ACBL12 – Notrump: Puppet Stayman            Ward Trumbull

                                                                                                                 Aug 22, 2002

                                                                                                                 Page 1 of 1

      A standard NO NO is not to open 1 or 2 notrump with a five card major.  However,

there are a few bridge players who ignore this warning and will open with a notrump

bid with a weak five card major.  WEAK is in the eyes of the beholder, but for discussion sake, it might be a suit with nothing higher than a jack.

      Most who do this never find the 8 card fit when the responder has 3 cards in that

major.  There is however the Puppet Stayman Convention to find these fits.  Note that

you can still use transfer bids in lieu of a Puppet Stayman bid, but you cannot invoke a

transfer bid after you’ve made the 2 club bid. The reason is that subsequent 2-level

bids are used in the Puppet Stayman Convention.  Here is a general overview of how it works when the responder has:

                   8+ HCP

                   4 cards in one or both majors

                  Opening Bid       Responder             Meaning

                  ----------------       ------------------         -------------------------------------------

                  1 notrump

                                             2 clubs                   Invoking Puppet Stayman

  Series A   2 diamonds                                      Opener has no 5 card major

                                             2 hearts      or        Responder has 4 spades

                                             2 spades     or        Responder has 4 hearts

                                             2 notrump   or        Responder has 4 cards in both

                                                                                 majors and 8-9 HCP

                   3 hearts/spades                              Opener has 4 cards in responder’s

                                                                                 major and the low end in HCP

                   4 hearts/spades                              Opener has 4 cards in responder’s

                                                                                 major and the high end in HCP

                                             3 notrump              Responder has 4 cards in both

                                                                                 majors and 10+ HCP

                   4 hearts/spades                               Opener has 4 cards in responder’s

                                                                                 major

  Series B   2 hearts/spades                               Opener has 5 cards in that major

                                             2 notrump               Responder does not have 3+ cards

                                                                                  in that major and has 8-9 HCP

                                             3 hearts/spades      Responder has 3+ cards in that major

                                                                                  and has 8-9 HCP

                                             3 notrump               Responder does not have 3+ cards

                                                                                  in that major and has 10+ HCP

                                             4 hearts/spades      Responder has 3+ cards in that major

                                             `                                     and has 10+ HCP