Author: Larry Cohen
Date of publish: 10/01/2010
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
XYZ is a convention whereby the first 3 bids of a partnership's auction are on the 1-level (but not 1NT- over 1NT you can play some version of New Minor Forcing). SO, it goes 1-something, 1-something, then 1-of-a-major. After those 3 bids (1X-1Y-1Z), the typical treatment is to use:
2
by responder as an artificial relay. Opener must bid 2
.
2
by responder as an artificial bid, saying that the partnership is going to at least game.
Other bids by responder are natural and NOT Forcing; 2-level suit bids are typically weak, 2NT and 3-level bids are invitational.
Responder's 2
relay is used to either place the contract in 2
, or to be followed by an invitational bid.
Examples below:
A]
1
-1
1
:
The responder can bid 2
to force opener to bid 2
. After this, responder can pass to play there, or make an invitational bid (such as 2
, which would promise at least 5 hearts). Responder can also bid 2
to set up a Game Force.
Other actions as above.
B]
1
-1
1
:
Nothing changes. Responder can relay with 2
or start a Game Force with 2
. In both cases, of course, the 2-of-a-minor bid is completely artificial. 1
here would be natural and forcing (but NOT game forcing).
If using XYZ, it does not matter what the first 3 bids were, as long as opener's rebid is 1
or 1
.
Of course, the major downside (other than forgetting) is that the partnership can't play in a 2
contract after a 1
opening.
As with any convention, the partnership must decide if this is on in competition (I recommend NO) or by a Passed Hand (I recommend NO).
This treatment has been steadily gaining in popularity since the turn of the millennium.