Red Suit Transfers over 1NT

Why Play Transfers?

Even those players that do not yet play transfers over 1NT will be familiar with them. So many pairs play transfers that many of your opponents will be using them against you. They are so easy to use and so descriptive that I recommend everyone should play them. I describe a simple approach that can be understood as assumed if you agree with your partner to play Red Suit Transfers without any further discussion.

Playing transfers gives you two significant advantages. The first is the most obvious and is also the most touted, but it is the second that provides the greatest benefit.

  1. The 1NT opener ends up as declarer when responder is weak, thus protecting tenaces and keeping the stronger hand hidden.
  2. Responder has shown a suit at the two-level while opener's forced response guarantees responder a second bid, should he have more to say. Responder can therefore give opener a better description of his hand.

An example of the second feature is that responder can tell opener "I have exactly five hearts and an invitational strength hand". It is not possible to give opener that message unless transfers are in use. This information enables the 1NT opener to select the most appropriate contract for the partnership, either 2NT, 3H, 3NT or 4H. Playing transfers will get you into the best contract more often.

The Responses to 1NT

After a player has opened 1NT and the next player has passed, the system is:

2C
The Stayman convention. Asks opener to bid 2H with four hearts (may also have four spades), 2S with four spades (denies four hearts), 2D with no four-card major. A rebid of 3C or 3D by responder shows a weak hand with a six-card minor and opener should pass.
2D
Transfer to hearts. Shows five or more hearts. Opener is expected to bid 2H regardless of his holding. Opener may break the transfer with a good fit but should not do so unless he knows that his partner will understand what he means.
2H
Transfer to spades. Shows five or more spades. Opener is expected to bid 2S regardless of his holding. Opener may break the transfer with a good fit but should not do so unless he knows that his partner will understand what he means.
2S
Weak raise in no trumps (shows 11 hcp over a 12-14 hcp 1NT). Opener should bid 3NT if holding a maximum (14 hcp), otherwise must bid 2NT. Note that there are other ways to play the 2S response but that this method is commonly played at our club.
2NT
Strong raise in no trumps (shows 12 hcp over a 12-14 hcp 1NT). Opener should bid 3NT if holding better than a minimum (13-14 hcp), otherwise must pass.
3 any
Shows a six-card suit in a strong hand, with slam possibilities if a good fit exists. Opener should bid 3NT with an unsuitable hand. A raise of responder's suit is encouraging but shows doubt about controls. A new suit at the three-level is natural. A new suit at the four-level is a cue bid.
3NT
To play.

After the transfer has been completed

Responder is weak

If responder is weak and wants to play in two of the major, he simply passes.

Responder is single-suited

With game-invitational strength or more and a single-suited or fairly balanced hand, responder can use the advantage gained from the transfer bid to give opener an accurate description.

Five-card suit, invitational strength:
Responder rebids 2NT. Responder could have made a raise to 2NT in the first place but he has have told opener of a five-card major on the way. Opener can choose the denomination (responser's suit if he has three or more cards, no trumps if he has only two), and the level to play at (part score if he is minimum, game if he is maximum).
Five-card suit, game strength:
Responder rebids 3NT. You have given opener a choice of two possible game contracts. Opener will pass if having only two-card support but will revert to responder's suit with three or more trumps.
Six-card or longer suit, invitational strength:
Responder rebids three of his suit. Opener will pass with a minimum and raise to four with a maximum.
Six-card or longer suit, game strength:
Responder rebids four of his suit. Opener will always pass.
Six-card or longer suit, slam-invitational strength or better:
Responder does not make a transfer. He bids three of his suit immediately over opener's 1NT. Opener should bid 3NT with no fit, otherwise support responder's suit directly or with a cue bid.

Responder is strong and two-suited

Two-suited hands are shown by transferring into the first suit and then rebidding a second suit. All further bids after the completion of the transfer are natural. For example, in the sequence 1NT, 2H, 2S, 3H, the 2H was a transfer to spades, of course, but the 3H was natural, showing hearts. Please note: you must trust your partner here. Don't think to yourself "he had forgotten that we're playing transfers and has now corrected his error, so I'd better pass". Trust that your partner has got spades and hearts. If he thinks you might pass his 3H in this sequence, how can he show you his strong major two-suiter? If you pass, you will miss a game or a slam.

Any bid in a second suit by responder is forcing to game, so responder must not show a two-suited hand unless he is strong enough for game. Furthermore, responder should not introduce a minor suit unless he is seriously interested in playing in the suit. If opener has four-card support for responder's second suit he will certainly show it and the 3NT level will be passed. Showing a minor suit indicates either that responder is looking for a slam or that he is very unsuitable for playing in 3NT.

Here are a few examples of two-suited sequences that start with a transfer bid:

1NT, 2H, 2S, 3H,
Responder has shown at least five spades and at least four hearts.
1NT, 2H, 2S, 4H,
Responder has shown at least five spades and at least five hearts. Responder is not looking for a slam (or he would have bid more slowly with 3H), so opener should pass or convert to 4S.
1NT, 2H, 2S, 3C,
Responder has shown at least five spades and at least four clubs. Responder is either very strong, looking for a slam in one of his suits, or is unsuitable for 3NT, probably having a singleton or a void somewhere. Opener should show three-card support for spades or four-card support for clubs, otherwise, if well-stopped in the unbid suits, should bid 3NT. If opener is weak in one of the unbid suits, he should consider bidding 4S with a doubleton honour, since 3NT is likely to be unsafe.

All further bidding after the transfer has been completed is entirely natural, so it is easy for the partnership to continue the investigation until the best contract is discovered.

When the opponents double

If the opening 1NT bid is doubled by the next player, all Stayman and transfer conventions are off and any bid is an attempt to escape to a safer contract.

When the opponents overcall

If the opening 1NT bid is overcalled by the next player, all Stayman and transfer conventions are off. Responder's bids are natural:

This scheme of standard natural responses is simple but it does not cover all of the issues that the opening side have to deal with. I recommend the Lebensohl convention to ambitious pairs.

If the overcall is passed back to opener he will usually pass, of course. He has limited his hand and a decision to act should normally be left to responder. However, a double by the 1NT opener shows 4-4-3-2 distribution with a weak doubleton in overcaller's suit. Responder must take it out. This risky manoeuvre is probably best reserved for pairs competitions.

Responses to a 1NT Overcall

It is normal (at least amongst stronger players) to play the same responses to a 1NT overcall as over a 1NT opening bid. This is known as "system on". But my experience is that most club players assume natural responses after a 1NT overcall. This is known as "system off". It is a good idea explicitly to agree either system on or system off after a 1NT overcall before play begins. If you find yourself at the table and your partner has made a 1NT overcall and you have no explicit agreement, I suggest that if you and your partner both consider each other to be strong players that you assume system on, otherwise assume system off.

My personal preference is to play system off after a 1NT overcall. The responder may be very weak, and having natural bids of 2C and 2D provides you with a means of finding a better contract at a sensible level. If responder has a 4-card major and wants to seek a major suit fit, he can use a cue bid of the opponent's suit as Stayman.

System On

A transfer into the opponents' suit is conventional and asks opener for a stopper. He completes the transfer without a stopper, or with a partial stopper, but can bid 2NT if having the suit well-stopped.

For example, after you have overcalled your opponents' opening 1H with 1NT, if your partner bids 2D (transfer into hearts, the opponents' suit) he is asking for a heart stopper. If you have hearts stopped, you bid 2NT. If not, you complete the transfer by bidding 2H and your partner can sign off in a safe 2S, 3C or 3D without being afraid that he is missing a makeable 3NT.

System Off

All bids are natural except a cue bid of the opponent's opening bid, which is Stayman, showing a 4-card major and asking opener to bid a 4-card major if he has one.

Agreeing the Red Suit Transfers method

The responses of 2C, 2D and 2H are standard. As mentioned above, however, there are other ways of playing the 2S response. This method is the simplest and is very common but, to be certain that you and your partner have the same understanding, agree the following:

You should also agee whether to play system on or system off after your side makes a 1NT overcall.

Variations

There are two areas where different people play Red Suit Transfers differently. The first is the method they use for taking 1NT out to a minor suit contract when responder is weak. The second is the meaning given to the 2S response and (possibly) the 2NT response.

The English Bridge Union's recommended method uses a different approach to these two items. I have written up the EBU's Red Suit Transfer Method and I recommend you to look at that method also before choosing one of the alternatives.

Author: Chris Burton
Gravesend Bridge Club