stayman

[maris oren]

I opened with 1 Nt. Oponnent bid 2♥. How does my parner bid stayman? NT-15-17 points

[mcphee]

Dble for most pairs is t/o

[P_Marlowe]

If they intervene over your 1NT opening, do similar things as you would do,

if they overcalled a 1C opening, the only difference is, that responder knowes

opener has 2 cards in every suit and 15-17HCP, i.e. not a min opener.

Knowing that you dont face a min opener makes action on the level more secure.

 

Pass with Length and Strength in their suit Pass or bid Game

Pass with Length and in their suit and insufficient strength for Game

 

X - negative, T/O (this replaces Stayman)

 

New Suits on the 2 level are natural, 5+, usually NF

New Suits on the 3 level are natural, 5+, usually GF

(If you play Lebensohl, you can show a new suit on the 3 level in Non forcing manner)

Bidding their suit is a stopper Ask, GF

 

And if Responder Passes, and the bidding reaches the NT opener, he should reopen with

xx in their suit.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[mw64ahw]

In a GF sequence assuming 2♥ is natural

 

3♥ shows 4♠ without a stopper

2NT-3♣-3♥ shows 4♠ with a stopper

 

Try Transfer Lebensohl.pdf (fiu.edu) for further ideas

[Gilithin]

If you play American Lebensohl (aka "slow shows"):

3♥ shows 4 spades without a heart stopper

2NT followed by 3♥ shows 4 spades with a heart stopper

 

If you play UK Lebensohl (aka "no trump, no stopper":

3♥ shows 4 spades with a heart stopper

2NT followed by 3♥ shows 4 spades without a heart stopper

 

If you play Rubensohl (aka Transfer Lebensohl):

3♦ shows 4 spades with or without a heart stopper

 

If you do not play any -sohl, you X for takeout.

 

If you do not play any -sohl and also play penalty doubles, you cue bid and might have to guess if there is no spade fit.

[pescetom]

If you play Rubensohl (aka Transfer Lebensohl):

3♦ shows 4 spades with or without a heart stopper

 

I play Rubensohl rather than Transfer Lebensohl, but I think it is an over-simplification to equate the two.

 

In Rubensohl, 3♦ shows 4= spades GF with or without a heart stopper, 3♥ is 5+ spades INV+ and 2NT promises clubs (strength undefined).

 

In Transfer Lebensohl as I understand it, 3♦ and 3♥ have the opposite meanings to above and 2NT would be a Lebensohl puppet to 3♣, promising a weak minor or hearts stop or 3NT to play.

[DavidKok]

I think there are many more methods than there are names, so we end up calling them different 'variants' of Transfer Lebensohl or Rubensohl.

 

For the sake of confusion: I play a version of Transfer Lebensohl where direct 3♥ shows 4 spades and denies a stopper. With a stopper bids 2NT and then 3♥.

[pescetom]

I think there are many more methods than there are names, so we end up calling them different 'variants' of Transfer Lebensohl or Rubensohl.

 

For the sake of confusion: I play a version of Transfer Lebensohl where direct 3♥ shows 4 spades and denies a stopper. With a stopper bids 2NT and then 3♥.

You're right about the variants of course, although your own Transfer Lebensohl looks pretty standard so far.

 

Where Rubensohl varies most seems to be in the meanings assigned to Double and to 3♤ both direct and following Double. I like Double to promise an unlimited "balanced" hand with at least two cards in opponent's suit, which more closely defines the impossible transfer (short in opponent's suit) and gives opener room to pass Double for punishment with 4 cards in opponent's suit.

[DavidKok]

I was told the main difference between Transfer Lebensohl and Rubensohl over their 2X is the treatment of 3X and 3X-1. Do you transfer 'into' their suit or 'through' their suit. In my partnership 3X-1 shows 3X+1 (so over their 2♥, 3♦ shows 5(+) spades inv+), allowing partner to show a non-minimum by responding 3♥. The downside is that the direct 3♥ becomes GF, and there is no room left to discover whether we might both hold half a stopper, together making a full one. I slightly prefer this option over swapping them, mostly because having the direct cue establish a game force avoids ambiguity over their conventional 2m interruptions (give 2♦ natural over their 1NT a try, people get in all sorts of trouble when their -ohl stops working).

 

I don't think the meaning of double depends on the choice of the convention, or at least not that much? Takeout (can be sub-invitational with two places to play) is pretty standard, I think. The direct 3♠ is always a head-scratcher, in my partnership it means 'transfer to 3NT without a stopper, willing to play in 4m if you do not have a stopper, or a very strong hand with clubs'. I'm sure it's not optimal but at least it's easy to remember.

 

Anyway, based on frequency I think it's nearly irrelevant which version you play. And then there's the issue of when it applies. Sure, 1NT-(2X)-? and (2Y)-X-(P)-?, but what about transfers in a Good/Bad context, or over our reverse, or over (1M)-X-(2M)-?. I play regular Lebensohl in the last three situations, and transfer in the first two, and honestly I have no idea why we play it that way.

[sfi]

I opened with 1 Nt. Oponnent bid 2♥. How does my parner bid stayman? NT-15-17 points

Others have covered an introduction to varieties of Lebensohl. If you don't play anything of that sort though, there are two main options:

 

1. Double for takeout, if that's your agreement.

2. Cue their suit (3H) to ask for a major. If double is penalty and you're not playing some sort of Lebensohl, the cue is the only thing left. Even if double is takeout, a cue bid makes it clear you are forced to game. This can help if they compete further or if you don't have a 4-4 spade fit.

[helene_t]

I opened with 1 Nt. Oponnent bid 2♥. How does my parner bid stayman? NT-15-17 points

If you haven't discussed this with partner, probably the safest thing to do is is to bid 3♥. Most will take this as asking for a 4-card spades and secondarily asking for a heart stopper.

 

Double is more flexible as it gives you room for inviting, or for opener showing a a minor suit if they don't have a heart stopper, or for opener to pass the double with 4 or more hearts. But it can be risky as some partners may think that you intend double as penalty.

[Gilithin]

Where Rubensohl varies most seems to be in the meanings assigned to Double and to 3♤ both direct and following Double.

The origin of -sohl methods was to be able to use a penalty double but almost immediately pairs decided that was not very good and switched back to takeout, while keeping the flexibility of the convention. In Rubensohl, I have always seen a direct 3♠ given as a stopper ask, the equivalent of a direct 3NT in US Lebensohl, while 2NT followed by 3♠ is needed for a GF hand with long clubs. The 3 steps you lose here compared with a direct 3♣ is where you get the bidding space for most of the other advantages inherent in using the transfer approach.