SAYC
× Introduction:
  1. Introduction
  2. Evaluate an Opening Hand
  3. Bidding Process / Hierarchy Chart
  4. Bidding Strategy

  SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card)
  Statistics
× Opening Bids
       Opening Bid Options
Open 1 Level
   Open  1 ♠ 
   Open  1 ♥ 
       Open  1 NT 
           Open Better Minor
           Open  1 ♦ 
           Open  1 ♣ 
Weak Opening Bids
 •          2 ♦   2 ♥   2 ♠  (6-card suit)
 •  3 ♣   3 ♦   3 ♥   3 ♠  (7-card suit)
 •                  4 ♥   4 ♠  (8-card suit)
Strong Opening Bids
      • Open  2 ♣ 
      • Open  2 NT 
      • Open  3 NT 
Opening vs Table Position
× Bid 2: Respond to Suit Openings
   Guidelines for Responses
         1-over-1 Restriction
         Distribution Points
   Respond to  1 ♠ 
   Respond to  1 ♥ 
         (Jacoby  2 NT )
   Respond to  1 ♦ 
   Respond to  1 ♣ 
Bid 3: Opener's Next Bid
   Responder Supports the Bid Suit
       (Response to Jacoby  2 NT )
   Responder Proposes a New Suit
Respond to Weak Openings
  • Respond to  2 ♠   2 ♥   2 ♦ 
  • Respond to  3 ♠   3 ♥   3 ♦   3 ♣ 
  • Respond to  4 ♠   4 ♥ 
Respond to Strong Openings
  • Respond to  2 ♣  using:
      • 2-Diamond Waiting
      • 3-Point Step
      • 2-Diamond Bust
  • Respond to Strong 2
× Respond to NT Openings
Respond to  1 NT 
    Transfers (1NT)
       Stayman (1NT)
          No 4-card Major (1NT)
Respond to  2 NT 
    Transfers (2NT)
       Stayman (2NT)
          4-card Major (2NT)
Respond to  3 NT 
    Transfers (3NT)
       Stayman (3NT)
          No 4-card Major (3NT)
× Other Bids:
 • Slam (Blackwood & Gerber)
 • Overcalls
 • Doubles
 • Balancing
× Practice Bidding:
   • Open 1 Level
   • Responses to 1 Suit Openings
   • Open 1 NT & 14 Responses
   • Open 1 NT & 16 Responses
   • Responses to 2 Club Opening
   • Overcalls
Practice Websites:
   • SAYC Bidding Practice
   • Trickster
× Taking Tricks:
• Leads on Defense
• Leads on Offense
    • Finessing a Tenace
× Keeping Score:
1. Contract Points Scoring
2. Match Points Scoring
× Downloads:
• SAYC Summary
• Open 1-Level
• Responses to 1-Suit Opening Bids
• 1 NT Openings & Responses
• Responses to Weak Openings
• Responses to 2 Club Openings

Responding to an Opening Bid of  1 NT 

First, determine the suit to play. Then detemine the contract level to play.
The responses to a No Trump opening are totally different than the responses to a suit opening. For Responding to a 1-suit opening, go to web page Responding to an Opening Bid of 1-Suit.

As soon as the opener bids  1 NT , the partner (responder) becomes the "captain" of the partnership. Since the  1 NT  opening bid is so specific (15 to 17 HCPs, no 5-card major and balanced), the responder combines the knowledge of its own hand with the opener's hand, and estimates the approximate combined point count range of the partnership. The responder also has a good idea of which suit will be used as trump, and a good idea of the contract level the partnership will play. The responder will steer the bidding toward the final contract in one of three paths.

Strategy - The #1 priority is to enter a major suit contract. Paths 1 and 2 explore the possibility of entering a major suit contract based upon the suit length of the major suit (4-cards or longer). Path 3 explores the possibility of entering a No Trump contract (priority #2), or entering a minor suit contract (#3 priority).

Responses for  1 NT  Opening

Responses to 1 NT Opening Responder's HCPs and Bid
0-7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Part Score Game Major Game Minor Slam
Path 1
5+card Major
(Transfers)		 5 hearts  2 ♦  Xfr to hearts  2 ♦  Xfr to hearts  4 ♦  Texas Xfr to hearts  4 ♣  Gerber
Asking for Aces
or
 4 NT 
Quantitative Invitation
Asking for Points
6+ hearts  4 ♦  Texas Xfr to hearts  3 ♥  Natural Bid
5 spades  2 ♥  Xfr to spades  2 ♥  Xfr to spades  4 ♥  Texas Xfr to spades
6+ spades  4 ♥  Texas Xfr to spades  3 ♠  Natural Bid
Path 2
4-card Major
(Stayman)		  4 hearts 
and/or
 4 spades 		 PASS  2 ♣  Stayman
Path 3
No
4+card Major		 Balanced PASS  2 NT   3 NT   3 NT 
6+ clubs  3 NT  or  3 ♣   3 NT  or  5 ♣ 
6+ diamonds  3 NT  or  3 ♦   3 NT  or  5 ♦ 
6/11/2024 15-22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Minimum PARTNERSHIP Point Count    (assume opener holds 15 HCPs)

Path 1:    5+card major and 0 to 17 HCPs - The responder will use the TRANSFER Convention to enter into a contract in that major suit. For details, visit the TRANSFERS (1NT) web page.

Path 2:    4-card major (in one or both majors) and 8 to 17 HCPs - The responder willl use the STAYMAN Convention to seek an 8-card fit in a major. For details, visit the the STAYMAN (1NT) web page.

Path 3:    NO 4+card major and 8 to 17 HCPs - The responder partner will abandon the search for a major suit contract, and will explore a contract in No Trump, or in a minor suit. For details, visit the NO 4-card Major (1NT) web page.

If the responder holds 18+ HCPs, the responder has a stronger hand than the opener. The partnership has enough honor card points for a slam. The responder has two options on how to explore the possibilities of a slam:
   • Bid  4 ♣  - Gerber. This artificial bid asks the opener to reveal the number of Aces in the opener's hand.
   • Bid  4 NT  - Quantitative Invitation. This is a natural bid that asks the opener to reveal the HCPs in the opener's hand.
Visit the web page on Invitation to Slam.

× Hierarchy of Responses to 1NT Opening
Hierarchy from High to Low

•  5 ♦  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game-level contract in diamonds
•  5 ♣  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game-level contract in clubs

•  4 NT  (Artificial): Quantitative Invitation asking for opener's points
•  4 ♥  (Artificial): Texas Transfer asking opener to transfer to spades
•  4 ♦  (Artificial): Texas Transfer asking opener to transfer to hearts
•  4 ♣  (Artificial): Gerber asking for number of aces in opener's hand

•  3 NT  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game contract in No Trump
•  3 ♠  (Natural): Invitation to explore slam
•  3 ♥  (Natural): Invitation to explore slam
•  3 ♦  (Natural): desire to play a sub-game contract in clubs
•  3 ♣  (Natural): desire to play a sub-game contract in clubs

•  2 NT  (Natural): Shows point count range and balanced hand
•  2 ♥  (Artificial): Transfer asking the opener to transfer to spades
•  2 ♦  (Artificial): Transfer asking the opener to transfer to hearts
•  2 ♣  (Artificial): Stayman asking for opener's 4-card major suit

• PASS (Natural): No 4+card major and less than 8 points
Hierarchy of 1NT Responses
Transfers
•  4 ♥  (Artificial): Texas Transfer asking opener to transfer to spades
•  4 ♦  (Artificial): Texas Transfer asking opener to transfer to hearts
•  2 ♥  (Artificial): Transfer asking the opener to transfer to spades
•  2 ♦  (Artificial): Transfer asking the opener to transfer to hearts

Stayman
•  2 ♣  (Artificial): Stayman asking for opener's 4-card major suit

No 4-card Major
•  5 ♦  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game-level contract in diamonds
•  5 ♣  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game-level contract in clubs
•  3 NT  (Natural): Closeout bid setting game contract in No Trump
•  3 ♦  (Natural): desire to play a sub-game contract in clubs
•  3 ♣  (Natural): desire to play a sub-game contract in clubs
•  2 NT  (Natural): Shows point count range and balanced hand

Slam
•  4 NT  (Artificial): Quantitative Invitation asking for opener's points
•  4 ♣  (Artificial): Gerber asking for number of aces in opener's hand
•  3 ♠  (Natural): Invitation to explore slam
•  3 ♥  (Natural): Invitation to explore slam

• PASS (Natural): No 4+card major and less than 8 points
Hierarchy of 1NT Responses
6/12/2024
Reed's Bridge Site © 2024         (Updated 11/20/2024)