Jump to content

two staymans after intermediate NT opening


Recommended Posts

One merit of it is that opener knows the combined strength of the hand so that 4th hand intervention is easier to deal with.

 

Another is that immediate weak take outs of 2/2 are, in principle, better than transfers on weak hands (for the same reason that natural pre-empts are better than transfer pre-empts).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you like relays after a quite strong NT you should use just transfers and Stayman, and the first relays:

 

1N - 2C - 2D - 2S

1N - 2C - 2H - 2S

1N - 2C - 2S - 3C

 

http://www.geocities.com/gerben47/bridge/1nt.html

 

No need for 2-way Stayman, which is a quite horrible method.

 

Over a weaker NT I prefer no transfers, no relays, no 2-way Stayman, but:

http://www.geocities.com/gerben47/bridge/weaknt.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is known as two-way stayman. It was part of C.C. Wei's original Precision, not sure if he invented it himself or if it is older. Many Chinese on BBO play it. I have also seen it in high-level competition, for example by the Chinese Women's selection.

 

I have no opinion about its technical merrits but I like to play it on BBO as you can just agree to play 2-way-stayman, which pretty much defines the whole scheme. If you agree to play "standard" you never know what (if any) kind of minor suit transfers and Smolen partner assumes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The biggest advantage of transfers is constructive bidding. You need that the most after 14-16 or stronger NT's, so imo transfers are a better solution. With weak NT however, it might be useful. The advantage of 1NT-2M signoff is clear, but if it rarely comes up and if it blocks your constructive bidding, it's no good imo.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 way stayman is very useful if you play micro or weak NT. My partner and I play 10-13 NT when not vulnerable, so with that... 2 way stayman is very useful. Over a strong (which imo 14-16 is) or even intermediate, the disadvantages to 2 way stayman and not using transfers rapidly outweigh the advantages.

 

So ya... 2 way stayman can be nice, but not with 14-16 NT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...