Limit Raises
Limit Raise Situation: Traditionally, a jump raise of a major opening means an opening hand and trump support. The difficult hands are the intermediate ones - the 9 to 12 point hands that may be enough to make game, but then again may not. Usually we have to compromise and often we miss.
Limit Raises (actually Limited Jump Raises) solve this problem.
Holding this hand, South should bid Three Hearts:
© P ???N E S W
1
ª xx
© KQxx
¨ xxxx
§ Axx
What's the Limit? The "Limit" part of this bid means, "Partner I have good support, but am not sure if we can make game. If you are minimum opener, pass. If you're maximum, bid on." This information makes the decision much easier for opener, and protects against opener trying for slam when responder has a marginal hand.
Remember, it is much more important with Duplicate scoring to bid accurately, not to try for games and slams that are not makeable.
Strength: Usually 10 - 12 support points, after a major opener only. (Support points = HCP plus distribution).
We use 9 - 11 (HCP only), with either any 4 trumps or any 3 trumps plus a singleton somewhere. With the required HCP but not the distribution (4 trumps or 3 plus a singleton) , we use the Forcing 1NT followed by a jump to 3 of the major. (This is not a common treatment)
Usage: Virtually universal in advanced play. There are many other ways to show hands that are of game forcing value, so little is lost by not having the jump raise as a game forcing bid.
If the singleton shown by the Limit Raise may enable opener to consider slam, we use the Mathe Asking Bid. It is started by bidding 3NT over the Limit Raise.Mathe Asking Bid
ª P 3ª P1
3NT* P
??? . . . "South, please show me your singleton"
South then bids his singleton suit.. . . 4
¨ P4
ª . . . The singleton Diamond didn't help North this time.
If North had several losing Diamonds in the above sequence, he might have bid slam or Blackwood, looking for slam.
Example Limit Raise Sequences
N E S W
1© P 3© . . . South has 9 - 11 HCP; 4© or 3© and a singleton.
1© P 2© . . . South doesn't have 9+ points; has 3+ Hearts.
1© P 1NT* P
2§ P 3© . . . Limit Raise without a singleton; only 3 Hearts.
1ª P 3ª P
3NT* P 4§ . . . Mathe Asking bid by North. A stiff Club by South.
Often there is competition, of course, but the Limit Raise is fundamental to major suit bidding, so we have a convention for its use in competition.
We use 2NT as a Limit Raise in competition and alter somewhat the strength range for other raises, as follows:
- 2NT Regular Limit Raise of 9 to 11 HCP, - Single raise May be quite weak: 3,4 or 5 points. - Double raise Preemptive; lots of trumps; few points.
N E S W
1© 2
§ 2NT* . . . South has a regular Limit Raise1
© 2§ 2© . . . South has a weak Heart raise1
© 2§ 3©* . . . South has a Hearts; little else1
© 2§ 4© . . . Who knows what South has ?The reason for the Limit raise in Competition convention is to allow any responder hand with three trumps to get a bid in early, as the next round may be too late.
Usage: Uncommon. Alertable.