Fourth Suit Forcing Convention - Example 1

Example 1

South holds ♠ A Q 8 6 2 ♥ 8 4 3 ♦ Q 7 ♣ A 6 5 in the auction at right.

After 2♣ by North, South sees there is likelihood for game given that the partnership has bid three suits bid and holds around 24-26 high card points. However, he does not have a good natural bid available; each would give partner the impression of stronger support than he has, and might lead to a poor choice of contract.

• He has shown his spade suit fully. To rebid spades would imply a longer or stronger suit than he has; they are not good enough for a 3♠ rebid.
• He cannot bid in support of either minor suit because his holding in both is inadequate.
• He cannot bid notrumps because it implies a heart stopper, which he lacks and his partner is quite likely to lack as well, having shown two suits so far. If he bids notrumps and ends up in 3NT, a heart lead will be an obvious strategy and loss of four or five heart tricks is possible.

South instead bids the fourth suit (fourth suit forcing), i.e. 2♥, to indicate that he believes they have values for game, that he lacks a stopper in hearts needed for notrumps and that he has no viable bid in any of the other suits. Depending on partnership agreement, this 2♥ bid may be either forcing for one round, or forcing to game.