February 2025 - 66

Special Contributor
Vic's Views
Improving your notrump bidding - part 1
Stayman auctions
Many developing partnerships send
me questions about how to improve
their 1NT auctions. I'll provide some
suggestions in this and some following
articles.
For the purposes of this series,
" M " denotes either major suit; " m "
denotes either minor. When a major
suit has been bid, " OM " denotes the
other major suit.
Everyone is familiar with the basics
for two-level responses. 1NT-2c is
Stayman, promising a four-card or longer
major unless responder next bids
3m. 1NT-2d is a transfer to hearts,
and 1NT-2h is a transfer to spades.
Next, I suggest that 1NT-2s shows
either an invitation to 3NT without
a four-card major, or six-plus clubs
(weak or strong). Also, I recommend
that 1NT-2NT shows either a hand
with 5-5 or longer in the minors, or
six-plus diamonds (weak or strong).
Note that in this suggested approach,
we do not bid Stayman with a balanced
invitation; we use 2s instead.
Using Stayman on these hands provides
the opponents with information
that they will use to guide the
defense.
In this article, we will explore only
auctions beginning with 1NT-2c.
1NT-2c; 2d
No four-card major.
1NT-2c; 2d-2h
Weak hand with at least four cards
in each major. I suggest that hearts
should be at least as long as spades.
Then opener passes 2h except
with three spades and two hearts.
Some call this treatment " garbage "
Stayman; others call it " crawling "
Stayman.
1NT-2c; 2d-2s
I suggest that with five spades
66 | Bridge Bulletin | February 2025
and four hearts and a weak hand,
responder simply transfers to 2s.
That permits a more useful treatment
of the auction 1NT-2c; 2d/2h-2s.
We will discuss this special auction
below.
1NT-2c; 2d-2NT
Natural game invitation with at
least one four-card major.
1NT-2c; 2d-3m
Natural game force. This is the only
" Stayman " auction that doesn't promise
a four-card major.
1NT-2c; 2d-3M
Smolen convention: four-cards in
M and 5+ of OM.
1NT-2c; 2d-3NT
To play.
1NT-2c; 2d-4d
Transfer to hearts, 4-6 in spades
and hearts (delayed Texas).
1NT-2c; 2d-4h
Transfer to spades, 6-4 in spades
and hearts (delayed Texas).
1NT-2c; 2d-4NT
Quantitative; invitational to slam.
Next let's look at auctions where
opener shows a four-card major after
Stayman, i.e., 1NT-2c; 2M.
1NT-2c; 2M-2NT
Game invitation with four cards in
the other major.
1NT-2c; 2M-3m
Natural game force; doesn't necessarily
have a four-card major.
1NT-2c; 2M-3M
Natural game invitation.
1NT-2c; 2M-3NT
Choice of games, four cards in the
unbid major.
1NT-2c; 2M-4M
To play.
1NT-2c; 2M-4NT
Quantitative with four cards in the
OM.
BY VIC QUIROS
vic@thebridgeclassroom.com
thebridgeclassroom.com
1NT-2c; 2M-Other
Baze convention to be discussed
later. Slammish for the major bid.
Say that you hold this hand as
responder after partner opens 1NT:
sK J 10 5 4 hQ 8 7 dQ 9 5 2 c10.
You might have a game in spades,
but it would take a nonminimum and
a spade fit from partner for 4s to be
playable. You aren't really interested
in notrump. Here's what I suggest
with this kind of hand:
1NT-2c; 2d/2h-2s
This shows five spades and a
mild, shapely (singleton somewhere)
invitation.
Optional: After responder's bid of
2s, opener could use 2NT to promise
a fit and ask about the singleton.
continued on page 70
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February 2025

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