M J Bridge

 Responder root page

Bidding

Home

Conventions

Hands

Theory

2 promises invitational values


Using this convention the 2 bid requests opener to respond in a five-card major if he has one. You probably already do something similar when facing a 2NT opener.


The immediate and obvious reflex is likely to be to respond exactly as when partner bids 3 over your opening bid of 2NT, only one level lower.  In this case a response of 2 would deny a five-card major but promise at least one four-card major, and a response of 2NT would deny either a four-card or a five-card major suit holding.

Clearly the 2NT rebid would be dangerous unless your Stayman bid promised at least invitational values.

K Q 2

9 5

Q J 4

K T 7 4

Partner opened 1NT.

Bid 2, if playing five-card Stayman.

Partner might hold a five-card spade suit and weak hearts.

Opener’s first bid

Opener’s rebid


Most of the variations available will lie with opener on his rebid.


I have no experience of playing this convention at a high level, but my instincts tell me:-


that if you adopt the present method then the Lavings extension is probably the variation to go with;


but that playing 3 as five-card Stayman on game-going hands is probably better again, provided that you do not have a better use for 3.


Having said that, for most of us playing mainly at pairs, ordinary non-promissory four-card Stayman retaining the garbage Stayman sequences together with relatively simple structures for showing hands which are 5-4 in the majors and of invitational strength or stronger will prove more than sufficient.

This page last revised 22nd Mar 2020

Intermediate and above

Context  -  Partner opened 1NT - RHO passed - intermediate and beyond - variations and extensions - Stayman variations - five-card Stayman.