Finding Major Suit Fits - New Minor Forcing

Finding 5-3 major suit fits when partner opens one of a minor and you have enough points to be interested in game can be difficult. A conversion called New Minor Forcing will be useful in helping find these fits. When you bid a major suit in response to partners minor suit opening you promise a 4+ card major. If you rebid your suit you promise a 6+ card major. When you have a 5-card major (which is actually quite common) you don't have a way to show it.  Instead, you must find out if partner has 3-card support.  Here is how you do that...

Brd: 1	A 10 9 6 4
Dlr: N	A 5
Vul: None	J 9 2
	Q 8 3
	Q 7 5
	9 6 2
	A K 10 3
	A 10 7

North	East	South	West
You		Partner
1	Pass	1	Pass
1N	Pass	2 (1)	Pass
2	Pass	4	All pass

(1) New Minor Forcing

Contract: 4 by S

If you had five s and fewer than 10 HCPs you would pass after 1-P-1-P--1N and just let partner play 1N. If you have 10 or more HCP and five s (as in the example above) then you still have game interest. You know that partner does not have four s because he did not raise your 1 bid to 2, instead he rebid 1N. But partner could still have as many as three s, so you are not yet sure whether 3N or 4 is the best game to try to reach. If you want to find out if partner has three s don't rebid your s because that promises 6+s. Instead, force the auction to continue by bidding the other minor (in this case 2.) This bid is New Minor Forcing! It is an artificial bid (you may or may not have s) giving partner a chance to support your suit if he has 3-card support. If partner does not have support for your suit they will bid something else, but their first priority is to show support for your original suit. Note: New Minor Forcing is an alertable bid since you may or may not have any of the suit you bid.