RESPONDING TO 1NT
The weak notrump comes up an awful lot and therefore you will find yourself responding to it very frequently - this makes it very important that you have an efficient method of responses that allow you to get to the best contract most of the time.
My opinion is that Stayman and Transfers are the best set of conventions to play in response to 1NT - they are not too difficult and yet they are extremely flexible.
A summary of our responses to 1NT is below:
2C = STAYMAN
2D = TRANSFER to HEARTS
2H = TRANSFER to SPADES
2S = TRANSFER to a MINOR (see later)
2NT = 11-12pts
3C/D/H/S = Natural & strong
I will start by looking at how the system of transfers works.
What are Transfers?
A transfer is a bid in a suit ranking below the suit you actually hold - it tells your partner that you hold the suit above. It sounds a very strange idea - after all why don’t we just bid the suit we hold - but you will see how it works as you read on.
The transfers that we will be using in response to 1NT will be in the red suits - 2D to show hearts, and 2H to show spades.
Why use Transfers?
There are two basic reasons:
When we are weak we can arrange to have our partner play the hand concealing the stronger hand.
It gives us more flexibility in the bidding - there are many different types of hands that we would like to show after 1NT, and this system helps to show many of them.
When do we use transfers?
A very useful little rhyme is:
Stayman is used for four
Transfers for five or more
Whenever you hold five or more cards in a major suit, you can use a transfer - however many points you have - you can bid it on zero points and you can bid it on 19 points - hence the flexibility of the system.
Stayman on the other hand is used when you hold four card majors - in an attempt to find a 4-4 fit.
How do transfers work?
In response to a 1NT opening bid
2D SHOWS FIVE or more HEARTS
2H SHOWS FIVE or more SPADES
When the 1NT bidder hears a transfer bid he responds by bidding his partner’s suit:
e.g. 1NT - 2D - 2H: Responder shows five or more hearts, the opening bidder bids hearts for his partner and now the responder gets a second bid - herein lies the essence of transfers - because the responder gets a second bid he can then describe his hand.
There are three types of hand you can hold:
WEAK - less than 10 points - no chance for game
INVITATIONAL - 10 or 11 points (and the five-card major) - a chance for game
STRONG - 12 or more points (and the five-card major) - sure of a game
1 WEAK HANDS
With a weak hand you simply transfer and pass
e.g. 1NT - 2D - 2H - Pass
This is just like the old fashioned Weak take-out, except that in this case the stronger hand is kept hidden.
2 INTERMEDIATE HANDS
Transfer and either
5-card major, rebid 2NT
6-card major, rebid 3 of the major
e.g. 1NT - 2D - 2H - 2NT
or e.g. 1NT - 2H - 2S - 3S
The idea in these sequences is that you are inviting your partner to game in the same way as 1NT-2NT would invite him to game, but with transfers you can show your long major on the way.
3 STRONG HANDS
Transfer and either
(A) 5-card major, balanced - jump to 3NT
(B) 5-card major with a second suit - bid a new suit.
(C) 6-card major, jump to 4 of the major
e.g. 1NT - 2D - 2H - 3NT
or 1NT - 2H - 2S - 3C
1NT - 2D - 2H - 4H
The idea here is that we show our five-card major and then show our strength, by jumping to game or by changing the suit.
Let us see examples of all this:
Our partner opens 1NT and these are our hands:
S 5 4
H Q J 10 9 6 5
D J 2
C 7 6 3
1NT-2D-2H-Pass
We would have made a simple weak take out, but we are playing transfers, so we bid the suit below out major suit, 2D, our partner obediently bids 2H and then we pass. This leaves the stronger hand concealed since our hand will be the dummy.
S A 7 6
H Q J 10 9 6
D J 2
C K 6 3
1NT-2D-2H-2NT
Once again we start with a transfer bid, 2D showing five or more hearts, our partner bids 2H and now with 11 points we have a chance for game, but don’t forget you have already shown your five hearts, so there is no need to bid them again, instead you rebid 2NT to perfectly describe your hand: “Partner I have five hearts and about 11 points.”
S Q J 9 8 6 5
H A K
D 4 2
C 7 6 3
1NT-2H-2S-3S
Once again we start with a transfer bid, but this time 2H showing five or more spades, our partner bids our suit, 2S and now with ten points and a six-card suit, there has to be a chance for game, so you would like to invite your partner. Because you have a six-card suit you should bid spades again to show extra length - 3S. Once again you have given a perfect description of your hand: “Six or more spades and 10 or 11 points.”
S A K 6
H Q J 10 9 6
D J 2
C K 6 3
1NT-2D-2H-3NT
You transfer to show your hearts and your partner responds obediently 2H. This time you have the strength for game, so with a balanced hand you should jump to 3NT - remember you have already shown your five hearts! This does take some getting used to - it is always tempting to bid your hearts again, but once you understand that you have shown five already, you will get out of the habit.
S Q J 10 8 6
H A K
D 4
C A 7 6 3 2
1NT-2H-2S-3C
A nice and strong hand, easily shown by bidding a transfer first, to show your five spades and then rebidding in your second suit, clubs - to show a strong and distributional hand with five spades and four or more clubs.
S A K 6
H Q J 10 9 6 2
D 4
C A 6 3
1NT-2D-2H-4H
Finally we have a strong hand with a solid six-card suit - you could respond 4H to 1NT and get the auction over with, but with no tenaces in your hand, you would much prefer the lead to go up to your partner, so let him play the contract - transfer to show your hearts and then jump to game - 4H.
Enough about the responder to 1NT, what does the opening bidder do?
How to respond to Transfers
Now there are various more complicated systems, but mine is very simple. When your partner bids a transfer CLOSE YOUR EYES and BID HIS SUIT - that is to say - it does not matter what you hold in your hand, just simply bid your partner’s suit - this is how the system works - by bidding his suit, you allow him to describe his hand on the next round. I really do recommend closing your eyes, because this will stop you from going wrong - the only time that this is difficult is when playing with bidding boxes, but I am sure you will get round it!
That’s the easy part, now we have to see what happens when partner has described his hand. As we saw, he could have three types of hand
1) Weak; 2) Invitational; 3) Strong.
On weak hands you will NOT get another chance to speak
On intermediate hands you have two things to decide
Game or NOT game i.e. 12 or 14pts
Play in MAJOR or in notrumps.
With 3 or 4 cards in the major play major, otherwise play in notrumps.
On strong hands - the decision to play in game has already been made
So your decision is about the denomination - MAJOR or NOTRUMPS?
EXAMPLES:
S A 7 6 2 S 5 4
H 8 2 H Q J 10 9 6 5
D K Q 5 4 D J 2
C A J 5 C 7 6 3
1NT-2D-2H-Pass
You closed your eyes and bid 2H, and by the time you open them the auction is over.
If you had been looking at your hand, you would not have been so keen to bid 2H, but of course, trusting your partner is one of the most difficult aspects of bridge!
S A 7 6 2 S 10 9 3
H 8 2 H K Q J 6 5
D K Q 5 4 D A J 3
C A J 5 C 10 7
1NT-2D-2H-2NT-3NT
You completed the transfer as required and then your partner rebids 2NT.
You have two decisions to make:
1) Game or not? - Yes with 14 points I am maximum.
2) Hearts or Notrumps? - Notrumps.
S A 7 S 10 9 3
H 10 8 2 H K Q J 6 5
D K Q 5 4 D A J 3
C A J 5 2 C 10 7
1NT-2D-2H-2NT-4H
Same start as before, but this time our answer to the two questions is different:
1) With 14 points I have enough for game;
2) With 3-card heart support I will play in the major.
Remember to make both decisions - it is all too easy to decide on game and bid 3NT,
or just to decide on hearts and bid 3H - you must of course jump to 4H.
S A 7 S 10 9 3
H 10 8 2 H K Q J 6 5
D Q J 5 4 D A K 3
C A J 5 2 C 10 7
1NT-2D-2H-3NT-4H
This time the transfer bidder jumps to 3NT - be careful not to pass without thinking - why has partner bid a transfer? To show us his five-card major - therefore we need to ask ourselves whether we want to play in his major (hearts) or notrumps. With three card support and a doubleton, there is no doubt that you should play in hearts - 4H.
S Q J 6 2 S 10 3
H 8 2 H K Q J 7 6 5
D K Q 5 4 D A 8 3
C A 8 5 C 10 7
1NT-2D-2H-3H-Pass
This time responder rebids 3H. With just twelve points, there is no chance for game - now it is tempting to look at your hearts and rebid 3NT thinking you do not want to play in hearts, but with you partner’s promised six-card suit you do have a fit and thus you should stick to hearts, below game - that is PASS.
The most important thing to remember whenever you use a convention is to make a plan - otherwise you might find yourself in deep water later on. And finally don’t forget that little rhyme:
Stayman is used for four
Transfers for five or more
We will come across a few exceptions as we move on to Stayman and the 2S response.
STAYMAN
(1) WHAT is Stayman?
It is a conventional response of 2C to a 1NT opening bid - it asks the opening bidder whether he holds a four-card major.
The responses to 2C are 2D no 4-card major
These are the only 2H 4 hearts
three responses 2S 4 spades but NOT 4 hearts
(2) WHY use Stayman?
To locate a 4-4 fit in a major suit - Acol’s structure is based around the idea that whenever we have an eight-card fit in a major we would like to play in it - thus it is important to try to find a fit even after a 1NT opening.
(3) WHEN to use Stayman?
After a 1NT opening bid, when you have at least one four-card major and
(a) you have 11 or more points
or (b) you are weak but can cope with any response.
Stayman was designed with option (a) in mind and this is the aspect we will focus on to begin with, however we will look at its secondary use later.
Remember, as with any convention you must always make a PLAN before you use it.
There are two basic types of hands that fit into type (a):
INVITATIONAL HANDS (11-12 points) - game might or might not be on.
STRONG HANDS (13+ points) - game should be on.
So let us make a plan with these two types of hand:
INVITATIONAL HANDS (11-12)
Our plan will be to try to find a fit in a major suit and then invite our partner to game, so we bid Stayman, and over the response we bid halfway to game either in an agreed major or in notrumps:
e.g. 1NT-2C-2D-2NT or 1NT-2C-2H-3H
Both these sequences invite the opener to bid game.
STRONG HANDS (13+)
Our plan will be to try to find a fit in a major suit and then jump to game, so we bid Stayman, and over the response we bid game, either in an agreed major or notrumps.
e.g. 1NT-2C-2D-3NT or 1NT-2C-2H-4H
EXAMPLES: Responding to 1NT
S 10 6
H K Q 8 2
D K Q 9 6
C J 10 4
In response to 1NT you have four hearts and 11 points, so you can use Stayman (2C).
Let us see what happens over each response:
1NT-2C
2D - we have not found a fit so we rebid 2NT suggesting the chance of game in notrumps - it is the same as responding 2NT directly.
2H - we have found a fit so we rebid 3H suggesting the chance of game in hearts.
2S - we have not found a fit so we rebid 2NT - just as in case (a)
S K Q 8 2
H A 3
D K Q 9 6
C J 10 4
Responding to 1NT, you have plenty of points and so can be sure of game, but with a four-card major, perhaps 4S might be better than 3NT, so you should start by using Stayman.
Once again we will see how we might bid over each response.
1NT-2C
2D - we have not found a fit so we rebid 3NT - the best game.
2H - we might have a fit (partner has not denied 4 spades) but we should rebid 3NT. Our partner will know we have four spades because we used Stayman and denied four hearts by not supporting them. (We will clarify this below.)
2S - we have found a fit so we rebid 4S - the best game.
How do you respond to Stayman?
The responses are straight forward as shown above - there are only three possible responses and when you have both majors you should respond 2 H. However when it comes to your rebid there are two things to bear in mind:
a rebid of 2NT or raise to 3-of-a-major invite game - so you need to decide whether to go for game - 12 points - no; 14 points - yes.
If you have both majors then the final contract should either be in spades or hearts.
Let us see the hands above in complete auctions:
S A 3 2 S 10 6
H A J 5 4 H K Q 8 2
D 8 2 D K Q 9 6
C K Q 5 2 C J 10 4
1NT 2 C
2 H 3 H
4 H End
You open 1NT and then respond 2H to East’s Stayman enquiry. Then over 3H, you accept the invitation (14 points) by bidding game.
S A 9 4 3 S K Q 8 2
H K 7 5 4 H A 3
D 8 2 D K Q 9 6
C K Q 5 C J 10 4
1NT 2C
2H 3NT
4S End
This hand is the tricky one to get right. You open 1NT and when your partner bids Stayman you respond 2H, but should remember that when you hold both majors in response to Stayman you should always end the auction in either hearts or spades. So when your partner rebids 3NT (he does not have a fit for hearts) you must convert this to 4S. You should ask yourself ‘Why has my partner used Stayman?’ - the answer is because he has at least one four-card major - if it is not hearts then it must be spades.
S K Q 7 6 S A J 9 4
H A J 8 H K 2
D 7 6 D 8 4 2
C K 4 3 2 C A 9 7 6
1NT 2C
2H 3H
4H End
S K Q 7 6 S A J 9 4
H A J 8 H K 2
D 7 6 3 D 8 4 2
C K 4 3 C A 9 7 6
1NT 2C
2H 3H
End
These two hands show opening hands with 13 points - so that judging whether to bid game is not so easy; however remembering the losing trick count will help you. An opening 1NT will generally have 7 or 8 losers. With 8 losers you should pass 3H and with 7 losers raise to game. When judging in notrumps you should look for tens and nines to bolster your evaluation.
STAYMAN on WEAK HANDS
With 11 or more points you can use Stayman because you will always have a place to go when you do not find a fit - 2NT or 3NT. However on weaker hands you do not have this luxury.
Take:
S K Q 8 2
H Q 9 6 3
D 9 6
C 8 7 4
It is tempting to use Stayman but what would you do over a 2D response?
You are stuck and thus you should PASS a 1NT opening.
You must be able to cope with all three responses.
There are two types of weak hand that can use Stayman in this way:
(a) Hands with two four-card majors and at least four diamonds
(b) Hands with a four-card and a five-card major
(a) S Q 7 8 2
H Q 9 6 3
D J 9 6 5 3
C -
If you have long enough diamonds that you can reasonably pass the 2D response then you can use Stayman. On this hand 2C is a good response to 1NT - you will pass whatever your partner bids.
(b) S K 9 8 7 2
H Q 9 6 3
D 9
C 8 7 4
On this hand you can also use Stayman. You can pass a major suit response and over 2D you can rebid 2S. This enables you the chance to find the best fit.
It is worth noting - after Stayman, a rebid below 2NT shows a weak hand and should be passed.
HANDS WITH BOTH MAJORS
We have heard the very useful ditty:
Stayman is used for four
Transfers for five or more.
But what do we do with length in both majors:
- With weak hands as we saw above, you can use Stayman.
- With invitational hands there are ways to show two majors, but this is more complicated
and a matter for partnership agreement. I would recommend leaving these ideas aside,
but one method is to use Stayman and with no fit found, jump in your longer major:
1NT-2C-2D-3S
S K Q 8 7 2
H A Q 6 3
D 9
C 8 7 4
- However with STRONG hands it easy - Transfer and then show your second suit.
Note that if you have two five-card majors it is best to transfer to spades and then
rebid in hearts, twice if necessary.
S K 4 S A 9 8 6 3
H A J 8 H K Q 9 5 2
D Q 8 7 6 D 2
C K 4 3 2 C A 9
1NT 2H
2S 3H
3NT 4H
End
West opens 1NT and East wants to bid game and wants to play in one of his majors (partner is sure to have three card support for one of them)
He starts by showing the higher suit with a transfer 2H, and then rebids the hearts, bidding them a second time over 3NT - sure that his partner will choose the best major suit game.
THE 2S RESPONSE
As mentioned above the 2S response to 1NT is redundant (we now use 2H to show spades). There are an enormous variety of uses for this bid, the choice of definition being very much up to. Perhaps when you are used to the system of transfers you will play a more complicated variety or when you are just starting you need not use it at all, but I prefer to use it relatively simply. The way I see it is this - what have we lost by playing Stayman and Transfers?
The weak take-outs in clubs and diamonds - that is pretty much it. Hence I use the TWO SPADE response to one notrump to show the equivalent of a hand that would have made a weak take-out in a minor. That is, a weak hand with a long minor.
There is one difference though - I only make a weak take-out into a minor on a weak six-card suit. The reason for this is that you will be playing at the three-level, and if you are weak, then a five-card suit is not enough. Also take into account that notrumps scores more than the minors and thus given that you will be two-levels higher, it is often worth leaving the contract in one notrump.
How does this bid work?
Very similarly to the other transfers. Over the 2S response the 1NT opener simply closes his eyes and bids the next step up - 2NT. Now the responder can bid his minor. It is as simple as that:
S Q J 4 2 S 8 6 3
H A 9 8 3 H 7 5
D K 6 D Q J 9 8 7 5 2
C A 4 3 C 9
1NT 2S
2NT 3D
End
East can see that his hand is likely to be worthless in 1NT but in diamonds he might even make five tricks, so he wants to make a weak take-out to diamonds but remember 2D would show hearts so that is no good. Use the 2S response, this forces your partner to rebid 2NT and allows you to bid your minor - 3D. In 1NT you might only make three tricks, whereas in 3D you might well make nine.
The most important thing about responding to 1NT is to understand your system - it is going to come up so often that you will need to know it well - having said that - it is worth putting a little work in to learn the system I have outlined, because the flexibility it gives will reward you in the long run.
A couple of extra little pointers to finish:
(1) When RHO overcalls (or doubles) 1NT then your systems are SWITCHED OFF; that is all your bids are NATURAL again.
(2) I advise using red suit transfers and Stayman over 1NT and 2NT openings (including strong balanced hands that open 2D: 2D-2H-2NT).
(3) You should also use the same system in response to a 1NT overcall.
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