Larry Matheny
The time allocated today doesn’t allow us to cover this entire topic so I am going to concentrate on ways to find major suit fits.
PART 1 – MAJOR SUITS
As responder with a balanced hand, simple arithmetic will almost always tell you how high to bid when your partner opens 1NT. Assuming partner is showing 15-17 high card points (hcp) and you hold:
HCP BID
0-7 Pass
8-9 Invite
with
2NT
10-16
3NT
17-18
Invite with
4NT
19-20
6NT
21-22
5NT, forcing to 6NT and inviting
7NT
23+
7NT
LOCATING MAJOR SUIT FITS
We start with the premise that it is usually better to play in a major suit contract if you have at least an eight-card fit. With a trump suit you frequently capture an extra trick and you also benefit from the protection trumps provide against the opponents’ suits. You can see above that we did not need any conventions for the balanced hands, but to uncover a fit in the majors, we need a bit of science. The two conventions we use most often are Stayman and Jacoby Transfers. Later on I will also show some other agreements that can help. Most people are familiar with Stayman and Jacoby so I won’t go into a lot of detail but instead show examples of when and how they may be used.
SIGNING OFF AT THE TWO LEVEL
Holding 0-7 hcp and a 5+ card major, it is usually correct to transfer to the major and then pass. There are two times when you should use Stayman:
Both hands are unlikely to be of any help to partner in 1NT. You will be lucky if he responds in a major but even a seven-card fit will usually be an improvement over 1NT. In the second hand, if partner responds 2D, you will bid 2H. He will pass unless he holds only two hearts and then he will bid 2S.
INVITING GAME IN A MAJOR
FOUR CARD MAJORS
Holding 8-9 hcp and one or both majors, you can use Stayman to find a fit. If partner has a major, you will raise to three. If partner has no major, you will rebid 2NT. Opener will pass with a minimum and bid game with more.
FIVE CARD MAJORS
Holding 8-9 hcp and a five-card major, you transfer and then bid 2NT. With a minimum, partner can pass or sign-off in three of your major. With extras he will bid 3NT or jump to game in your major.
HOLDING 5-4 IN THE MAJORS
There are two ways to invite game with this holding. If you hold four spades and five hearts, you transfer to hearts and then bid 2S. This is invitational and partner may pass with four spades and a minimum. With other minimum hands he will sign-off in 2NT or 3H when holding three of that suit. If you hold five spades and four hearts with invitational strength, you use Stayman. If partner bids a major, you raise. If he bids 2D, you now bid 2S showing specifically five spades and four hearts with invitational strength.
SIX CARD MAJORS
Here you simply transfer to your major and raise to three. Since partner promises no more than two in your suit, he will know you have six or more.
FORCING TO GAME (with no slam interest)
FOUR CARD MAJORS
We rely on Stayman to find a 4-4 major suit fit. With a fit we raise opener’s major to game and otherwise bid 3NT.
FIVE CARD MAJORS
With a semi-balanced hand and game-going strength, you transfer into your major and then jump to 3NT. Partner will pass with a doubleton in your suit or bid four of your major with three or more. With an unbalanced hand holding a 5-card major and a minor suit, you transfer to your major and then bid your minor at the three-level. This new suit auction is forcing and partner will usually place the contract in 3NT or four of your major, but there will be times when it is right to find a minor suit contract. If you hold 5-4 or 4-5 in the majors, you can start with Stayman and if partner bids 2D, jump to three in your five card major. This is forcing and shows 5-4 distribution.
SIX CARD MAJORS
Holding a 6+ card major suit, you simply transfer into your major and then jump to game. Partner is not expected to move over this bid.
INVITING SLAM IN A MAJOR
FOUR CARD MAJORS
When you hold 17-18 hcp and partner opens 1NT, you want to invite slam. If you hold one or both four-card majors, Stayman is the way to begin. Let’s look at an example where you hold:
S-KJ109 H-62 D-AK97 C-AQ10
OPENER YOU
1NT 2C
??
-If opener bids 2D or 2H, you make an invitational jump to 4NT. This is NOT
Blackwood.
-If opener responds 2S, you need to have a bid that allows you to
invite slam in spades.
One solution is to use three of the other major to
show just that hand.
1NT 2C OR
1NT 2C
2H 3S
2S 3H
Opener may sign-off in game with a minimum, cue bid or use Blackwood to check on controls, or simply bid the slam. Another way to invite slam is to jump to 4D. This shows a balanced hand with four of opener’s major.
FIVE CARD MAJORS
Holding a five-card major with slam interest, you start by transferring to your suit. Then with a semi-balanced hand you jump to 4NT to show an invitational hand. Again, this is NOT Blackwood. If you think it should be, take a look at this:
Responder: S-KQ1087 H-32 D-AK10 C-KJ7
Opener: S-93 H-AQJ4 D-QJ53 C-AQ10
Opener has 16 hcp, but 5S may be too high. After showing your five-card major, this invitational raise to 4NT describes your hand. You communicated your strength and long suit and allowed partner to make the final decision. With an average hand and no fit for your long suit, he will pass 4NT.
SIX CARD MAJORS
A simple solution is to use a jump to three of your major. This shows a 6+ card major with slam interest. Partner may sign-off in game or with a fit and a good hand, move toward slam by cue bidding or using Blackwood. I will discuss another approach a bit later.
BIDDING SLAM IN A MAJOR
FOUR CARD MAJORS
With slam going strength and holding one or both majors, we begin with Stayman. Our follow-up will depend upon whether we have a fit. If opener bids one of our majors, we may simply ask for aces by jumping to 4C. (Remember a bid of 4NT after Stayman is an invitational raise of NT.) Partner’s response should allow you to place the contract unless you are strong enough to be interested in a grand slam and want to ask for kings.
If partner does not have a fit with you in a major, you may bid 5NT asking partner to bid his suits up the line, or with a good enough hand, just bid 6NT. Some examples:
Responder: S-AK98 H-87 D-AJ10 C-AQJ2
Opener: 1. S-QJ76 H-KJ
D-KQ3
C-K85
2. S-Q107 H-KQJ10 D-KQ3
C-K98
3. S-Q72 H-AJ2 D-KQ3 C-K984
Hand #1 Hand #2 Hand #3
Opener Responder
Opener Responder
Opener Responder
1NT
2C
1NT 2C
1NT
2C
2S
6S
2H 5NT
2D
5NT
P
6NT P
6C P
Note that responder’s bid of 4NT invites slam while 5NT is a way of discovering the best slam.
FIVE CARD MAJORS
Now we have a 5-card major and strength to bid a slam. Holding a semi-balanced hand you may transfer to your major and then bid 5NT. This asks partner to either bid six of your major, bid 6NT, or bid a five-card suit. Some examples:
Responder: S-AK987 H-86 D-A62 C-AQJ
Opener: 1) S-QJ4 H-KJ7
D-KQ984
C-K85
2) S-Q5 H-AKQJ D-KQ84
C-852
3) S-J4 H-AK2 D-KJ3 C-K10895
With hand #1 opener will bid 6S, with #2 he will bid 6NT, and with #3 he will bid 6C.
SIX CARD MAJORS
With few exceptions, when you hold a six card major and partner opens 1NT, you are going to play in your suit. So start by transferring and then move toward slam. You can use 4C to check on aces; cue bid to find out about controls, or just bid the slam.
OTHER METHODS AND CONVENTIONS
For newer players I always recommend keeping the bidding simple, but for those of you who are ready to use more sophisticated tools, here are some conventions that are helpful.
SPLINTER BIDS
The splinter bid is a double jump showing support for partner’s suit along with either a singleton or void in the suit bid. This allows partner to further evaluate his hand. Some examples:
OPENER RESPONDER
OR
OPENER
RESPONDER
1NT
2C
1NT
2D
2S
4D
2H
3S
Holding wasted values such as the king or queen in responder’s short suit, opener will have no interest in moving toward slam. However, if responder’s short suit is opposite two small or three small, a fair hand might have just been elevated to a very good hand.
TEXAS TRANSFERS
This is similar to the Jacoby transfer except it is made at the four-level. It allows you to make a mild slam invitation below game.
OPENER RESPONDER
1NT
2H
2S
4S
Without Texas transfers, this is merely a Jacoby transfer and sign-off in game. However, playing Texas transfers this is a mild slam try. If you had no interest in slam, you would bid 4H directly over 1NT and then pass opener’s 4S bid. Texas also allows you to use 4C as a splinter bid rather than ace asking. If you want to check for aces, you transfer at the four level and then bid 4NT.
SHOWING 5-5 IN THE MAJORS
After partner’s 1NT, many people play a leap to three of a major as showing 5-5 in the majors. A 3H bid shows an invitational hand and 3S shows a game forcing hand. It is always nice to be able to show your hand with one bid. If you adopt this approach, you will no longer be able to jump to three of a major to show a single-suited hand with slam interest.
SMOLEN
This convention allows you to show a 5-4 major suit hand with game going values. You start with Stayman and if opener responds 2D, you jump to three of your four-card major. This shows five cards in the other major and allows the 1NT opener to be declarer if he holds three in that suit. It is another way to transfer so the stronger hand may declare. Another benefit of this agreement is that it frees up this auction to show slam interest:
OPENER RESPONDER
1NT
2H
2S
3H
Since you would have used Smolen with 5-4 in the majors, this promises 5-5 with slam interest.
This by no means exhausts this subject but it’s enough for today. Good luck with your major suit adventures.