This is a conventional method of rebidding after a 2 No Trump forcing response to a Weak Two opening bid by partner devised by Mr. Harold A. Ogust.
Note: In the United Kingdom the 2 No Trump response to a Weak Two opening bid by partner is known as Blue Club Responses.
Note: A conventional method designated as Graded Ogust is included in most interactive and/or online bridge software programs. If any visitor has additional information about this method, then any contribution would be greatly appreciated.
Example of the Employment of Ogust Convention
| Dealer: South |
| Vulnerable: East/West |
| South |
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North |
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Meaning |
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2  |
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With 7 high card points South has a text-book weak two opening bid in Hearts. Opening in this manner South informs North of the range of values, and a lack of 3-card support in the other Major suit. |
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2 NT |
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North knows immediately, per partnership agreement, that South has at best a distribution of 2-6-x-x. With the added 3-card support in Hearts North also realizes that there are combined 9 card in Hearts. North wishes more information about the strength of the Heart suit and also about the quality of the suit. North responds with a forcing 2 No Trump. |
The Ogust convention allows the responder to bid 2 No Trump, a forcing bid, to allow opener, by a system of relay bids, to describe the hand more precisely. By using these step-by-step bids both North and South can find a possibly better final contract. The following rebids are those rebids as indicated in the original version by Mr. Harold Ogust. Several variations on this concept are listed below.
Original Ogust Rebids by Opener
3  :
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Shows a weak hand, weak suit. |
3  :
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Shows a good hand, weak suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows a weak hand, good suit. |
3  :
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Shows a good hand, good suit. |
As soon as the partner of the Weak Two bidder discovers the quality of the holding, then the partner sets and establishes the final contract.
Additional Variations
Variation 1
Within the bridge community, as is the case with many bridge conventions and concepts, some partnerships have agreed to simply reverse the definitions of the 3 Diamonds and 3 Hearts bids. But, whichever agreement you use, please include it in your partnership agreement. The more modern treatment, as mentioned, is that the partnership understanding reverses the original meanings assigned by Mr. Harold Ogust to the red suits.
This more modern treatment is described below. The adjective to describe the relation of the hand to the suit has also been changed and perhaps clarifies the significance of the interpretation better for the purpose of communication. We have included these adjectives in the more modern or accepted version.
These Relay Bids are:
| 3 :
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Shows minimum strength, poor suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows minimum strength, good suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows maximum strength, poor suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows maximum strength, good suit. |
| 3 NT:
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Signifies a solid suit. |
Variation 2 - September, New Ogust
Another variation follows and has been dubbed September or New Ogust. Only the responses and the significances of the rebids are given. This variation applies mainly the method of Losing Trick Count.
| 3 :
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Shows 9 plus losers. |
| 3 :
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Shows 8 losers and bad hand. |
| 3 :
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Shows 8 losers and normal to good hand. |
| 3 :
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Shows 7 losers maximum or less. |
Variation 3
In connection with this variation, the bridge player, Mr. Jeff Goldsmith, who devised it, refined this variation to certain bidding sequences, such as the following where the Weak Two bid begins only with an opening of 2 Hearts. The entire auction is given to clarify the bidding sequence:
| Opener |
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Responder
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Meaning |
| 2
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2 NT
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| 3
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Shows an 8 loser and a normal to good holding. |
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3
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A forcing Relay for additional information. |
| 3
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Shows a poor Heart suit. |
| 3
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Shows a good Heart suit. |
Note: However, if the first response of the Weak Two bidder is not 3 Clubs, then the bidding sequence indicates the following:
| Opener |
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Responder |
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Meaning |
| 2 |
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2 NT |
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| 3 |
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Shows an 8 loser and a poor holding. |
| 3 |
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Shows a 9 plus loser holding. |
| 3 |
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Shows 7 losers or better. |
A similar structure for a Weak Two opening in the Spade suit could be devised, but that would be a partnership agreement with this particular variation.
Variation 4
Another variation takes advantage of showing the number of honors held by the Weak Two bidder, as proposed by Mr. Ronald (Ron) Denny Klinger of Australia. The following chart indicates the number held:
| Opener |
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Responder |
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Meaning |
| 2 /
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2 NT
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| 3
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Promises 1 honor. |
| 3
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Promises 2 honors. |
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| 2
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2 NT
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| 3 |
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Promises one honor. |
| 3 |
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Promises 2 honors. |
| 3 NT |
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Promises 3 honors. |
Variation 5
Another variation of the responses, and by partnership agreement is that the Weak Two bidder indicates the number of honors held. This variation has several similarities with the variation of Mr. Ronald (Ron) Denny Klinger. The following chart indicates the number of honors suggested as guidelines.
The added feature is that all rebids by the Ogust bidder then become natural bids. This is more or less the suggested responses addressed by the SAYC and considered to be a Common Optional Convention.
| 3 :
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Shows a bad hand, one of the top three honors in the preempt suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows a bad hand, two of the top three honors in the preempt suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows a good hand, one of the top three honors in the preempt suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows a good hand, two of the top three honors in the preempt suit. |
| 3 NT: |
Shows a good hand, three of the top three honors in the preempt suit. |
Variation 6
Another variation is integrated in the Benji Acol System and shows a less wider range of high card points without indicating the number of honors held in the preempt suit. The following chart outlines the guidelines. It must also be noted that the response of 3 No Trump is not included.
| 3 :
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Shows 6-8 high card points and a poor suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows 6-8 high card points and a good suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows 9-10 high card points and a poor suit. |
| 3 :
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Shows 9-10 high card points and a good suit. |
Variation 7 - Feature
Another variation is called Feature and is applied by the responder to determine whether the Weak Two bidder is indeed weak or strong and to discover whether the Weak Two bidder has a specified feature in a desired suit. The following guidelines are a suggestion as to the responses and meanings.
| 1. |
If the first rebid of the Weak Two bidder is of the Preempted Suit, this shows that his holding contains no feature and that the strength is weak, generally between 5 and 7 high card points. |
| 2. |
Three of any new suit shows a good hand with the Ace or King in that particular suit. |
| 3. |
The rebid of 3 No Trump promises all three top honors of the preempted suit. |
It must be noted that this variation is indeed only a partnership agreement among some bridge players and is not to be construed as a general partnership understanding.
Variation 8 - Bogust
Another variation is called Bogust. Source: BridgeSqueeze, and contributed by SpaceCadet. This variation is based on the Weak Two bidder opening with either a good 5-card suit with two of the top three honors, or any 6-card suit. In response to the forcing 2 No Trump bid by partner, the Weak Two bidder rebids as follows to show the length of the suit and the approximate number of Losing Tricks.
| 3 :
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Shows a 5-card suit. A rebid of 3 by partner requests additional information. |
| 3 :
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Shows a 6-card suit, poor quality suit (bad hand), or 8 plus Losing Tricks. |
| 3 :
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Shows a 6-card suit, moderate quality suit (medium hand), or about 7 Losing Tricks. |
| 3 :
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Shows a 6-card suit, good quality suit (good hand), or about 6 Losing Tricks. |
Note: It must be repeated and specified that any and all variations and modifications to the original Ogust convention is a matter of partnership agreement. As with all concepts and ideas, they can be varied to meet the requirements and wishes of the individual partnership.
If the responder has sufficient strength and good distribution, forcing the opener to describe his hand further using the step-by-step Ogust convention can permit the responder to reach game, slam or stop in part-score. Using this Ogust convention almost guarantees that both partners will find their correct contract and that they will stay out of an unmakeable contract.
The Ogust convention brings order to an otherwise perhaps chaotic bridge bidding sequence. Remember that a Weak Two bid can also preempt your own partner, and that a system should be used in order to discover the amount of strength between 5 high card points and 11 high card points, and the quality of that suit of the Weak Two bidder.
Again, the suggestion is made that both partners deal out several practice hands, experiment with the Ogust convention, introduce an overcall of an opponent, and decide whether they would like to include the Ogust convention as part of their partnership agreement and whether or not a variation and/or modification of the Ogust convention would meet the requirements of their agreement better.
Simplified Ogust or Easy Ogust
When the opener is forced to show a good hand or a good suit after a 2 No Trump feature-asking bid, it becomes sometimes difficult to evaluate the holding according to the guidelines established by the original Ogust convention. There are some so-called borderline instances, where the rebid can also become based on the degree of aggressiveness of the opener.
It is this difficulty which has led to the development of a variation of the Ogust convention with either of the designations simplified or easy. The idea is to base the rebid of the Weak Two opener on how well the opener rates the opening on a scale from one to four. The quality of the suit then becomes irrelevant. The rebids of the opener are shown below:
| 3 : |
Shows a minimum. Scale of 1-4 = 1. |
| 3 : |
Shows more than a minimum. Scale of 1-4 = 2. |
| 3 : |
Shows less than a maximum. Scale of 1-4 = 3. |
| 3 : |
Shows a maximum. Scale of 1-4 = 4. |
An example should illustrate this variation:
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| South |
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North |
| 2 |
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2 NT |
| 3 |
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South is forced by the first response by North to show on a scale of 1-4 how well the Weak Two opening should be calculated. Although South has a feature, the King, with the simplified version South should rebid 3 Spades to show the top range between 5/6 points and 11 points.
In this manner, the King remains undisclosed to the opponents since it will not be mentioned as information to the opponents, which would be the case if the partnership agreement would be the original Ogust convention.
Only upon request by one of the opponents would North be obligated to fully disclose that the 3 Spades rebid does not show a high-ranking honor or a feature. Without a request the lead could be a Diamond, which would secure one certain winning trick in Diamonds.
If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.