Stayman over 1NT

What is there to discuss?

The Stayman convention is so well known that you would think there's not much to say about it. There are two things to consider, however:

The partnership should be able to make a weak takeout into a minor in some way. If using Stayman you cannot bid a natural and weak 2. Nor can you bid a natural and weak 2 if using transfers. When you have a weak hand with a six-card minor suit and your partner opens 1NT, it is good to be able to reach a reasonable 3 or 3 rather than to play in a hopeless 1NT. You will probably make +110 instead of -50, or -50 instead of -100.
What to bid when holding both majors. Although some players use 2NT for this, it is most definitely not standard to do so. The standard approach is to bid 2 (bidding four-card suits "up the line", as usual), and bid spades on the next round if responder bids no trumps.

This Stayman method provides for weak takeouts into the minors and treats the "both majors" situation in the standard way.

Using Stayman

After your partner has opened 1NT, or overcalled 1NT, and the next player has passed, you can use Stayman (a) to try to locate a major suit fit if you have a four-card major, or two four-card majors; or (b) to begin a weak takeout into clubs or diamonds (unless your system has another method for weak takeouts into a minor).

With either of these types of hand, you bid 2 and partner will reply:

2: Opener has no four-card major.
2: Opener has four hearts (and may also have four spades).
2: Opener has four spades (and denies four hearts).

Opener is not permitted to make any other bid.

Alerting

Partner should alert the Stayman 2 bid and, if asked, describe it as "asking partner to bid his cheapest 4-card or longer major or 2 if not having one". The response of 2 should also be alerted.

Note that responder's use of Stayman does not promise any particular holding. It is, at first, only an enquiry about opener's major suit holding. Responder's action on the next round reveals his hand type.

Responder's next action

Responder is weak

Responder may often use Stayman when weak with 5-4 in the majors. If opener bids a major suit, responder passes. If opener denies a major suit with 2, responder bids his five-card suit with 2 or 2, which opener will pass.

Responder may also use Stayman when 4-4 in the majors and with a 5-card minor suit. He will pass a major suit response by opener. If holding diamonds he will pass opener's 2 response. If holding clubs he will bid 3 over opener's 2 response, which opener will pass.

If responder has a six-card minor suit in a weak hand, he bids 3 or 3 over any response (or passes 2, of course). Again, opener will pass.

Responder has invitational strength

With game-invitational strength, responder bids 2NT or supports a major shown by opener to the three-level.

Responder will always have one or both 4-card majors when he rebids 2NT, since without a 4-card major he would have bid an invitational 2NT in the first place. Therefore, if opener has both 4-card majors (and so has bid 2 at first), when responder bids 2NT opener should convert to 3 (if weak) or 4 (if strong), since he can assume that responder has four cards in the other major.

Responder has game strength

With game strength, responder bids 3NT, supports a major shown by opener to the four-level, or bids a new major suit at the three-level.

Once again, responder will always have one or both 4-card majors when he rebids 3NT. Therefore if opener has both majors he should convert to 4.

After a 1NT Overcall

It is normal to play the same responses over a 1NT overcall as over a 1NT opening bid. A partnership should assume this unless a different agreement has explicitly been made.

Agreeing the Stayman method

Agree the following with your partner:

"Stayman over 1NT openings and overcalls, with rebids of 3 and 3 as a weak takeouts."

That describes the system given here.

Author: Chris Burton
Gravesend Bridge Club