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

 2 ♦ Waiting  Convention

The opener's bid of  2 ♣  is an artifical, DEMAND bid which indicates strength only. Since the opener holds 22+ points (over half of the points in the deck), it is normal for the other players, including the partner, to have weak hands that would usually bid a PASS. In this situation, the partner must ensure the opener is not left in this artifical bid and must keep the bidding open. The partner must respond with a bid, even with a low point count hand. The  2 ♦ Waiting  convention is the SAYC system used to respond to the opener's  2 ♣  bid. This response system enables the opener to bid again. Hopefully, the opener can bid the opener's preferred suit, thereby making the opener the declarer and keeping the strong hand out of the dummy.
The  2 ♣  bid must be the opening bid. If there is a prior bid, the  2 ♣  bid is an overcall and is considered to be a normal bid.
After the opening bid of  2 ♣ , the partner responds based upon point count and suit length:

Step 1

Partner's Response to  2 ♣  Opening
( 2 ♦ Waiting  Convention)		 Partner's Points and Bid
0-2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Bust Game Slam
5+card suit  2 ♦  (Artificial Bid)  2 ♥   2 ♠   3 ♣   3 ♦   3 ♥   3 ♠   4 ♣   4 ♦ 
NO 5+card suit  2 NT   3 NT 
12/25/2023 22-24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
Minimum PARTNERSHIP Points (assume opener holds 22 points)
If the partner holds:
    • 0 to 7 pts:  Partner bids  2 ♦ . This is an artificial bid that indicates the partner's point count range only, not a desire to play diamonds. But more importantly, it keeps the bidding open so the strong handed opener can bid again. The partnership will likely not have enough combined points for a slam, but the partnership will be able to bid a part-score contract, or even a game-level contract in a major suit or No Trump. This artificial bid keeps the bidding open so the opener can bid the opener's desired suit. The goal is to enable the opener to be the declarer of the opener's preferred suit, and not be exposed as the dummy. The responses to this bid are presented below the solid black horizontal bar.
    • 8+ pts:  Occasionally, the partner has a stronger hand and the partnership has enough combined points for a game in a major suit, in No Trump, and in a minor suit. Since the partner mentions the suit first, the stronger opening hand will end up as the dummy. The partner's bids in this point range are natural bids. All subsequent bids are natural as well, but will not be addressed in this web page.

Step 2 - Opener's Response to the Partner's  2 ♦ Waiting  Bid

The opener knows the partner has less than 8 HCPs, but knows nothing about the partner's suit length. The opener's next bid reveals the opener's suit length and point count so the opener will be the declarer of the contract:
Opener Reveals Point Count and and Shape
Opener's Shape Opener's Point Count & Bid
22 23 24 25 26 27
5+card Major  2 ♥  or  2 ♠   3 ♥  or  3 ♠ 
NO 5+card Suit  2 NT   3 NT 
5+card Minor  3 ♣  or  3 ♦   4 ♣  or  4 ♦ 
The partner knows the appropriate contract level Partner has 0 pts 22 23 24 25 26 27
Partner has 3 pts 25 26 27 28 29 30
Partner has 7 pts 29 30 31 32 33 34
Minimum PARTNERSHIP Points (assume partner has 0, 3 or 7 points)
At this point, the partner has a good idea of the level of the final contract.
Opener's Suit Length:
   • 5+card Major
   • NO 5+card Suit (Balanced 4-3-3-3)
   • 5+card Minor
Opener's Point Count Range:
   • 22 - 24 pts:  This is the most likely point range for the opener. These will be the most likely bids from the opener.
   • 25 - 27 pts:  This point range is rare, and the opener would ordinarily open with 3 NT. But in some occasions, the opener bids  2 ♣  so the partner can not pass.

Step3 - Partner Reveals Point Count Range and Shape

The partner's next bid reveals the partner's point count range and suit length. In several cases, it will be the last bid which sets the final contract.

Step 3a

Opener's
Previous Bid		 Partner's Shape Partner's Point Count & Bid
0-2 3-7
 2 ♥  or  2 ♠  3+ Suit Support PASS  4 ♥  or  4 ♠ 
NO Suit Support  3 NT 
 2 NT  5+card Major PASS  3 ♦  (Xfr to  ♥ ) or  3 ♥  (Xfr to  ♠ )
4-card Major  3 ♣  Stayman
NO 4+card Major  3 NT 
 3 ♣  or  3 ♦  4+major PASS  3 ♥  or  3 ♠ 
3+ Suit Support  3 NT 
Balanced  3 NT 
Opener has
22-24 pts		 1/8/2024 (3a) 22-24 25-29
Minimum Partnership Points
(assume opener has 22 points)

In the event the opener has an unusually strong hand (25 to 27 points) and makes a higher level bid at step 2, the partner makes the final bid to set the contract:

Step3b

Opener's
Previous Bid		 Partner's Shape Partner's Point Count & Bid
0-2 3 4 5 6 7
 3 ♥  or  3 ♠  3+ Suit Support  4 ♥  or  4 ♠ 
NO Suit Support  3 NT 
 3 NT  Does not matter PASS
 4 ♣  or  4 ♦  3+ Suit Support  4 NT 
(Natural)		  5 ♣  or  5 ♦ 
NO Suit Support  4 NT  (Natural)
Opener has
25-27 pts		 1/8/2024 (3b) 25-27 28 29 30 31 32
Minimum Partnership Points
(assume opener has 25 points)

1/10/2024
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