Goren System

Quick Summary

Goren is the classic American bidding system developed by Charles Goren, which dominated American bridge from the 1940s through the 1970s. It established the 4-3-2-1 point count and many fundamental bidding principles still used today.

System Overview

Opening Meaning

1♣/1♦ 13+ HCP, 3+ cards (sometimes 4+)

1♥/1♠ 13+ HCP, 4+ cards (4-card majors)

1NT 16-18 balanced

2♣ Strong, artificial, forcing (22+ or 9+ tricks)

2♦/2♥/2♠ Strong, natural (21-22 HCP)

3-level Preemptive

The 4-3-2-1 Point Count

Goren popularized the high card point system that became universal:

Card Points

Ace 4

King 3

Queen 2

Jack 1

This replaced earlier honor-trick methods and made bridge more accessible.

Four-Card Majors

Unlike modern systems, Goren uses 4-card major openings:

• 1♥ and 1♠ show 4+ cards

• Responder needs 4 cards for direct raise

• 1NT response can have 3-card major support

Strong Two-Bids

Opening 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠ shows a powerful hand:

• 21-22 HCP with a good suit

• Or 9+ playing tricks

• Forcing for one round

• 2NT response is the negative (0-6 HCP)

Modern systems replaced these with weak twos.

Strong 2♣

The artificial game-forcing opening:

• 22+ HCP balanced, or

• 9+ tricks with any distribution

• 2♦ is the negative response

• All other responses show values

Standard Responses

Bid Meaning

Single raise 6-10 HCP, 4+ support

Double raise 13-15 HCP, 4+ support (forcing to game)

1NT 6-10 HCP, no fit, no biddable suit

2NT 13-15 HCP, balanced

3NT 16-17 HCP, balanced

Historical Significance

Charles Goren (1901-1991) was known as “Mr. Bridge”:

• Won 8 Bermuda Bowl world championships

• Wrote bestselling bridge books

• Syndicated newspaper column reached millions

• Made bridge a mainstream American pastime

• Time magazine called him “the most famous living bridge player”

Legacy

While modern systems like 2/1 have replaced Goren, his contributions remain:

• Point count is universal

• Strong 2♣ opening persists

• Basic hand evaluation principles

• Limit raises and invitational bids

See Also

• Standard American

• Kaplan-Sheinwold

• Hand Evaluation

• Strong 2♣