Kokish Game Try

Eric Kokish came up with what he called two-way game tries. 

1- 2-

• 2NT = asks partner where he would accept a help-suit game try.
• 3 = short-suit game try.
• 3 = short-suit game try.
• 3 = short-suit game try.

When opener relays with 2NT (asking for a help suit), responder will bid the cheapest suit in which he would accept a help-suit game try. So if responder has QT6 J84 KQ632 86, he'll bid 3 over 2NT. This not only tells partner about that diamond help, but since 3 was skipped over, opener knows that responder has a poor club holding.

So let's say the auction went 1 - 2 - 2N [asking] - 3C [showing goodies in clubs], but opener wasn't interested in the club suit. He can now bid 3D or 3H,  asking for help there. So, theoretically, an auction might go like this

1  - 2 - 2N [asking] - 3  [stuff in clubs]; 3  [do you have stuff in diamonds?] - 3H [Not really, but I have some goodies in hearts!]; - 4

It gets just a bit trickier for a lot of folks when hearts are trumps. If we were to use 2NT as the "help-suit ask" over 2, there would be no way to show spade help-- so we use 2 as the asking bid.

1 - 2 -
2 = asks partner where he would accept a help-suit game try.

• 2NT = short-suit game try in spades.
• 3= short-suit game try.
• 3 = short-suit game try.

One more little space-saving maneuver: When partner asks with 2S, to show spade help we bid 2NT. So if the auction goes 1 -2 -2 [asking] - 3 [stuff in clubs], denying help in spades (the "cheapest" suit).

Lastly, the adoption of help suit game tries means that opener's 3/ rebids ask for help in the trump suit  or NT try?