Three of the other major

[PhilKing]

Phil, that does not work in my structure because of the club transfer component. Responder can have a slammy hand even if they do not have the one-suiter. I assume "Fido" do not play second round transfers here, or if they do then they are able to use the 2NT rebid for clubs.

 

Ah, OK. I got one other component of your structure wrong as well. I was reading the 3m via 2S auctions as inv, which they are not.

[Zelandakh]

Ah, OK. I got one other component of your structure wrong as well. I was reading the 3m via 2S auctions as inv, which they are not.

Yeah, if you can handle the 5♥4♠ invitational hand another way, such as via 2♣, then 2♠ as a general invite is better. Unfortunately I cannot do that (due to switching to Puppet) so I need the 3 sequences 1NT - 2NT... 1NT - 2♦; 2♥ - 2NT... and 1NT - 2♣; 2♦ - 2NT to handle all of the "both major" invites, 5♠4♥, 5♥4♠ and 4♥4♠ respectively. When I was playing normal Stayman I used a different transfer structure but it is long enough ago that I cannot remember it 100%.

[GHS_K_Chow]

Yeah, if you can handle the 5♥4♠ invitational hand another way, such as via 2♣, then 2♠ as a general invite is better. Unfortunately I cannot do that (due to switching to Puppet) so I need the 3 sequences 1NT - 2NT... 1NT - 2♦; 2♥ - 2NT... and 1NT - 2♣; 2♦ - 2NT to handle all of the "both major" invites, 5♠4♥, 5♥4♠ and 4♥4♠ respectively. When I was playing normal Stayman I used a different transfer structure but it is long enough ago that I cannot remember it 100%.

 

How do people handle it if a 2S rebid after stayman is a 5 card spade invite?

[Zelandakh]

How do people handle it if a 2S rebid after stayman is a 5 card spade invite?

I am not sure I understand the question given that the passage you quoted relates to a Puppet resposne structure. If you play this then it frees up the sequence 1NT - 2♥; 2♠ - 2NT to be used as clubs, getting back the second round transfers even with spades. Or you can have 2 types of invite, one based on power and the other requiring a fit. I am not sure what knock-on effect you mean for 1NT - 2♦ sequences.

 

FWiiW, I know I did not use 1NT - 2♣; 2♦ - 2♠ in this way, nor have I ever done so. This was a Baron range ask for me in the old normal Stayman method (but shows 4 hearts in the Puppet build).

[GHS_K_Chow]

I was wondering how most people handled hands with 5♥ and 4♠ and invitational if they played transfers after transfers and 2♠ rebid after stayman as 5 cards invitational.

[Zelandakh]

I cannot answer for anyone else but, as above, I play 1NT - 2♦; 2♥ - 2NT as 5♥4♠ and invitational. Given your conditions, another simple solution would be to drop Crawing Stayman and use 1NT - 2♣; 2♦ - 2♥ as 5 hearts and invitational. If you were to take the club hands out of Stayman, for example by using 2♠ for 2-suited hands and 3♣ for one-suiters (as I do), then you could play 1NT - 2♣; 2♦ - 3♣ (or 3♦) as an invite with 5♥ and 4♠, although that would obviously not allow you to stop in 2NT when there is no fit. Not surprisingly, I like my solution best from these. Other solutions exist too - for example I play 1NT - 2NT as an invite with 5♠ and 4♥. There is nothing stopping anyone from making this 5♥ and 4♠ if that is the awkward hand for the system.

[aguahombre]

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't all of those transfer schemes only necessary because of playing 2C Puppet and trying to overcome the problems of Puppet when responder is 5/4 or 4/5 in the Majors and only invitational in strength?

 

Just asking, but offhand it seems much easier to not use 2C Puppet and let 2C-2D-2M just be mini Smolen from which opener decides right then to sign off in 2NT, 3H/2S, 3NT, or 4M. without further leakage and opener always playing the hand.