Game Tries: Inviting Game After Major Suit Agreement

You open 1♠, partner raises to 2♠. You have 15 HCP. Too much to pass, not enough to blast 4♠. What now?

That’s what game tries are for. They let you invite game after finding a major suit fit at the two-level. Partner shows you where their hand helps, and you decide whether to bid game or stop at three.

Most pairs use help suit game tries. Some use short suit game tries. A few use long suit game tries. They all solve the same problem: figuring out if your combined 23-25 HCP is enough for game when you need a good fit in the right places.

When to Make a Game Try

After 1♠-2♠ or 1♥-2♥, you know partner has 6-9 support points and three-card support (or sometimes four).

Make a game try when you have:

16-18 HCP (sometimes 15 with good distribution)
Five or more cards in the major
Enough to consider game but not enough to bid it on power alone

Skip the game try and bid game when you have:

19+ HCP (just bid game)
Strong distribution that makes game likely

Pass when you have:

12-14 HCP with balanced shape
Bad trumps and minimum values

Help Suit Game Tries

This is the most common method. You bid a suit where you need help. Partner accepts or rejects based on whether they have useful cards in that suit.

What counts as help?

King, queen, or ace
Shortness (singleton or void)
Good length with mid-range cards

What doesn’t help?

Jack-third or worse
Scattered small cards

How It Works

After 1♠-2♠, if you bid 3♦, you’re saying: “I have extra values and I’m worried about diamonds. Do you have help there?”

Partner looks at their diamonds:

K7, Q84, or A32? Accept (bid 3♠, 4♠, or occasionally 3NT)
J63 or 9542? Reject (pass or bid 3♠ with a maximum)

The logic: if partner has wasted values in diamonds (where you have losers), game is risky. If they have good cards where you’re weak, game becomes safer.

Which Suit to Bid

Bid the suit where you have:

Two or three quick losers
No high honors
Real worry about controlling the suit

Don’t bid:

A suit with AKx (you don’t need help)
Your second suit just to show distribution (that’s not the point)
Three suits in a row trying to fish for the right one (pick one)

Usually, you have one obvious problem suit. Bid it.

Accepting vs Rejecting

Accept the try (bid game) when:

You have max values (8-9 support points)
You have excellent help in partner’s suit (king or better, or shortness)
You have a fourth trump

Reject the try (bid 3M or pass) when:

You have minimum values (6-7 support points)
You have junk in partner’s problem suit
You have only three trumps and scattered values

With medium values (7-8 HCP), it depends on fit:

Good fit in the trial suit? Accept.
Bad fit? Reject.

Some pairs sign off at 3♠ to show mild interest but not enough to bid game. Check your partnership agreements.

Short Suit Game Tries

Some pairs flip it around: you bid your SHORT suit instead of your weak suit.

After 1♠-2♠, if you bid 3♦ playing short suit tries, you’re showing a singleton or void in diamonds.

Partner accepts if they have wasted values in diamonds (Q63, KJ4, etc.). Those cards aren’t pulling their weight if you’re short there. Partner rejects if they have useful cards elsewhere or if they’re minimum.

Why play short suit tries?

Easier to evaluate (do I have stuff in that suit or not?)
Sometimes more accurate when opener has extreme distribution

Why NOT play them?

Less intuitive
Can be harder for responder to judge
Not standard, so you might confuse partners or opponents

Most pairs stick with help suit tries. Short suit tries work, but they’re less common.

Long Suit Game Tries

This is rare. You bid a good second suit to show extra length and strength.

After 1♠-2♠, bidding 3♦ shows a real diamond suit (four or five cards) with good values.

Partner evaluates based on fit in that second suit. High cards there become more valuable. Shortness becomes less valuable.

Most pairs don’t play this way. If you want to show a second suit, you might use Two-Way Game Tries or another convention.

Example Auctions

Hand 1: Help Suit Try - Accept

You open 1<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> with:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> AQ10654
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> K7
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> J1082
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> A3

Partner raises to 2<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>.

Bid 3♦ (help suit game try). You have 16 HCP and six spades. Game is close. If partner has diamond help, you want to be there.

Partner holds:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> K83
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> 9542
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> AQ3
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> J76

Partner bids 4♠. They have the ♦AQ. Perfect. You have three diamond losers without help, but with the ace-queen opposite, you lose only one. Game is solid.

Auction:

1<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> - 2<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>
3<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> - 4<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>

Hand 2: Help Suit Try - Reject

You open 1<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> with:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> A4
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> KQ10753
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> K8
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> 1042

Partner raises to 2<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>.

Bid 3♣ (help suit game try). You have 14 HCP but six good hearts and decent shape. Clubs are your worry. If partner has the ace or king of clubs, game is likely.

Partner holds:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> KJ3
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> 964
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> AJ63
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> Q95

Partner bids 3♥ (reject). They have 8 HCP, but the ♣Q95 isn’t real help. You’re looking at four potential club losers, and the queen doesn’t solve that. Partner correctly signs off.

Auction:

1<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> - 2<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>
3<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> - 3<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>
Pass

You stop at 3♥. Good decision. 4♥ goes down if clubs split badly.

Hand 3: Short Suit Try - Accept

Playing short suit tries, you open 1<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> with:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> AKJ654
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> KQ103
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> 7
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> A4

Partner raises to 2<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>.

Bid 3♦ (short suit try, showing singleton or void). You have 17 HCP with great shape. If partner has wasted diamond values, game is cold.

Partner holds:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> Q103
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> 84
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> KQ1082
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> 763

Partner bids 4♠. They have the ♦KQ, which are useless opposite your singleton. But those are 5 HCP of their 7 total. Their working values outside diamonds (the ♠Q) plus your strong hand make game right.

Auction:

1<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> - 2<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>
3<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> - 4<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span>

Hand 4: Help Suit Try - Accept with Four Trumps

You open 1<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> with:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> AQ3
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> KJ10854
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> 7
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> K103

Partner raises to 2<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>.

Bid 3♦ (help suit try). You have 15 HCP and six hearts. With the singleton diamond, game is possible if partner fits well.

Partner holds:
<span style="color:#000000;">♠</span> 842
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> AQ63
<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> J1082
<span style="color:#000000;">♣</span> 94

Partner bids 4♥. They have only 7 HCP, and ♦J1082 isn’t great help. But they have four trumps, which is huge. The 4-3 fit becomes a 6-4 fit. Extra trumps let you ruff losers. Partner accepts based on the fourth trump.

Auction:

1<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span> - 2<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>
3<span style="color:#CC0000;">♦</span> - 4<span style="color:#CC0000;">♥</span>

You make 4♥. The extra trump and diamond shortness opposite decent diamond cards means you can handle the suit.

Common Mistakes

1. Making a game try with 19 HCP

You have 19 HCP, partner raises to 2♠. You bid 3♦ as a game try.

Wrong. Just bid 4♠. With 19 opposite 6-9, you have enough. Don’t risk partner passing.

2. Making a game try in the wrong suit

You have AKx of clubs and xxx of diamonds. Partner raises your major. You bid 3♣ because you have four clubs.

Wrong. You don’t need help in clubs. Bid 3♦ (your weak suit) if you’re making a help suit try.

3. Rejecting with a maximum and good fit

Partner makes a game try. You have 8 HCP and great help in their suit. You think, “Only 8 points, I should sign off.”

Wrong. Eight points is a maximum for a single raise. If you have perfect help in their suit, accept. HCP matter, but fit matters more.

4. Accepting with wasted values in a short suit try

Partner bids 3♦ (short suit try, showing shortness). You have ♦KQJ. You think, “Great diamond honors! I’ll accept.”

Wrong. Playing short suit tries, your diamond honors are worthless. Partner has at most one diamond. Your kings and queens there do nothing. Reject unless you have other good features.

5. Bypassing 2NT as a game try

Some pairs play 2NT as a generic game try (no specific suit problem, just asking if partner is minimum or maximum). If you’re playing this way, use it. Don’t bid a random suit to try for game when 2NT is clearer.

6. Forgetting the trump fit matters

Partner makes a game try. You have 8 HCP and four trumps. You reject because “I’m minimum.”

Wrong. The fourth trump is worth 2-3 points in evaluation. With four-card support, you should accept more often.

Partnership Agreements

Discuss these with your partner:

1. Which method do you use?

Help suit tries (most common)
Short suit tries
Long suit tries
Two-Way Tries (2NT asks, suit bids show help/short)

2. What does 2NT mean?

Some pairs: 2NT is a balanced game try (no suit to bid)
Some pairs: 2NT asks partner to bid where they have help
Some pairs: 2NT is natural (maybe looking for 3NT with 3-3 major fit)

3. Does the try promise five trumps?

Usually yes, but some pairs make game tries with a strong four-card suit
Decide how often you open light, which affects this

4. Can responder make a counter-try?

After 1♠-2♠-3♦, can responder bid 3♥ to show heart help and ask about hearts?
Most pairs: no, responder just accepts or rejects
Some pairs: yes, counter-tries are allowed

5. What about other auctions?

Do you use game tries after 1M-3M (limit raise)?
Do you use them in competition (after opponent overcalls)?
What about after a 2/1 response?

Write it down. Game tries are simple in theory but easy to forget in the middle of an auction.

Why This Matters

Game in a major needs 25-26 combined points most of the time. But fit matters. A combined 23 HCP with perfect fitting honors can make game. A combined 26 HCP with wasted values might fail.

Game tries let you check the fit. They turn borderline hands into good decisions. Without them, you’d guess. Guessing is expensive.

Learn help suit tries first. They’re standard. If you want to experiment with short suit tries later, fine. But get comfortable with the basic concept: ask where you need help, and let partner decide based on whether they have it.

Make the try, trust partner’s judgment, and move on. That’s all there is to it.