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A Useful Convention. It's Fri Day  for those new to the game

Bridge is full of artificial or conventional bids, bids where the meaning is something other than length of cards in the suit bid. There are very few conventions in an initial series of Beginners’ Lessons, one of the few being the 2 opening bid showing a game-force hand, a hand which might contain no clubs.

One convention which is taught very soon after the Beginners’ course is the Stayman convention and it is generally acknowledged as one of the most useful.

After 1NT from opener or even after partner overcalls 1NT, 2 from the responder asks opener whether they hold a 4-card major. If the answer is “no”, then opener responds 2D. If “yes”, then opener calls that major at the 2-level. The opener is never allowed to pass 2!

Say opener has both 4 hearts and 4 spades? Then, you always call the lower one (hearts) first.

The responder then either places the contract or else gives that responsibility of placing the contract back to opener, if for instance they held 11-12 hcp where they will invite game.

The important premise to understand is that the responder has either one or both 4-card major suit to use Stayman. Therefore, when the bidding goes (opposition silent):

North                         South

                                    1NT

2                               2

3NT                            ?

3NT not only says North does not have 4 hearts but it says they must have 4 spades, or else they would not use Stayman.

Hence South must think before they pass 3NT. If they hold 4 spades, they must bid that suit at the 4-level. If not, the result could be disastrous.

 

 

South was just happy that his side had reached game and passed 3NT but soon felt very uncomfortable when West led Q. These were the four hands:

South won the opening lead with A (it would not have mattered had they lost to Q at trick 1 assuming West had continued the suit.). They remembered the lesson on finessing and played K and low to the jack but it was East who held Q and won the trick. East remembered it is so often correct to continue the suit their partner led ..and very soon, the defence had won 4 club tricks, Q and A for down 2.

It is for lay-outs like the above that most pairs use Stayman. The bidding above was correct up until South’s last pass. They should have bid 4. North used Stayman and as they did not support hearts, they must have four spades.

The play in 4 would start in the same way with Q lead taken by South’s ace and the unsuccessful spade finesse. East can play K but they can see that dummy has no more clubs. So, they switch to A and play another heart but declarer wins, draws the remaining trump and can play top diamonds and hearts to come to 10 tricks.

10 tricks in spades: 7 tricks in no-trumps.

Had the spade finesse worked and had South made 4 diamond tricks (they could not this time), then with A they would have made 3NT. Yet, they made 4 even when the spade finesse lost.

Try to remember to use Stayman convention after your partner opens or overcalls 1NT, if you have a 4-card major and enough high-card points to invite or force to game. Stayman has other uses too but that is enough for one day.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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