The Kirkhams Version of Drury
Invitational and Simple
Major Raises by a Passed Hand
Presented
by Mike Savage
If you sometimes open one of a major with a four-card suit in third or fourth seat with light or very minimum opening hands, knowing how many trumps your partner has when he makes a simple or invitational raise can be very important. Some partnerships play Two-Way Drury to distinguish between three and four-card invitational raises, even if they don’t open four-card majors in third or fourth seat. The Kirkhams have taken things a step further, in order to distinguish between three and four-card simple raises as well. Their basic structure is that 2C, by a passed hand after partner has opened a major in 3rd or 4th seat, shows four trumps and is either an invitational raise or a simple raise. Then a 2D bid by opener asks you which one you have. A 2D bid, by a passed hand over a major opening in third or fourth seat, is an invitational raise with three trumps. The direct simple raise to two of the major always shows three trumps.
After a Third or Fourth Seat Major Suit Opening, followed by a pass:
2C = Shows four
trumps and is either a simple raise or an invitational raise.
2D = Asks if you have the simple raise or the invitational
raise.
2 of the opener’s major
= Shows the simple raise with four trumps.
New suit by opener = Help suit
game try.
2
of the other major = Shows the invitational raise with a singleton or a
void.
2NT = Asks responder to clarify his shortness.
3C = Shows a singleton
club.
3D = Shows a singleton diamond.
3H = Shows a singleton
in the other major.
3S = Shows you have an void somewhere.
3NT asks where it is.
4C = Shows a void in clubs.
4D = Shows a void in diamonds.
4H = Shows a void in the other major.
2NT = Shows the invitational raise
without a singleton or void.
2 of
the bid major = To
play. No interest in game, even if the raise was invitational.
2D = Shows an
invitational raise with three trumps.
New
Suit = Help suit game try.
2 of the opener’s major
= To play, with no game interest.
2NT = Asks for trump quality and/or shortness.
3C = Shows the queen or better in trumps and may or may not have a stiff or void.
3D = Asks responder to clarify his hand.
3H = Shows the queen
or better in trumps and no singleton or void
Responses after 3D = Asking responder to
clarify his hand. (Repeated from page 1 for clarity)
3S = Shows an unknown
void.
3NT asks where the void is.
4C = Shows a void in clubs.
4D = Shows a void in diamonds.
4H = Shows a void in
the other major.
4C = Shows a singleton in clubs and the queen or better in
trumps.
4D = Shows a singleton in diamonds and the queen or better in
trumps.
4H = Shows a singleton in the other major and at least the
trump queen.
3D = Shows three
trumps without the queen or better of trumps but with a short suit.
3H = Asks what suit are you short in.
3S = Shows an unknown void.
3NT = Asks where the void is.
4C = Shows a club
void.
4D = Shows a diamond
void.
4H = Shows a void in the other major.
4C = Shows a singleton
in clubs.
4D = Shows a singleton in diamonds.
4H = Shows a singleton in the other major.
3 of opener’s major = Denies the
queen or better in trumps and has no stiff or void.
Three
of opener’s major: After responder’s 2D bid, a jump to three
of the trump suit by
opener asks responder to start cue-bidding up
the line.
Krury in
Competition
Krury is always on if either bid is available and a Dbl of their 2C or
2D overcall says “they stole my Krury bid”. After a 2C overcall, 2D still shows the 3-card invitational raise and 2NT is natural and invitational but over a 2D overcall, 2NT now shows the four-card invitational raise.
If third or
fourth hand opens a major and responder bids 2C or 2D and the next hand overcalls in a suit below the bid major, a
re-bid of two of the major by opener shows at least a five-card suit,
along with a minimum or sub-minimum. Also, if opener
bids two of the major over a Dbl of
either 2C or 2D, that shows at least a five-card suit along
with no game interest.
After Krury, followed by an
overcall higher than the trump suit, 2NT is a general
game try (if it’s available), three of a lower suit is a help-suit game
try and three of the major is competitive. Dbl by opener or
responder is penalty oriented, especially in the immediate seat.
When partner has balanced in fourth seat with a major at
the one level, 2C and 2D are still Krury. An example of this would be: 1D p p
1S p 2C or 2D – both bids are Krury.
After a third
or fourth seat major opening, a jump to three of a minor by responder shows a
very good six-card suit and is invitational to 3NT.