A form of 3C Puppet Stayman over 1NT opening bids

[Bud Hinckley]

The form of 3C Puppet Stayman used over 1NT opening bids described by Justin
Lall (and congrats to him for winning the Nail Life Master Pairs in Seattle
yesterday) at

http://justinlall.com/2011/09/07/puppet-stayman-after-a-1n-opener/

which he credits learning from Joe Grue does a great job of hiding
information from the defenders by not giving away needless information about
the 1NT opener's hand when responder has a game forcing hand with minimal
slam interest.

The major features of this form of 3C Puppet Stayman over 1NT are:

1. Opener can only bid 3D (denying a 5-card major) or 3 of a major showing
a 5-card suit. 3NT is NOT an allowed response.

2. Responder uses 3C Puppet Stayman with ONE 4-card major. Responder uses
regular 2C Stayman with TWO 4-card majors.


One question asked about this method is how you find your 8-card fits when
responder is 3-5 (3 spades, 5 hearts) or 5-3 (5 spades, 3 hearts).

I have invented a solution to this problem thanks to the use of this form of
3C Puppet Stayman that Justin has described. An additional benefit is that
the 1NT opening bidder will be declarer in all cases.

The two auctions 1NT-2C-2H-3NT and 1NT-2C-2S-3NT cannot theoretically occur
because responder would have bid 3C Puppet Stayman with a single 4-card
major. We can use these two auctions artificially to show 3-card support
for opener's major with 5 cards in the other major.

But what if opener bids 2D denying a major? Then you fake a Smolen bid,
jumping to 3 of your 3-card major, and in the process showing five cards in
the other major, which is the only suit at that point in which you can have
an 8-card fit.

In summary,

1. With 3-5 in the majors, use regular 2C Stayman and here are your three
auctions:

(a) 1NT-2C-2D-3S (shows five hearts via fake Smolen)
(b) 1NT-2C-2H-4H
(c) 1NT-2C-2S-3NT (choice of games with 3-5 majors)

2. With 5-3 in the majors, you use regular 2C Stayman and here are your
three auctions:

(a) 1NT-2C-2D-3H (shows five spades via fake Smolen)
(b) 1NT-2C-2H-3NT (choice of games with 5-3 majors)
(c) 1NT-2C-2S-4S


Here is a table of the responses I have constructed for several major suit
distributions held by responder when he holds a game forcing hand without
slam interest after partner opens 1NT:

One or two 3-card majors

3C, then raise opener's 5-card major to game or over 3D bid 3NT

One 4-card major (possibly with a 3-card major)

3C, then over 3D bid the 4-card major you do NOT hold

3-5 or 5-3 majors

2C - 2D - 3 of your 3-card major (faking Smolen to show your 5-card
major)
2C - 2 of your 3-card major - 3NT (artificial) showing the 3-5 or 5-3
majors
2C - 2 of your 5-card major - 4 of the major

4-4 majors

2C, then raise opener's major to game or bid 3NT

4-5 or 5-4 majors

2C, then Smolen over 2D or raise opener's major to game

4-6 or 6-4 majors

2C Stayman, then raise opener's major to game or over 2D use delayed
Texas; or use Texas directly and give up on the possible fit in the other
major

5-5 majors

Transfer to 2S and bid 3H; OR
Use 3D, 3H, or 3S to show a 5-5 majors game force



You can also show hands with some slam interest that are 5332 type shape
with a long minor and also 4432 type shapes with one 4-card major and one
4-card minor by first starting with 3C Puppet Stayman. You can learn more
about those at the end of Justin's description of the convention.


Bud Hinckley
budh...@gmail.com

[shuster]

You are way overthinking/complicating it. Without going into the
various drawbacks of this, I have an more simple alternative. If you
are so terrified of missing 5-3 major fits after opening 1NT, try
opening 1 of the major instead.

[rhm]

> budh9...@gmail.com

There is at least one drawback not mentioned by you nor Justin Lall
about this approach.
Responder is supposed to bid the major he does not have over the
likely 3D response to rightsize a possible 4-4 major suit contract.
This gives the partner of the opening leader a cheap option to double
for the lead, when responder bids the major he does not have. Less
likely but certainly possible, it might even pave the way for a cheap
sacrifice in spades; say at favorable vulnerability. .
It can also help the opening leader by the negative inference when
this bid is not doubled.
3NT contracts are quite frequently made when opening leader does not
find the best lead.
This usually happens when the defense should establish the suit held
by the partner of the opening leader.
So this approach gains by hiding declarer's distribution, in
particular when he has the major responder does not have, and looses
by helping the defender on lead.

Since I never played this version, i can not tell whether there is any
net gain at all. .

I think as declarer I prefer the standard auction of

1NT--2C
2D--3NT

to

1NT--3C
3D-- 3M (the major responder does not have)
3NT

True, in the first auction the defense knows declarer has no major but
has little clue what to lead.
In the second case it knows the major which will come down in dummy,
which they might well lead on the first auction, since the defense has
6 to 7 cards there.
Overall I am not convinced.

Rainer Herrmann

[KWSchneider]

> budh9...@gmail.com

I've designed snd play a Stayman version that I feel is superior. It
involves 5card Stayman and 4+card transfers.

2C = 5card Stayman [invitational+, shows 3card major [unbalanced] or
5+card major, denies exactly 4cards in a major UNLESS with 5+cards in
other major]. Then:
2D = no 5c major, then 2M = to play, 3C = 4h5+s, 3D = 4s5+h [note
that both of these are forcing, and therefore responder can be
unlimited], 2N/3M are GF [2N = with unknown 5cM but likely 5M332 with
good offsuit, 3M = unbalanced or 6cards]
2M = 5cM [no interest in accepting invitation]
3M = 5cM [accept with weak doubleton]
2N = 5cM [accept with interest in notrump]
2R = either 4card major [invitational+] or 5+card major [weak]
2M = 2-3 cards in major - weak responder passes, invitational
hand bids 2N or 3m [canape], GF bids 3N
2N = 4cards with 4M333 - weak responder either retransfers or
directly bids 3M [choice since opener is defined]
3M = 4cards [likely 4432] - responder passes/bids game with weak
hand, otherwise bids 3N [4M333], 4m [cue], 4M [to play]
2S = range ask [initiates all minor suit slam investigations] or weak
minors [usual handling, denies 4+M] - opener bids 2N with minimum, 3C
with max [other extensions for slam purposes]
2N = clubs
3C = diamonds
3D = majors [invitational+]
3M = GF+ splinter with 1=3(xy) or 3=1(xy) shape - allows opener to
play in Moysian
3N = to play
4C = Gerber
4R = xfer

Benefits:

1) Opener plays all 44 major contracts without divulging any shape
2) Opener plays ALL smolen contracts without divulging any shape
3) Opener plays all 3N contracts opposite a partner who would have
used conventional stayman but hasn't divulged any shape including
presence or absence of the other 4card major]
4) Opener stil plays all weak 2M hands opposite responders with 5+M
5) Both opener and responder can show 4M333 hands and give choice of
games to partner

Kurt