May 2014 - 50

The Courtship of Miss Notrump
BY MARLENE WALTHER

Miss Notrump was an elusive rarity, and when she appeared, she was
always on the lookout for a partner.
She was a beauty, a femme fatale. Men
enthusiastically sought her hand! The
moment she announced her name, it
brought men to attention. Bells would
ring and alarms would go off because
everyone knew that this was no ordinary lady! With 15-17 high-card points
and a balanced hand, she was a most
desirable partner and did not lack for
suitors.
Courters without a five-card major
and holding fewer than 8 HCP were no
match for Miss Notrump. They had no
option but to pass her by, and that was
the end of it. She wasted no time on
them. No chumps for Miss Notrump!
She was, however, charmed by two
suitors: Mr. Stayman and Mr. Jacoby
Transfer. Their advances warranted
her attention, and she enjoyed flirting with them! Both used secret codes
when communicating with her that she
found intriguing.
Mr. Stayman was very keen and was
known to court her many times. He
was so predictable with his pick-up
line of "2♣," but she was willing to
entertain him because it meant he
had at least 8 HCP and a four-card
major. Being the intuitive gal she was,
she knew he wanted to know only one
thing: Did she have a four-card major
that matched his own? She always
answered him honestly because she
wanted to work with him to find the
best outcome for both.
If she had a four-card major, she
would willingly answer "2♥" or "2♠."
It was up to him to decide if their majors were a match. If they matched, he
would assess his own good points, then
raise the stakes by inviting or bidding
game.

50 Bridge Bulletin May 2014

Summary of responses to a 1NT opening
Fewer than 8 HCP, no five-card major: Pass
Any HCP with a five-card (or longer) major: Jacoby transfer (2♦ or 2♥).
At least 8 HCP and at least one four-card major: Stayman (2♣).
If he realized there was no match
in a major, Stayman would be obliged
to offer "2NT" with 8-9 points. If the
combined points for game were there
(25 or more), then "3NT" would be his
choice. It was Stayman's responsibility to do the calculations because he
knew more about her assets than she
did about his. And without a matching
major, he was content to let her have
total control and play the contract.
If she did not have a four-card major,
she would rebuff him with her answer
of "2♦." In this case, he would realize
that a trump suit was not likely a good
outcome, so he would be forced to take
the proposal back to notrump. She
would get her way once again.
Now, Mr. Jacoby Transfer was quite
a different character! Unlike Stayman,
he did not ask her for anything - he
told her what to do! She did not dare
disobey his instructions. Her future
was in his hands. She knew that he
could have as few as zero HCP, but his
most important asset was his five-card
major. She was obligated to agree to his
major whether she liked it or not.
It's not easy for a woman of her
strength to be told what to do, but she
also knew that Jacoby was a protector.
How thoughtful of him to pass the contract to her and let her play it, keeping
her valuable assets hidden while he put
his cards on display.
Though somewhat bossy, he was
a true gentleman and had her best
interests at heart. If he ordered "2♦,"

she must obey and respond with "2♥."
This meant that he had five or more
hearts. If he commanded "2♥," she was
forced to answer "2♠." With an order
like that, he was guaranteeing at least
five spades.
She had one other option for Jacoby
- this pleased him very much on the
rare occasions when it happened. She
could "super-accept" his offer. If she
had four cards in his suit and the maximum 17 HCP, she could respond to him
at the three level. He may even raise the
bidding to game, but that was his decision based on their combined points.
So this was her dilemma: Would
she eventually settle on courteous
Mr. Stayman with his polite way of
propositioning her, or would she
rather take up with the demanding Mr.
Jacoby Transfer who always bossed
her around?
It turns out that Miss Notrump was
one of the biggest two-timers ever -
sometimes she went with Stayman. At
other times, it was Jacoby she preferred. On her wily whims, she could
shuffle them around like a flimsy deck
of cards!
◾
Marlene Walther is a
retired business and
technology teacher
living in Niagaraon-the-Lake ON. She
teaches beginners
informally and at
her website:
ATeacherFirst.com.
http://www.ATeacherFirst.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2014
