The concept, as devised by Mr. Alan P. Wollman, was originally published in the Southern California Bridge News in the year 1978. A second publication was printed in the Las Vegas, Nevada, Unit 373 Newsletter, (Winter Edition), and a third publication can be found in The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 7th Edition, page 340, as published by the American Contract Bridge League.

Biographical Information

Mr. Alan P. Wollman is an ACBL Accredited Teacher and a Club Director. He is also a published author of Wollman Over 1 No Trump, and also of Wollman Transfers, the description of which appeared in the ACBL Bridge Bulletin, December 1998. The magazine The Bridge World published in their December 2002 issue, Volume 74, Number 3, his article called The Bridge Brothers.

The ACBL Bridge Bulletin published in December 2002 and June 2003 Part 1 and 2 of his presentation / description of the concept of Inverted Majors. According to his biographical information on the website of ACBL he mentions the following item in his partial list of bridge conventions and articles, which is quoted: the Magical Minors (Big Club System) - Southern California Bridge News, November 2006. Although the article was written by one of my bridge partners, Jordan Chodarow, he appropriately gives me credit for its invention.

The concept, as devised by Mr. Alan P. Wollman, was originally published in the Southern California Bridge News in the year 1978. A second publication was printed in the Las Vegas, Nevada, Unit 373 Newsletter, (Winter Edition), and a third publication can be found in The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, 7th Edition, page 340, as published by the American Contract Bridge League.

Essentials For the Concept

The concept offers the bridge player a defense method following an opening of 1 No Trump by the opposing side. The conventional defense method can be employed either in the direct seat or in the balancing seat following two consecutive passes. The concept is not that dissimular to the concept of Cappelletti (Hamilton / Pottage), but maintains its individual characteristics.

Note: Although not mentioned the range of the opening No Trump is a determining factor in relationship to the holding and any defensive overcalls based on the Wollman defense method. This means that the basic concept can be altered to a No Trump range of 10-12, the so-called Kamikaze No Trump, to a higher No Trump range.

Features of the Concept

Opponent		Overcaller		Meaning
1 NT				The range of the No Trump opening bid has been pre-determined.
		Double		Penalty. The double promises 15 plus high card points versus weak and strong1 No Trump opening bids.
		2		Promises a one-suited holding. The advancer continues, if the responder passes, with 2 Diamonds showing 0-9 high card points and 2 No Trump with 10+ high card points. Both bids ask partner to designate the intended suit. If the suit is Clubs, then partner may pass.
		2		Promises both Major suits.
		2		Promises Hearts and an unspecified Minor suit.
		2		Promises Spades and an unspecified Minor suit.
		2 NT		Promises both Minor suits, each with comparable length and strength.
		3		Shows a 3-suited holding with a singleton and/or void in Clubs such as 4-4-5-0, 4-5-4-0, or 5-4-4-0.
		3		Shows a 3-suited holding with a singleton and/or void in Diamonds such as 4-4-0-5, 4-5-0-4, or 5-4-0-4.

 

 

If you and your partner wish to include the Bergen Raises in your partnership agreement, then it will prove prudent to practice first, become acquainted with the different responses, and then include this method on your Convention Card, in order that your opponents at the bridge table know that you are using Bergen Raises. It is also prudent to become familiar with the handling of overcalls by the opponents and agree to whether the system is on or off, depending generally on whether the overcall has interfered or not interfered with the constructive continuation of the Bergen Raises method.