The Kokish Relay
The Kokish Relay is one of the many contributions to bidding theory from Eric Kokish, a Canadian player who is recognised as a leading authority on every aspect of bidding.
When you open 2 ♣ in Acol, or other natural systems which use this to show a powerful hand, holding a 25+ balanced hand can lead to difficulties in identifying the best contract if the rebid is 3NT
The idea of this convention is that when the bidding starts: 2 ♣ - 2 ♦
A bid of 2 ♥ is used to describe one of two possible hand-types; either natural with Hearts (or Hearts and another) or a strong balanced hand that is too strong for an immediate rebid of 2NT.
The idea is to enable the responder to use Stayman and Transfers etc at the three level if opener has the balanced hand-type.
After an opening bid of 2 ♣ in general Responder relays with 2 ♦
If Opener now bids 2 ♥ Responder further relays with 2 ♠Opener now bids a new suit ( to show Hearts and that suit) or repeats the Hearts ( one-suited) or 2NT to show 25+ balanced and it is, as they say, System on, i.e Stayman , Transfers and any other gadgets you use apply , thus a direct bid over 2 ♦ of 2NT will show balanced 23/24
Example
2 ♣-2 ♦
2ũ-2 ♠(relay)
3 ♣ (Hearts and Clubs) or 3 ♥ (Hearts only) or 2NT (25+ balanced).
This is to be a very useful convention but of course it can't be used with Benjamanised Acol
I have seen it described on another
web site as This is how it is described but I can't see why you
couldn't combine the two by, as above, simply not bidding 2NT but bidding a new suit or rebidding Hearts.
The only advantage I can see in this other way is if you want to open 2NT with both Minors, an unspecified
Minor pre -emp or whatever other strange legal meaning you fancy.
"The Kokish Relay uses
the 2 ♥ rebid to show a balanced
hand with 23-24 HCP in this auction:
2 ♣ - 2 ♦
2 ♥....
2 ♥ is a relay
to 2 ♠ over which opener rebids
2NT to show 23-24 points. An immediate 2NT rebid by opener over 2 ♦
shows a balanced hand with 20-22 HCP.
An opening 2NT bid is then freed up to take on whatever (legal) meaning a partnership wants.
Because the Kokish Relay sacrifices the natural 2 ♥
rebid by the strong 2♦
bidder, he must rebid 3 ♥
over 2 ♦ to show
a natural Heart suit."