______ Any 1-of-a-suit response to 1, 1 or 1 is natural and forcing. Responder will rarely bypass a 5+card suit to bid at the 2-level, and will only bypass a 4-carder with 13+ points and a 5+ card holding in a suit lower ranked than Opener's (e.g. 1:2 may have a 4-card major with 13+ points) suit. After any 1-of-a-suit response, the pair will, for the most part, rebid as they would if playing SAYC. They will rely on a 4th Suit Force to sustain the auction later, if Responder is strong enough to force game. This game-forcing aspect distinguishes the 2/1-GF 4th suit from its SAYC counterpart, where the 4th Suit is only a one round force.

New Minor Forcing ("NMF")
______ One of the most salient differences between SAYC and 2/1-GF after a 1-of-a-major response appears when Opener rebids 1NT to show a flat hand of 13-14 points. Here, any bid of the unbid (i.e. "new") minor is a one-round force on 12+ points--often looking for a major suit fit. 1:1:1NT:2, then, forces for at least one round and says nothing about the bid minor. Responder could be void in this "new minor"!

______ Opener's first priority here would be to show a 4-card holding in the unbid major. 1C:1S:1NT:2D:2H, shows a flat 13-14 point hand with 4 Hearts. Without such a holding, Opener will show 3-card support for Responder's major--jumping with a maximal hand. 1:1:1NT:2:2, then, will reveal 3 Spades and 13 points. 1:1:1NT:2:3, meanwhile, will unveil 3 Spades and 14 points. All other bids deny 3-card support for Responder's suit, with 2NT (13 points) and 3NT (14 points) suggesting strength in the unbid suits.

______ Responder must avoid using the new minor with a 6-11 point 2-suiter. Instead, Responder must jump in the minor.

Responder

KQxxx

x

Q109xx

xx

After 1:1:1NT you must rebid 3, non-forcing, to avoid bidding an artificial 2 ("NMF").

______ Having made a New Minor Forcing rebid, each pair will develop understandings as to what is and is not forcing by Responder. Many will say that Responder's only non-forcing rebid will be 2NT (e.g. 1:1:1NT:2:2:2NT) or 2-of-a-bid-major (e.g. 1:1:1NT:2:2:2 or 2). Others will say that Responder must bid one of the suits that were not bid at the 1-level (e.g. 1:1:1NT:2:any:3 or 3) in order to force game here. Still others will play New Minor Forcing as a game force.

______ One rule remains constant in all partnerships: any rebid by Responder after Opener shows 3-card support for Responder's suit is forcing. Hence, after 1:1:1NT:2:2 any rebid by Responder (even 2NT) is forcing.

Questions

#1	Bearing in mind that Opener will only go to the three level with 14 points, what is Opener's exact distribution and point count in the following auctions:

1a.	1:1:1NT:2:2?

2=3=5=3. 13 points.

2=3=4=4. 13 points.

Either of the above.

1b.	1:1:1NT:2:2NT?

2=3=4=4. Minimum.

2=3=4=4. 13-14 points.

2=3=4=4. Maximum.

1c.	1:1:1NT:2:3?

2=3=4=4, 13-14 points.

2=3=4=4. 14 points.

1d.	1:1:1NT:2:3?

Any 5 Diamonds, 14 points.

2=3=5=3. 13-14 points.

2=3=5=3. 14 points.

#2	After 1:1 should Opener rebid 1 or 1NT with 4 Spades and a flat 13-14 points?

Rebid One No Trump.

Rebid One Spade.

#3	If a bid and rebid of the New Minor is forcing (e.g. 1:1:1NT:2:any:3) in our agreements, how do I show a limited hand (6-11) with 6-card length in the unbid minor?

Bid and rebid the minor.

Jump in the minor.