Compressed Bergen

by Keith Schwols

Bergen Raises are a form of major-suit raises designed to distinguish between 5-3 and 5-4 trump fits when playing 5-card majors. Jacoby 2NT is also a major-suit raise showing a 5-4 trump fit with a game forcing hand. In this treatment, we combine the Bergen raise options (3♣ and 3♦) and Jacoby 2NT into the single bid choice 2NT. Which is a unlimited raise of partner's suit and at least 4-card trump support. The opener will then further describe his hand and responder can place the auction.

Developed by Marty Bergen and published in 1982, Bergen Raises are based on the Law of Total Tricks, a method of hand evaluation which essentially says the combined number of trumps dictates the level one should at least compete to regardless of the combined high card strength.

An important element of Compressed Bergen is Losing Trick Count evaluation. The LTC of a hand is determined by counting the number of “winners” and “losers” in each of your suits. Simply put, count Ace/King/Queens in a suit as winner, do not count loser than you have cards in the suit and at most three losers in any suit not containing an Ace/King or Queen. Typically, an opening hand contains a LTC of 7. The Compressed Bergen tells opener that you have 4-card support for his opening suit and you would like to know the LTC of his opening hand. In LTC evaluation, if you side has 14 Losers (i.e. 10 winners) you can play at the 4-level, if your side has only 13 losers (11 winners) you can play at the 5-level and if you side has only 12 losers (12 winners) then you should be able to play for small slam. Of course, similar to Goren HCP evaluation, this is a basic corollary and not a guarantee.

LTC evaluation: Rule of 18. Responder is Captain, so you know opener's LTC, figure your LTC, add both numbers and subtract from 18. That should be the level contract reasonable to play.

Responses after a Compressed Bergen Raise

Remember 2NT means: Partner, I have 4 of your Trump cards, and unbound number of points (although a bust hand would bid the weak 3-level preempt raise). Tell me what type of opener you have:

Second Bid by Responder:

Place the contract at 3 level (could be a pass bid) or 4 level of opener's suit to play based on LTC evaluation. Opener must pass.

Any other bid shows first round control and some slam interest. Opener must bid next higher control as responder's hand is not limited. Bidding 3NT normally doesn't happen since you have a 9+ card fit, only used over big hand, shortness response to ask which suit is short

Rarely, 4NT would be RKC (but better to bid controls)

Dealing Interference

2NT is on over any 1 bid or double, off after 1NT or 2-level bids. In short, if you can still 'jump' to 2NT, Compressed Bergen is on.

After interference after 2NT, if you can still make your normal response, you simply bid it. If the opponents' interference was the bid you wanted to make, then double. If the opponents bid is higher than the bid you were going to make, then pass.

For example, after an auction of 1major-Pass-2NT-3♦-?

Of course, the worst case is when you are bidding in Hearts and opponents interfere with Spades. For example the auction 1♥-Pass-2NT-3♠-??. In this case, all the responses to 2NT have been blocked. I'd recommend that Double is for penalty and bid game to play (with 6LTC hand or likable 7LTC hand), bidding either minor at the 4-level would be slam interest and showing a first round control (with likely 5LTC hand)

Not far behind is the auction 1♠ -Pass-2NT-3♥-??. The above pass (shows 5 or 6 LTC hand) and bidding 3♠ shows the 7 LTC (or minimal opening hand), puts some pressure your side to figure to bid game or double for penalty.

Opponents' bids may impact your LTC evaluation. For example, say you hold ♥KJx. If the opponents are silent, I'd count this as 2 losers. If RHO overcalls hearts though, I'd count this as 1.5 losers because of the increased odds of RHO holding the heart ace and/or queen. Playing in a suit contract, I can finesse RHO for those hypothetical cards.

However, if LHO overcalls hearts, I'd treat this holding as closer to 2.5 losers. In that situation, LHO may hold AQxxx and can finesse MY heart honors.

Traditional 3-level Responses to opening major –

without Bergen or Rev Bergen; the 3-level bids are now open

3-level (preempt double raise) – Very weak hand with 4 trump support. This should be a hand containing not even a King. (0-5HCP or bad 10LTC or worse hand). The theory combines law of total trump (9 cards) that we can be at the 3-level to make life hard on opponents. Also, with a bad 10 or worse LTC hand, even if opener has a 4LTC hand, game is unlikely to make.

TBD 3C/3D and 3 of other major-suit

For now, 3 of minor is just a WJS and 3 of other major is a splinter

But consider 3-way raise (3C) and 2-way raise(3D) for hands with support, controls and a void??

Work in progress (3-way/2-way raises)

3♣ could be a 3-way response and shows a sound 3-card support raise or a hand with a void and either 11-15 or 16+ HCP and at least 4 controls, where an Ace = 2 and a King = 1. Opener relays (puppets) with 3♦ to ask if he's interested, bid 3-agreed major with minimal hand and 4-major with solid opener. 3-agreed major shows solid raise with 3 card trump support, 3 other major shows void and 11-15HCP range and 3NT shows a 16+HCP hand with at least 4 controls.

Auction 1major-pass-3♣-pass--??

And after the 3♦ asking bid, responses are:

3♦ could be a 2-way response and shows a sound raise to 3 of partner’s major or a hand with 10-11 HCP containing 3 controls and either a void or singleton.

Auction 1major-pass-3♦-pass--??

Opener bids the other major to ask which raise it is, if he's interested, otherwise just rebids his suit at the 3-level if minimal (11 or 12HCP), 4-level with 13-14HCP and no interest in slam.

3NT response means “No”, whilst bidding at the 4-level shows the shortness (10-11HCP and 3 controls type hand)

This differs from using 1NT forcing and jump to show a limit raise specifically to show the shortness and controls. Also, a solid raise is considered good honor (A or K) xx in the suit. This allows us to better differentiate the two types of invitation raises. A 2-way raise needs a little less to reach a game and is better set up to explore slam when opener is a very good hand. A Forcing NT limit raise, allow opener more control on raising to game based on his trump holding and total side suit trick-taking ability.

Appendix:

BBOAlert text for Compressed Bergen.

#Compressed Bergen

Option ,Bergen Compressed ,<bbo partner name>

Option