M J Bridge

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Post intermediate and above

Opener’s first bid

3♠ is minor suit Stayman


Playing this convention responder’s bid of 3♠ does exactly what it says on the tin.

At its simplest, it asks opener to bid a four-card minor if he holds one, and 3NT otherwise.


The most common agreement is that the bid will be made on a hand with at least 5-4 shape in the minors and at least a slam interest.


By enlarging the set of possible responses it becomes possible for opener to give responder pretty much all the information he is likely to require to enable him to decide whether or not to proceed in search of a slam.

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7

A 6 2

K J 5 3 2

Q J 4 3

Partner opened 2NT.

There must be the possibility of a slam here, particularly if a minor suit fit can be located.

Bid 3♠.

Partner’s response is likely to give you sufficient information on which to base a considered decision.


The bid will of course have to be set alongside the other possible immediate responses to create a coherent system.


Two possible ways of doing this are included in the section ‘combining the options’.



Just as an aside, I happen to prefer the alternative approach of ‘3♠ is puppet to 3NT’, but you will be in excellent company if you follow the minor suit Stayman approach shown on this page.

Context  -  Acol bidding - responder’s first bid - partner opened 2NT (strong) - advanced methods.

Opener’s rebid