1NT
This
is usually the last part of the card I fill out with a new partner. It requires
lots of work.
The
range should be 15-17—that’s the easy part. (In the old days, when opening bids
were sounder, 16-18 or even 15+ - 18 was in fashion.) Also, I advocate 1NT with a 5-card
major and a balanced hand in that range (some teachers espouse otherwise).
Keeping
it simple, here are the main issues to discuss:
A)
What kind of transfers?
B)
What are follow-ups to Stayman?
C)
How do we deal with competition?
A)
Transfers
“Everyone”
uses 2 to transfer to hearts and 2 for spades.
“Everyone”
also asks me what to do about minors and the responses of 2 , 2NT and higher.
Not
too important—just pick something (or even nothing) and agree! I
can’t say I prefer one method over the other. Each has plusses and minuses. I’d
guess the most popular treatment today is :
1N-P-2 = transfer to clubs
1N-P-2N
= transfer to diamonds
This
approach forfeits a natural and invitational 2NT response. So, to invite in notrump, you
must start with Stayman (2 ) even without a 4-card major.
Over
the transfer to a minor, opener can “accept” by bidding the suit transferred to,
or he can “reject” by bidding the in-between step. (For example, 1N-P-2-P-3 shows the "good
one.") Opener “accepts” with a maximum (meaning decent HCP and/or a
reasonable fit with a high honor). (Some players use the in-between step to
accept—make sure you discuss which way you are playing it.)
These
2 and 2NT transfers free up the 3-level responses. You
can use them as splinter bids (each bid shows a 3-suiter with shortness in the suit jumped
into). Or, you could choose to use 3 as the transfer to diamonds (or even as
Puppet Stayman--asking for a 5-card major). You
could also use a different scheme (such as each bid shows 5-5 in the minors or majors with
varying strengths). Just pick something (or
nothing) and memorize it—no big deal which method you choose.
Also
decide if you are using Texas (4-level) transfers. If
you can remember them, they are a good idea. That way, you can use Texas to sign-off,
while Jacoby followed by a jump to four is a mild slam try. See my article on
this topic.
Jumps to 4 are Gerber (ace-asking). Decide what it means if you transfer and
bid a new suit. Most people play new suits as natural and game forcing. (You could also decide that a transfer to a minor,
followed by a 3-level bid is shortness—this all depends on how you use Stayman).
Again, no big deal. Pick something and agree.
B) Stayman
Follow-ups
Some of this depends on how you choose to use transfers. The first issue is
what it means to bid Stayman and then follow-up on the two-level.
Assuming the
transfer scheme above (in A), Stayman then 2NT would be invitational (with or without a
4-card major). Stayman followed by a bid on
the 2-level should be NF. (1N-2-2-2 should be
pass/correct—a weak hand). 1N-2-2any-2 should be some off-shape
invitational hand, typically with 5 spades. This area can get complicated—let’s
just leave it at this without getting unneeded headaches.
Stayman followed by a 3-level bid
in a new minor, should be natural. If you use a transfer to a minor followed by
3-major as natural, forcing, then I suggest you use Stayman, then 3-minor as weak. (For example, if 1N-2-3-3 was a transfer to clubs followed by natural
hearts, then 1N-2-2-3 should be natural, weak). Again, this is a complex area.
Don’t lose sleep over it, but discuss with your partner if: 1N-2-2MAJ-3-minor is
weak, forcing, or maybe even invitational. Pick
something and live with it.
Stayman followed by
3-of-the-other major should be an artificial slam try (1N-2-2-3 or 1N-2-2-3). There are fancier
possibilities here, but this is sufficient for an intermediate-level partnership.
Discuss what Stayman
followed by a jump to 4 is (Gerber or a splinter?)
Do you play Smolen?
If so, 1N-2-2-3MAJ = 4-5 (with 4
in the major jumped into).
This
discussion of Stayman and Transfers is far from complete. However, I’ve pointed out
most of the major discussion points. If you cover everything here, you’ll have 95% of
the battle resolved. There is no substitute for a bit of "brain-grinding" here
-- you can't breeze through this section of the card and expect to "get it all."
C) Competition
These days, the opponents are more likely than ever to interfere. You need some
agreements.
If they make a penalty double, agree on what your runouts are (are transfers
off?—they should be).
If they make an artificial double, you should ignore it (systems on).
If they overcall with 2, unless it shows
majors, I recommend that Double is Stayman, and all other bids mean what they would have
meant (transfers, etc.).
If they interfere with 2 or higher, I know
it is popular to use a scheme similar to the one above (sometimes called “mirror
doubles” or “stolen bid.”) This
isn’t practical. It’s better to use doubles (of 2 and higher) as
“cards” – like a negative double. Other bids should be natural. I recommend
playing "Negative Doubles" over any natural overcall of 1NT. For more on this
(and a discussion of lebensohl), see my article on the
subject.
Bottom line on 1NT : There is plenty
to discuss. Try to keep it simple, but form agreements on the issues (shown above) that
are likely to arise. Use this as a guide for a new partnership--but not for a serious
long-term plan. If I were to spend 30 minutes filling out a convention card, I'd devote
10-15 minutes to this section.
For descriptions of most conventions mentioned in this article, see the ACBL
page on Commonly
Used Conventions.
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