Stayman Convention

SAYC

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Preface

  SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card)
  1. Introduction
  2. Bidding Hierarchy
  3. Determine Opening Bid
  4. Opening Bid Options
  5. Scoring Structure
  6. Bidding Strategy

  Statistics

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Open 1 Level

Open 1 Level
   Open 1 ♠
   Open 1 ♥
       Open 1 NT
           Open Better Minor
               Open 1 ♦
               Open 1 ♣

Opening Bid & Table Position

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Respond to 1 Suit Openings

   Guidelines for Responses
         Support Suit (Distribution Points)
         Propose Suit (1-over-1 Restriction)
  • Respond to 1 ♠
  • Respond to 1 ♥
  • Respond to 1 ♦
  • Respond to 1 ♣
Opener's Next Bid (Bid 3)
   Responder Supports the Bid Suit
   Responder Proposes a New Suit

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Respond to 1 NT

Respond to 1 NT
    Transfers (1NT)
       Stayman (1NT)
          No 4-card Major (1NT)
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Transfer Convention
Stayman Convention

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Weak Bids

Weak Opening Bids
• 6-card suit           2 ♦ 2 ♥ 2 ♠
• 7-card suit 3 ♣ 3 ♦ 3 ♥ 3 ♠
• 8-card suit                   4 ♥ 4 ♠
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Respond to Weak Openings
  • Respond to         2 ♦ 2 ♥ 2 ♠
  • Respond to 3 ♣ 3 ♦ 3 ♥ 3 ♠
  • Respond to                  4 ♥ 4 ♠

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Strong 2 ♣

Open 2 ♣
Respond to 2 ♣
  • 2-Diamond Waiting (SAYC)
  • 3-Point Step (Social Bridge)
  • 2-Diamond Bust (Social Bridge)

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Strong NT Bids

Open 2 NT or 3 NT

Responses

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)

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Other Bids

• Jacoby 2 NT
• Slam (Blackwood & Gerber)
• Overcalls
• Doubles
• Balancing

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Taking Tricks

• Leads on Defense
• Leads on Offense
• Finessing a Tenace

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Practice

• Open 1 Level
• Responses to 1 Suit Openings
• Open 1 NT (14 Examples)
• Open 1 NT (16 Examples)
• Responses to 2 ♣ Opening
• Overcalls

Practice Websites

   • SAYC Bidding Practice
   • Trickster
   • Bridge Base On Line

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Duplicate

Duplicate Protocol
Duplicate Scoring
1. Contract Points Scoring
2. Match Points Scoring

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Downloads

• SAYC Summary
• Open 1-Level Bids
• Respond 1-Suit Opening
• 1 NT Openings & Responses
• Responses to Weak Openings
• Responses to 2 Club Openings
• Handout Duplicate Bridge Contract Points

Stayman Convention after a No Trump Opening

Yellow Card Bidding System Mantra
    ● First, determine which suit to play - then determine the contract level to play.
    ● Try to play a contract in the following priority:
           1) Play a MAJOR suit contract.
           2) Play a NO TRUMP contract.
           3) Play a MINOR suit contract as a last resort.

Even though the opener bids No Trump (the second SAYC priority), the partnership may still be able to play a major suit contract. If the opener has a 4-card major suit, the partnership can still play a major suit contract. If the responder has the same 4+card major suit, the partnership will have an 8+card fit in the responder's major suit. This means the partnership can play a major suit contract - the number 1 SAYC priority.

The responder uses the Stayman Convention (a series of artificial bids) to direct the opener to mention the desired trump suit first so the opener will be the declarer of the desired trump suit and stay out of the dummy.

Note: Sam Stayman popularized the the use of "Stayman" in the mid 1940's which became an integral part of Goren style bridge bidding.

When the responder has a 4-card major suit and enough points, the responder uses the STAYMAN Convention. This artificial bid in clubs asks the opener to divulge its 4-card major suit. It is not a request to play clubs as the trump suit. If the responder has the same 4-card major suit as the opener, the partnership can play a major suit contract in that major suit. In most cases the opener will mention the trump suit first and will be the declarer that stays out of the dummy.

Examples of the Stayman Convention

For a 1 NT opening:

The responder bids 2 ♣ (Stayman Convention). The opener follows with:
     • 2 ♦ - opener has no 4-card major suit.
     • 2 ♥ - opener has a 4-card heart suit.
     • 2 ♠ - opener has a 4-card spade suit.

For a 2 NT opening:

The responder bids 3 ♣ (Stayman Convention). The opener follows with:
     • 3 ♦ - opener has no 4-card major suit.
     • 3 ♥ - opener has a 4-card heart suit.
     • 3 ♠ - opener has a 4-card spade suit.

Responder's Requirements for the Stayman Convention

Suit Length:
• Must have one or both 4+card major suits.

Point Count:
• Must have 8+ HCPs for a 1 NT opening
• Must have 5+ HCPs for a 2 NT opening

3/9/2025

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