Stayman, however, published an article about the 2 bid in June of 1945 in The Bridge World, and his name became associated with the convention. The origin of this variation is unknown, which is also known as Drop Dead Stayman. This convention isn’t limited to 5-4 in the majors, and can also be bid with 6-4, but this is less effective as the 1NT hand is less likely to end up as declarer – better to show this shape with by transferring first over 1NT. Here’s an example of the simple version in action: Here we see North’s opening bid is a Strong 1NT (15-17) and responder replies with 2♣ . PUPPET STAYMAN. Game forcing. Responder could also have bid 3 to give Opener the chance to show a 5 card major ; 3 denies a 4 or 5 card major ; 3 shows 5 spades. STAYMAN This is probably the most well-known convention (this or Blackwood) in bridge. Crawling Stayman solves this problem. Playing Minor Suit Stayman, 2 becomes an artificial inquiry asking opener for a 4-card minor. It is used after partner has made a bid of No Trumps. Stayman is usually used in conjunction with Jacoby Transfers over 1NT. North opens a Strong 1NT and responder bids 2♣ to try and find a heart fit. Stayman Bidding Convention – Acol Bridge The Stayman Bidding Convention is one of the first conventions that beginning players will learn and is widely used by beginners and experienced players. These transfers work well with Stayman because it means that the responder will rarely have a 5-card major when they bid 2♣ – if this were the case, they would have transferred instead. Coded 9's and 10's. Shows a two-suited hand with six spades and four hearts. Does not promise a major suit. STAYMAN BRIDGE CONVENTION Stayman Convention – One of the most popular conventions used by Bridge players, using a 2C response to partner's 1 Notrump or 2 Notrump opening bid to locate a major suit fit. In this lesson I discuss the basics of Stayman, which situations it applies in and then what continuations are. Main Bridge Basics 1TB7 by Richard Pavlicek Lesson 9 The Stayman Convention. The menus show the topics that are here, but the site will always be a work-in-progress so check in again later if you don't see what you want. The Minor Suit Stayman is useful to describe four types of responder hands: 1. Responder chooses the contract once they have heard from opener about their 3-card major (or lack of). It is used by responder if partner has opened the bidding with a No Trumps bid – 1NT or 2NT. 2 Way Checkback Stayman. Muppet Stayman . To ask opener if he has a 4-card major, he responds 2. If RHO bids higher than 2♣ it is tough to show Stayman. The Stayman convention is a standard response to a natural 1NT or 2NT opening, developed by Samuel Stayman in 1945. Signoff. The Stayman Convention is used only with a 4-Card Major suit looking for a 4-Card Major suit fit. 2= No 4-card major2= 4 (or 5) hearts2= 4 (or 5) spades. Opener has a very simple job: they must confirm or deny that they have one (or two) four card majors. WEST EAST WEST EAST K 8 7 A J 5 4 21NT A Q 9 K 8 2 2NT Four-card heart suit, fewer than four spades, invitational to game. Samuel M. Stayman (May 28, 1909 [citation needed] – December 11, 1993) was an American bridge player, writer, and administrator. It was actually invented in the U.S. by George Rapée. Some variations require game-invitational values to bid Stayman, while others have no point requirement. Instead, some players choose to play a 1NT – 3♣ sequence as Puppet, and keep the normal 1NT – 2♣ sequence for a simpler version of Stayman. Opener can pass or correct to 4♠ if there is a fit. Over an opponent's Weak 2-Bid in a major (opening of 2H or 2S), here are the meanings of "Leaping Michaels" direct overcalls: . South doubles after East steals his bid. Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bids THE STAYMAN CONVENTION Definition: - The Artificial bid of “2C” over partner's opening bid of 1NT (or alternatively “3C” over partner’s opening of 2NT) asks the NT opener for a 4-card major suit. With both majors, opener bids 2♥ (2♠ would deny a four card heart suit). It is used by the responder if their partner has opened the bidding with a bid of 1NT or 2NT. This bid is a convention. Comic NT. Confi (Controls/Fit..bid slams with 2 balanced hands) (Rosenkrantz) Confit (provided by Neil H. Timm) Constructive Raises. Bridge bidding/play help. a. Signoff. This is probably the most well-known convention (this or Blackwood) in bridge. The Stayman convention also ensures, just like the transfer system, that the good hand will remain hidden. 1. The hand ♠ KJ63 ♥ AQ2 ♦ A84 ♣ Q93 is suitable for a 1NT overcall over any opening bid, as well as a 2NT overcall over an opponent's weak two bid. Checkback Stayman by Barbara Seagram barbaraseagram@gmail.com www.barbaraseagram.com Checkback Stayman is a nifty convention which is used most commonly after an opening bid of one of a minor and then a one of a major response with the opening bidder then jumping to 2 NT. The only exceptions would be: A) A hand that is willing to pass anything opener answers (including 2), B) A hand that has both majors (at least 4-4) and is willing to pass 2/2 or correct a 2 answer to 2 to show a weak hand with both majors. Tips for Swiss Team Play (IMPS) also works for Knockouts The Stayman convention was first used be Jack Marx, an English star in 1939. Garbage Stayman. To use the Stayman convention selected the Stayman option in the Conventions Dialog. In the variant of Stayman where responder shows at least a game invitational hand, they will never fold after opener bids. Stayman is highly useful and it is almost always the correct bid if you have a game invitational or game forcing hand and at least one 4-card major (with a few exceptions – see the next section). Winning Bridge. After a 1NT opener a response of 2C is the "Stayman" convention, asking partner to show a four card major suit if he has one. Are you using the Garbage and/or Crawling methods? If they do they bid it and hopefully it matches yours. After the 1NT opening bid the partnership find the best suit contract. Note playing this way makes it impossible for responder to show his minor suit. Not only do you have to make another trick, but there’s also a small possibility that your contract will backfire by giving your opponents the opportunity to take a ruff before you’ve cleared trumps. The responder generally uses these sequences to show length in the minor suits - 4 or 5 depending on partnership agreements and responder hand type; the responder always denies a 4 card major. Usually, Stayman is on but transfers are off. The more modern convention is Nonforcing Stayman — over the 2 negative answer, 2 and 2 are weak and should be passed. 3. Having your article written down so I can review it will be a great help to refresh my memory. Jump overcalls are made by skipping one level of bidding, e.g. In Jacoby, a 2♦ bid over 1nt is a transfer to 2♥, and a 2♥ bid is a transfer to 2♠. You must either invite to game, bid game, or show additional values: Partner has bid 2♥ showing a four-card heart suit and a possible four-card spade suit. Let’s take a look: Stayman is an extremely common convention that is used to help you and partner find the right contract after 1NT. If Responder was looking for a 4 - 4 fit they now bid the major they do not have or bid 4 to tell partner to pick the major. This shows a hand that is 5-4 or 5-5 in the majors with values for game and asks responder to show a 3-card major suit. It is important to discuss the following: Thanks, I’m want to play bridge on BBO with a remote partner. You must either invite to game, bid game, or show additional values: Partner has bid 2♠ showing a four-card spade suit and denying a four-card heart suit. If opener has 4-4 in the majors, they will bid 3♥, responder will bid 3NT, then North will correct to 4♠. When this is the case passing 2♦ is often undesirable, and so with 4-4, responder bids 2♥ over 2♦, and then opener corrects to 2♠ if they have a two-card heart suit. ----- A. Lastly, Lebensohl has a Stayman-like bidding sequence. This results in a much lower success rate. The Stayman convention is an artificial bid used to locate a 4-4 fit in a major suit after partner has opened 1NT. Stayman is used by responder to discover a possible major-suit fit after an opening bid of 1NT. In many of these scenarios, the convention is used anytime the responder can benefit from knowing if partner has a four-card major suit. After Stayman, Blackwood is probably the second convention These 3-level responses can work well if your Stayman bid always shows game-invitational values, but could get you into trouble if you bid with weaker, non-invitational hands. The Extended Stayman convention offers an alternative way to find a major suit contract after opener denies a 4 card major by bidding 2♦. These rebids do change if you are using Stayman with weaker hands. Promises four spades and fewer than four hearts. If you play transfer bids over 1NT, then a 2 response shows spades, thereby making a direct 2 response an idle bid. Generally, this method is not as good as Smolen (detailed above). Signoff. Do the 2♥, 2♠, 3♥, and 3♠ rebids show 5-4, or just a five-card suit in the bid major? Skip to the content Stellar Bridge Signoff. Smolen is also an option after the 2♦, in which case the 3♥ shows spades and the 3♠ bid shows hearts. I suggest that auction is "pass or correct" -- sometimes referred to as "Garbage" Stayman or "Crawling Stayman. There are many variations of the Stayman convention. Some partnerships prefer playing the 2♥ and 2♠ to show five in that suit but to promise nothing about the other major. A further 5NT asks for Kings. Stayman convention. The Stayman convention over one no-trump is a prime example of constructive improvement in scope which accomplishes a great deal more than its primary intention of finding a 4-4 major suit fit. If not, they bid 2♦ as a relay. 2. If opener bids 3♦ showing no 4 card major, responder will bid 3NT. Crawling Stayman is another option, showing a 5-card suit, 0-7 points, and asking partner to pass (see later). If the opening bid is one notrump, responder is able to bid a five-card or longer major suit. When your partnership holds two flat hands with no ruffing potential, the contract will play out much like NT except you have to make an extra trick to make game. © 1999 - 2021 Bridge with Larry Cohen- by. He is best known for Stayman, one of the world's most popular bidding conventions; indeed, a day after writing his obituary Alan Truscott called … The strength of Stayman is that it helps to find a 4-4 fit that will deliver more tricks and a better score than a NT contract – but that’s only true if you can take advantage of your trump suit. If opener has a 4-card heart suit, they will bid 3♥ and responder will then bid 3NT. With a weaker hand they could have bid 2♥ with this hand (provided they are not playing Crawling Stayman – see below). The Smolen convention is a modification to Stayman used after a 2♦ reply by opener. Bidding a four card suit at the 3-level when you haven’t found a fit and may have less than 20 combined points isn’t a great idea! After North opens 2NT, responder knows game is on – it’s just a matter of whether its 4♠ or 3NT: In this hand the spade fit was found straight away and opener was declarer in a 4♠ contract. For more on Puppet Stayman, click here. The main item you will need to discuss is what a double will show after opponents have interfered. Some variations require game-invitational values to bid Stayman, while others have no point requirement. Essentially opener will show holdings in the suits usually the majors. Minor Suit Stayman is "off" when opponent overcalls. It seems like a great way to learn bridge." Other 3-level bids (using LC Standard) are discussed here.On the 4-level, a raise to game is to play, other bids are splinter bids (example: 1N-2;2-4).Partnerships wishing to cover most of the details can read about them here. Jump overcalls. Here are the new replies: The advantage of this over the regular response is that the opening 1NT hand will end up declarer in the event that a fit is found in a major suit. You bid 2C asking if they have a 4 card major suit. With 10+ points, bid if your 1st bid Major was a 5-carder (he already knows it had 4), or if the unbid one is a 4-carder. Shows four spades and a game forcing hand, Four hearts, five spades, forcing to game, Four spades, five hearts, forcing to game. Stayman is normally on after a 1NT overcall. Stayman … Signoff. Here are the replies after 3♥: Stayman is great for finding a 4-4 fit in the majors, but what happens when you open 1NT with a 5-card major? Previously in this series, we covered the "front" of the convention card, culminating with weak two-bids. Since then, the convention has undergone many permutations. The partnership find their 5-3 fit and bid game. A 2♣ response to 1NT asks partner to bid a four card major suit if they have one, or 2♦ if they don’t. It is normally used in conjunction with transfers to maximize the chances that you can find a major-suit trump fit after a 1NT opening. Added the XYZ convention. Basic Stayman is one of the first conventions learnt by the beginner. Since responder is denying a four-card heart suit (by not raising hearts), 3NT promises 4 spades. Puppet Stayman - Used by responder with at least invitational values to discover whether opener's Notrump bid may consist of a 5 card major suit.. The Stayman convention is an artificial bid used to locate a 4-4 fit in a major suit after partner has opened 1NT. If you are learning this convention for the first time as a beginner, you should learn transfers next. For this reason, many players avoid using this convention on a 4-3-3-3 hand. Stayman Variations. Opener replies as if responder had bid 2♣ and the auction proceeds using their normal responses from there. The major suit fit does not help because there are no short suits to ruff and the partnership would be far better off in 3NT after the opening bid of 1NT. Partnerships wishing to cover most of the details can read about them. With 5-4 in the majors responder can either. Because this includes situations where responder has less than a game-invitational hand, there are more responses. There are several ways to play Stayman with a weak hand and they can all be very useful and there are a couple of benefits for using Stayman this way: This treatment involves bidding 2♣ with a very weak hand, 0-7 points (or 0-10 vs weak NT), intending to pass. A three clubs response is then Stayman. Cuebid shows Limit Raise or better. After a 2NT opener (or non-jump overcall), 3 is Stayman with the same schedule of responses (a level higher). There are a couple of ways to do this depending on their response. Notes: 1. Minor Suit Stayman is an extension of the Stayman and Jacoby Transfer conventions. We’ll look at these later in the article. If they don't have a 4 card major they bid 2D, and then you get to decide where you want to play instead. Assuming the 2NT opening shows 20-22 points, you require just 4 points to bid. In terms of doubling, your partnership have a choice between straight penalty and a negative double showing some value, which partner could then choose to pass for penalties. It really helps in having the feedback after we submit an answer. A 4NT bid after trumps have been established asks for Aces and responder bids up the line to show how many they have. Promises four hearts and fewer than four spades. I like to use 1NT-3 as Puppet. I recommend it only for very experienced players, and only on the 3-level. This frees up the 1NT – 3♣ and 1NT – 3♦ sequences to be used as sign-off bids (or you can use transfers for these weak sign-off hands). Puppet aims to solve this problem. In the event that they have both suits it is normal to bid 2♥ first (in the original incarnation, 2♠ was used to show both majors): Some people also play additional “super responses”, where a bid at the 3-level by responder shows a maximum with a good suit: Here’s an example hand of that in action: In this hand, opener bids 3♠ to show his strength which is also boosted by having a 5-card spade suit. The Blackwood Convention is a bridge convention used in slam bidding. You must either invite to game, bid game, or show additional values: Let’s take a look at a few example hands: After the opener denies a 4-card major suit, responder bids 3♥ to show 5-4 in the majors and values for game. What is your strategy when there is competition in the bidding. See, Game forcing with six-card diamond suit. 1 ♦ – (2 ♠). In most partnerships, to use MSS over 1NT, bidding 2 initiates the convention. Some partnerships use this variation of Stayman which uncovers not only 4-card majors, but also 5-card majors. See. Bridge Questions, Bridge Articles & More! Garbage Stayman: How to Bid Weak Hands Opposite 1NT, Weak, four spades, does not have four hearts, Strong, four hearts, may have four spades, Strong, four spades, does not have four hearts, Shows a two-suited hand with five hearts and four spades. The 1NT opener must reply to this 2 bid (Stayman) Opener's rebids: 2 no 4-card major suit 2 shows 4 hearts and may still hold 4 spades 2 shows 4 spades and denies holding 4 hearts Examples 1. 3. This concept has been accepted by the bridge community and has received this designation. Take a look at the example below to see how this can go wrong: As we can see in this hand, there is no merit to being in 4♠ when two flat hands are opposite each other. Some partnerships prefer playing the 3♥ and 3♠ to show five in that suit but to promise nothing about the other major. In LC Standard, I prefer to use Puppet Stayman only as a jump to 3 after 1NT. It’s unlikely opener will be happy when he sees dummy. Other variants may require fewer points. The basic responses after the 2♦ relay are: The downside to Puppet, apart from its complexity (check out our full guide, linked in the info box below, for a more detailed overview), is that some of the sequences give a lot of information away. Crawling Stayman Double-Barreled Stayman Four-Suit Transfers Garbage Stayman Gerber Jacoby Transfers Keri Response to 1NT Lebensohl by Marc Smith Minor Suit Stayman Minor Suit Transfers Puppet Stayman by Marc Smith Serious 3NT by Marc Smith Smolen by Marc Smith South African Texas Transfers Stayman Texas Transfers Yellow Rose of Texas. Free Bridge Lessons. A helpful convention: Leaping Michaels (direct-seat overcalls after they open a weak 2-bid). It’s not a good idea without knowing Stayman. The Stayman convention is one of the first things you learn when you are starting to play bridge. This variation of regular Stayman is used by the partner of a notrump bidder to locate not only a 4-card major with the notrumper, but also a 5-card major.. (After a 2NT opening, I don't like Puppet Stayman because it is hard to show 5-4 in the majors). Instead of asking for a 4-card major, the 2♣ bid asks for a 5-card major (so you only need a 3-card major suit to bid it). Shows four hearts and a game forcing hand. For now, we move to the "back" of the card and start off with DOUBLES. In this scenario, the point requirement will depend upon what strength NT you are using: These points values are for the simple version. Invitational, not forcing. In its most basic form, it is an asking bid, asking partner to bid a 4-card major suit or 2. Minor-suit Stayman is a convention after a NT opening, indicating at least invitational strength and at least 5-4 in the minors. The Stayman Convention Stayman is used after partner opens 1NT. There are two variations of the Stayman convention, however, which do allow Responder to act with fewer HCP’s than usually necessary. Opener knows they have a 4-4 fit in spades and bids the trump fit with 4♠. We’ve written up a detailed summary of Garbage and Crawling Stayman, including hand examples and response tables. Because partner has limited their hand with their opening bid (1NT), it is responder’s job to decide whether to invite game or bid it immediately. Stayman can be used this way to make a strong bid with a minor suit. As a general rule it is usually better to play in a major suit contract (spades or hearts) than to play in No Trumps, but …