Monday, February 26, 2007 10:48 PM
 
Hand Evaluation – Systemic ( Wollfe Relay )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            A relay is a hand evaluation concept . It is analogous to an electrical switch where you can use a relay to stop current flowing or allow current to flow. In Bridge ,  a relay allows two sets of  meanings for Bridge bids depending whether the switch was turned on. Lebensohl is the most common relay in Bridge but there are others. Bridge conventions are built on hand evaluation concepts. All expert players realize they need some sort of structure after a 2NT rebid. NMF or Checkback Stayman , Transfers or Wollfe relay are the popular choices. The choice of my partners & myself is the Wollfe relay invented by Bobby Wollfe. The Wollfe relay has the same check back advantages of the other methods but has one big advantage. This advantage is the ability to escape out of 2NT to a partial . The Wollfe relay is essentially Lebensohl just like most relays.

 

            Quite often we cheat on our responses especially when partner opens a minor & we have a 5 card or longer major. This is because we do not want to have 1♣/♦ passed out down 3 vul when we can make a major partial or worse a major game. Playing the Gandolfo intermediate jump shifts , the Wolffe relay should be mandatory. Tom bids a major at the one level with a weak jump shift hand. Partner now bids 2NT so you bid the 3♣ relay and over 3♦ you bid your major & partner has the option to pass. I did not say partner must pass but if her hand is not superb for the major , she should pass.

 

            Wollfe relay uses the “puppet Stayman” way of finding 4-4 major fits. Instead of responder asking the 2NT bidder if she has a 4 card major via normal Stayman , responder  tells the opener that she is 4-4 in the majors. This is done via the relay as opener must puppet to 3♦ after the 3♣ bid. Partner after responding a heart & the relay , now bids her 4 card spade suit & we have used  a different “Stayman” concept. The relay allows natural bidding to be strong which to me is the main advantage of the Wollfe relay. This sequence is forcing to game despite using 3♣ initially.

 

The main selling point of the Wolffe relay is using the relay as a slam try in partners minor. Instead of bidding 3NT directly, you relay first & then bid 3NT . This shows a balanced slam try in partner’s minor. Excellent , a slam try below or at 3NT ! Finding a 5-3 major fit is not done the NMF way. You do not use the relay to find a major fit as the hand can be passed out at the 3 level. You find your 5-3 fit the old fashioned way by rebidding your 5 card suit as responder . If you have a 6 card suit just leap to 4 ! I repeat , rebid your 5 card major to find the 5-3 fit. Do not use the relay & bid 3NT as you are showing a slam try in partner’s minor.  The Wollfe relay also divides responders hand into two playing fields. No slam interest if she used the relay & slam interest if she just bid naturally.

 

            Gerber is thrown out using the Wolffe relay. A 4 club bid ( jump )  after a 2NT rebid is a 2nd suit , a slam try & if partner opened 1♣ it is a jump preference slam try. This work around is due to the 3♣ bid being used as a relay.

 

            Here are 4 example hands with partner opening 1♣ , you respond with opener rebidding 2NT.

 

1)     ♠KJ10xx ♥xxx ♦Jxxx ♣x ,

2)     ♠xxx ♥KJ10xx ♦Jxxx ♣x ,

3)     ♠K109x ♥xx ♦J109xxx ♣x

4)     ♠K109x ♥xx ♦x ♣J109xxx .

 

 

Hand #1 bid the relay , 3♠ & partner may pass. Ditto with hand #2 except with hearts. The 3rd hand partner will have no say as you are dropping her in 3♦ after the relay. The 4th hand you are bidding 4♣ after partner takes the relay and partner has the option of passing if a 11 trick club contract is too rich for her blood. In most cases she will carry on to 5♣ as we may have a big fit.

 

            We use the Wollfe relay to allow us to bid 2NT with a 4 card fit for partners major. We feel that all balanced hands should initially be described with a NT bid regardless of having a major fit. This allows us to have a jump raise of partner’s major to game as “fast arrival” so based on distribution rather than HCP’s. The only time you are allowed to break the relay is when you have a 4 card major fit for partner. This solves the problem very nicely.

 

            Here is the Bridge World standard which makes the 3♣ quite ambiguous to say the least but with Wolffe relay overtones.

 After a one-level new-suit response and opener’s two-notrump rebid:

(a) responder’s three-club rebid is artificial, and opener bids three diamonds unless he has three-card support for responder’s major (responder’s next bid up to and including three of his original suit is nonforcing; otherwise, responder’s next bid is a signoff if that is possible; otherwise, it is a choice of games if that is possible; otherwise, it is a checkback for an eight-card major-suit fit if possible; otherwise, it converts the three-club rebid into a natural bid in the minor three diamonds over two notrump would not have shown);