Tuesday, September 03, 2002 9:30 PM

Subject: Wolff Relay

 

PITBULLS:

I got the following from a Dutch Web site :

The Wolff Relay

The Wolff Relay, a convention based on an idea by Bobby Wolff, is useful to any partnership not using preemptive jump responses to opening bids of one of a suit. Responder wants to distinguish between forcing and nonforcing bids in his suit(s) when opener rebids 2NT after a one-level response, thereby denying four-card support - certainly for responder's major.

In the following, X and Y denote arbitrary suits, m is a minor, and M is a major.

 

 

 

1X 
2NT

1Y 
3Y

When responder rebids his major directly, it is forcing, and shows a five or six-card suit. If opener denies three-card support by rebidding 3NT, then responder may pass or, with slam interest, bid 4NT (quantitative, as no trump suit has been agreed) or 5(Gerber). Holding at least a semi-solid six-card suit and slam interest, he bids 4Y or makes a cue-bid. But if opener bids anything but 3NT or 4Y after 3Y, then that is a cue-bid, agreeing Y as trumps, and showing slam interest and responder's 4NT would be Blackwood.

 

1X 
2NT

1Y 
4Y

An immediate jump to game (4M or possibly 5m) is a close-out with at least a six-bagger, and denies slam interest.

 

 

-

1m 
2NT 
3/3Y

1Y 
3 
Pass/3Y

To sign off in his suit, responder first bids 3 artificially. Opener shows three-card support for responder's suit by bidding 3Y, but otherwise rebids 3. Now responder can sign off by passing 3 or 3Y, or by repeating his suit over 3, after which opener must pass. 

 

 

 

Note that 3 is initially Wolff, even if the opening bid was 1.

-

 

 

1m 
2NT 
3

1 
3 
Pass/3

Responder can sign off in a lower-ranking suit, except clubs, with a weak five-five hand, including dropping the 3-rebid. But if responder's second suit is hearts, then opener, with a super hand for hearts, could still bid game, of course.

-

 

 

1X 
2NT 
3

1Y 
3 
4Y

Responder shows a good hand with slam interest, but with a broken six-card suit, by rebidding his suit at the four-level following the relay. Had opener rebid 3Y instead of 3, then 4NT would have been Blackwood. 

 

1m 
2NT

1 
3

Here, responder shows a normal gameforcing reverse, with spades and longer hearts.

 

 

-

1m 
2NT 
3/3

1 
3 
3

This is forcing, and the equivalent of Stayman with four-four in the majors. Opener must NEVER bid a four-card spade suit, as this might cross partner's intentions.

 

1m 
2NT 
3/3M

1M 
3 
3NT

If the Wolff 3-bidder next bids 3NT, it means that he has a secondary club suit, or support for opener's clubs, with a mild interest in slam 

-

 

 

This last sequence must therefore never be used by a responder who is merely interested in finding out if opener has three-card support for his major, with the intention of playing in 3NT or 4M. This is because following opener's rebid of 3 it is not possible for a 5=3=3=2 responder to bid a natural 3NT, as that would show clubs. Instead, responder must bid 3M, forcing, rather than 3. Then he can next bid 3NT, to play, over opener's 3-response.

-

 

 

1m 
2NT 
3

1M 
3 
4

With a strong two-suiter in his first suit and clubs, responder repeats his clubs. He must be strong enough to play in 4NT when opener rejects the slam try by bidding 4NT. 

-

 

 

1m 
2NT

1M 
4

Remember that the jump to 4 is Gerber, even if the opening bid was 1, but 4NT would be quantitative. 

 

1m 
2NT 
3NT

1 
3 
?

Opener's rebid of 3NT shows doubletons in both majors (and presumably a strong doubleton hearts in view of the 2NT-rebid). Hence, a five-five responder will normally pass knowing there's no five-three fit. Therefore, 4 shows six-five.

 

1m 
2NT 
3 
 
 

1 
3 
? 
 
 

False Preference, suggested by Bob Mosher. Opener's rebid of 3 promises three-card support for one of the majors, but NOT NECESSARILY SPADES. When responder, holding five-five, places the contract, he must bid 4 because he doesn't know which major partner can support. Opener corrects to spades with three-card spade support. If responder only has five-four, then he bids 3NT, and again opener will correct holding three-card spade support.

-

 

 

It should be clear by now that using the Wolff Relay increases the diversity of responding hands that can be described following opener's 2NT jump rebid. But what is the price we have to pay? We sacrifice the natural bid of 3 on some hands with secondary clubs or support for partner's clubs. Hardly a serious loss in view of the fact that many partnerships are using some form of Checkback Stayman anyway. And what about opener's 3? That, too, will hardly be missed after opener's descriptive 2NT rebid. Conceivably it might have been useful following 3, in case responder was still looking for a four-four minor fit. Or maybe it could show a six-card diamond suit with which one elected to rebid 2NT instead of '3-1/2'. Certainly no great loss if one considers the gains. Is the scheme too complicated, and a strain on memory? Only you can decide that for yourself. Perhaps one could start off simply, with just the basic idea. See also the Epilogue where reference is made to the Wolff Signoff.

Systemmongers will undoubtedly come up with different variations and extensions (what is a jump in a new suit following the relay?; what changes if the opponents double 3 or 3?; or what if they make an overcall?). To illustrate the range of possibilities, we shall consider the auctions in which responder has a spade single-suiter.

Bad hand with six-card suit (a very poor hand with only a five-bagger is unlikely, as responder would have passed):
 

1 
2NT 
3

1 
3 
3(end)

or 

1 
2NT 
3

1 
3 
Pass

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gameforcing values with a six-card suit:
 

1 
2NT

1 
4(end)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gameforcing values with a five-card suit:
 

1 
2NT 
3NT

1 
3 
Pass 

or 

1 
2NT 
cue

1 
3 
4(end)

or 

1 
2NT 
 4

1 
3 
Pass 

 

 

 

Slam-going values with a  five-card suit:
 

1 
2NT 
3NT 
 

1 
3 
4NT 
quantitative

or 
 
 
 

1 
2NT 
3NT 
 

1 
3 
5 
Gerber

or 
 
 
 

1 
2NT 
4 
 

1 
3 
4NT 
Blackwood 

or 
 
 
 

1 
2NT 
cue 
spades are 
trumps

1 
3

 
 Slam-going values with a (semi-)solid six-card suit:
 

1 
2NT 
3NT

1 
3 
4 or 
cue  or 
5  Gerber

or

1 
2NT 
4

1 
3 
4NT 
Blackwood

or

1 
2NT 
cue 
spades are 
trumps

1 
3

 

 

 

Slam-going values with a broken six-card suit:
 

1 
2NT 
3 
?

1 
3 
4

or

1 
2NT 
3

1 
3 
4NT 
Blackwood

or

1 
2NT 
3

1 
3 
cue (except  
4  which,  
like 3NTshows  
clubs)

 

 

 

Difficult to remember all this? Not really, with this aide-memoire: use Wolff with a weak hand, or a 'weak' suit (6-card suit) in a strong hand. The rest is logical. With values for game, bid game; if (with a 5-card suit) you require trump support, rebid your suit. If partner rejects (3NT), then pass, or bid 4NT (quantitative), or Gerber (5). But if, despite of the rejection, you rebid your suit, or bid another suit (cuebid), then you're showing a (semi-)solid suit and slam-interest.