April 2022 - 65

Special Contributor
BY DR. JAMES
MARSH STERNBERG
mmay001@aol.com
W
hat does 4NT by responder
mean after the answer to
a Stayman inquiry? For
example, 1NT-2'; 2-4NT. This
causes the most confusion and is the
one where I so often see players go
wrong.
First, is 4NT Blackwood? Sorry, the
answer is no.
Why? As responder, you have a
4NT-value hand after partner opens
1NT. But you have four hearts.
Instead of just bidding 1NT-4NT,
you bid 2', Stayman, and, of course,
partner bids 2. Now what?
Perhaps you are sorry you used
Stayman, but hey, what could you
do? You still have a slam invitational
hand, too good for 3NT. What can
you bid except 4NT? But wait! Did
you tell me that was Roman key card
Blackwood for the major partner bid,
spades? Better call Houston again; we
have another problem.
And to make matters worse,
suppose partner responded 2k
to Stayman? If you bid 4NT now,
that's quantitative with four spades,
denying hearts. What a mess! Now
what? OK, send me a self-addressed
stamped envelope, and I'll send you
the solution.
Just kidding. It's quite simple.
Here's what to do with a hand too
good to just bid game after you get a
positive reply to Stayman (i.e., you've
discovered a major-suit fit). Say you
hold:
A J 6 5 kK J 4 lA 5 'Q J 9 5,
and partner opens 1NT. You bid 2',
and she bids 2. You'll bid game, of
course, and maybe a slam. We just
agreed, however, that 4NT is quantitative
with hearts and anyway, that
club holding means you can't use
Consults with the Doctor
4NT after Stayman inquiries
Blackwood, as you have two quick
losers. You need to set spades as
trump first and get partner's opinion.
What are your options? The auction
so far:
Partner
1NT
2
You
2'
?
3' and 3l are both natural, not
cuebids. 4', 4l or 4k would be
splinter raises of spades, and 4
would end the auction. If you can't
cuebid or splinter, and you can't bid
4NT, what's left?
You got it: 3k. This is called the
" impossible major. " How could you
have hearts? You would have bid
Jacoby with five and partner has
denied four. It can only mean, " I love
spades, partner, what do you think? "
Similarly, if you had four hearts,
and partner had responded hearts to
Stayman, you would jump to 3:
Partner
 7 3
k A Q 8 2
l K J 2
' K Q 9 2
1NT
2k
You
 K Q 6
k K J 10 9
l A Q 4
' 8 6 4
2'
3
3 is the impossible major, a heart
slam try. This sets hearts as trump
and may or may not show shortness.
Subsequent bids of 4NT by either
partner are key card Blackwood for
hearts.
This works the same after an opening
2NT, with the other major serving
as the " impossible " bid. If partner
responds 3k to Stayman, 3 is a
heart slam try. If partner responds
3, 4k is a spade slam try. In both
situations, 4NT would be natural and
quantitative.
There are some other methods used
to tackle this problem, e.g., using 4l
as a balanced slam try after a positive
Stayman response, but I want to
stress that 4NT is not Blackwood.
What about after you bid Stayman
and opener replies 2l? After your
quantitative 4NT, are Pass and 6NT
the only two options? Not at all.
Often, playing in a suit contract with
the ability to ruff losers makes six of
a minor a better option. For example,
opener bids 1NT with 2=3=4=4
distribution. Responder invites with
4NT after a Stayman auction with
4=3=2=4 distribution. If opener
accepts, he could suggest four clubs
by bidding 5' over 4NT. This is not
a response to Blackwood. 6' is a big
favorite, much better than 6NT.
Another example: Opener is
2=3=4=4 and responder 4=2=4=3.
After 4NT, opener suggests 5',
responder suggests 5l, and opener
raises to 6l. This approach allows
you to discover a 4-4 minor-suit fit.
One last example: Opener is
2=3=3=5, responder 5=3=2=3. After
a Jacoby transfer, then 4NT, opener
accepts by bidding 6', having only
two spades, and a 5-3 fit is reached. If
responder has only two clubs, however,
he can retreat to 6NT.
Correction
In the final deal from Sternberg's
March column, declarer
is West, not South.
April 2022 | Bridge Bulletin |
65
April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022
