 4

	K J 3
	8 7 5
	K 9 7 5 4
	Q 6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends it to be natural, but responder doesn't know that yet.
2:	Responder completes the relay as requested.
3:	Opener makes a natural suit rebid, indicating that both of his first two bids are natural.
4:	Responder doesn't have any kind of fit, so settles for a safe plus score.

Responder has an undisclosed 9 hcp (he would have bid the same way with nothing at all) but, with no fit, the percentage option is to pass and play in 2♣.

Note that opener promises at least 5 clubs in this sequence. If he had a 4=4=1=4 shape (which is also opened with 1♣), his rebid would be 1♠, not 1♥.

Example 5

	5
	A Q 9 7
	A J 3
	A K J 8 4

West
1

1
2

3
end

East
1

2
2

	K 10 8 3
	8 6 5 3
	9 7 5 4
	6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends it to be natural, but responder doesn't know that yet.
2:	Responder completes the relay as requested.
3:	Opener makes a natural suit rebid, indicating that both of his first two bids are natural.
4:	Responder gives preference to hearts.

Responder has an undisclosed genuine fit for hearts (he might give preference in the same way with only a 3 card fit) but, with minimal values, he has no wish to encourage opener to go on.

Example 6

	5
	A Q 9 7
	A J 3
	A K J 8 4

West
1

1
4

East
1

2
end

	K 10 8 3
	K J 8 5
	9 7 5 4
	6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends it to be natural, but responder doesn't know that yet.
2:	Responder breaks the relay to show a genuine single raise of hearts.
3:	Opener bids game in the knowledge of the genuine heart raise opposite.

Whenever responder has a genuine fit for hearts or clubs he should break the relay by supporting opener's suit at the two level. This permits opener to distinguish between a genuine raise and mere preference,

Compare this with the previous example, where opener passed responder's preference bid which occurred after he had completed the relay.

Example 7

	A J 5 4
	A Q 7
	A Q 3
	K J 8

West
1

1
2NT 3
4

East
1

2
3

4
end

	K 10 8 3
	K J 8 5
	9 7 5 4
	6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends to rebid 1NT next, showing 20-22 hcp balanced.
2:	Responder breaks the relay to show a genuine single raise of hearts.
3:	Opener cannot now rebid 1NT, so he rebids 2NT instead.
4:	Responder shows his 4-card spade suit, in case there is a fit there.

Opener is not seriously inconvenienced by responder's breaking of the relay. He simply rebids 2NT instead, and this bid is forcing to game since responder is known to have genuine responding values.

Since responder's break of the relay showed a genuine suit, so is not artificial, all further bidding is natural. It is a rule of the Double Club System that once a natural bid has been made, our no trump response system no longer applies.

Example 8

	5
	A Q 9 7
	A J 3
	A J 9 8 4

West
1

1
2

3
4

East
1

2
3

4
end

	K 10 8 3
	K J 8 5
	K 7 5 4
	6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends it to be natural, but responder doesn't know that yet.
2:	Responder completes the relay. He is too good to break the relay and show a single raise of hearts.
3:	Opener makes a natural suit rebid, indicating that both of his first two bids are natural.
4:	Now responder can jump raise hearts, showing a genuine game-invitational raise.

If responder has the values for a raise of hearts or clubs to the three level he should nevertheless temporise by completing the relay. This permits opener, when he is strong and balanced, to show his hand type with a 1NT rebid.

It is all right for opener to be forced to rebid 2NT after a break of the relay, but it is not sensible for him to rebid 3NT after a break of the relay to the three level. There would be no space remaining for responder to investigate the best denomination.

As we have seen in this example, responder has no problem showing game invitational values naturally on the third round. Therefore he can afford to complete the relay.

Example 9

	5
	A Q 9 7
	A J 3
	A J 9 8 4

West
1

1
3

3
6

East
1

2
3

4
end

	A 8 3 2
	K 8
	K Q 7 5 4
	Q 6

Notes - 1:	The Kokish Relay. Opener intends it to be natural, but responder doesn't know that yet.
2:	Responder breaks the relay. When he has a strong diamond hand he must rebid diamonds on the second round.
3:	Opener makes a natural suit rebid, indicating that both of his first two bids are natural. He is promising only 3 card support for diamonds.
4:	Cue bid. Cannot be asking for a stopper: opener has shown either 1=4=3=5, 0=4=4=5 or 0=4=3=6 shape.

Responder must break the Kokish Relay if the reason for his 1♦ response is that he has a strong hand with diamonds as the longest suit. All further bidding is natural.

It is possible (though unlikely) that opener may rebid 2NT over responder's break to 2♦. This shows 20-22 hcp, as usual, so slam must be investigated.

Author: Chris Burton
Gravesend Bridge Club