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Bridge Corner – 03.19.2026

This week’s Bridge Corner breaks down the Stayman convention and how High Card Points guide responses to a 1 No Trump opening bid, helping players make smarter, strategic decisions at the table.
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Responder’s | High Card Points (HCP)

Bid Options	0-7 Points	8-9 Points	10-14 Points
No 4-card Spade or Heart Suit	Pass	2 N/T	3 N/T
A 4-card Spade and/or Heart Suit	Pass	Stayman	Stayman

Hello and welcome to The Bridge Corner. In this session, we want to continue to list and explain the responses to the 1 No Trump opening bid. The 1 No Trump (N/T) opening bid, like EVERY one-level opening bid, is saying four things: 1) Giving point count (1 N/T = 15 to 17 points); 2) Indicating whether or not there is at least a 5-card major suit in the hand (1 N/T = no 5-card Spade or Heart suit in the hand); 3) If 1 Spade or 1 Heart is opened, then asking for at least 3 cards in the suit opened; if 1 N/T, 1 Diamond, or 1 Club opened, then asking for at least a four card major suit. So, when 1 N/T is opened, the opener is asking his partner for at least a four card Spade or Heart suit (majors) and at least 8 points in order to respond.

STOP! Let’s investigate this “Stayman” convention as a response to a 1 No Trump opening bid: With a 4-card Major suit(s) and 8+ HCP, bid 2 Clubs = STAYMAN. This bid says “opener, do you have a four-card Spade or Heart suit? If so, name it. When the No-Trumper opener answers this 2 Club bid, responder bids his point count.

– With an 8-card Major suit fit discovered (when responder bids 2 Clubs and the opener bids 2 Spades {or 2 Hearts} and the responder also has a 4-card Spade {or a 4-card Heart} suit, then there are four Spades {or 4 Hearts} in each hand for a total of 8 cards in a major suit, making an 8-card Major suit fit)

8 – 9 HCP bid at the 3 level in the discovered 8-card Major suit fit

10 – 14 HCP bid at the 4 level (game) in the discovered 8-card Major suit fit

Example: Opener has 16 HCP, no void, no singleton; partner has 4 Hearts

Opener bids 1 N/T -> -> -> -> -> Partner bids 2 Clubs

Opener rebids 2 Hearts -> -> -> Partner bids 3 H with 8/9 HCP

Partner bids 4 H with 10-14 HCP

– With no 8-card Major suit fit discovered (when responder bids 2 Clubs and the opener bids 2 Spades and the responder has a 4-card Heart suit; or when the responder bids 2 Clubs and the opener bids 2 Hearts and the responder has a 4-card Spade suit; or, when the responder bids 2 Clubs and the opener bids 2 Diamonds, indicating that the opener does NOT have a 4-card Spade or a 4-card Heart suit, then there is no 8-card Major suit fit discovered.

8 – 9 HCP bid 2 N/T

10 – 14 HCP bid 3 N/T

Example: Opener has 16 HCP, no void, no singleton; partner has 4 Hearts

Opener bids 1 N/T -> -> -> -> -> Partner bids 2 Clubs

Opener rebids 2 Spades -> -> -> -> Partner bids 2 N/T with 8/9 HCP

Partner bids 3 N/T with 10-14 HCP

In our next session, we will cover the Jacoby Transfer convention.

Tidewater Bridge Club’s Winning Players In The Mar. 11, 2026 Game:

Lillye Holly – Wilma Horne – Sharon Kelly-Green – Shirley Nottingham – Lawrence Owes

Gene Payne – Leon Ragland – Aldis Raymond – Joan Snellings – Sandra Starkey – Rose Ward – Elva Taylor

TIDEWATER BRIDGE CLUB:

Richard A. Tucker