Saturday, November 29, 2003 5:12 AM

Scrambling Stayman

PITBULLS:

Garbage Stayman is popular with match point players. You have a weak 4-4 in the majors and gamble for a major fit. If you strike out you bid 2♥ and partner scrambles to 2♠ for a Moysean. Ugly but it works. Partner opens 1NT and you have a game forcing hand with 5-5 in the majors. Simple , just transfer into spades and then bid hearts. If you transfer the other way by transferring into hearts and then bidding spades , it has an entirely different meaning. Two spades is just a noise saying that we may have slam in hearts. Some people play that invitational with 5 hearts and 4 spades but I think it is more useful to reserve the 2♠ bid as a slam probe. Two spades can also be used as a relay to 2NT and you can define sequences over it for slam purposes.

After Stayman , when partner responds a major & bids the other major it is an artificial slam try and not a Q bid or a suit. You must have some bid that just invites to slam when you have discovered a major fit. Otherwise all slam bidding would have to be bid from one side and you do not invite partner to the party.

Smolen is played at the 3 level and shows 5-4 in the majors by jumping in the 4 card suit. If you do not play Puppet Stayman , Smolen applies after a 2NT opener also.

What if you have a weak 5-5 in the majors ? Scrambling Stayman to the rescue .

Bid Stayman and pull 2♦ to two hearts . The following rules apply :

lNT-2♣-2♦-2♥ Pass with 3 & with 2 hearts remove to 2♠ with 3 Spades.

1NT-2♣-2♥-2♠ Slam try in hearts

1NT-2♣-2♦-2♠ I is invt. 5-4, not a scramble.

Of course you can also make the ultimate Stayman scramble and bid 2♣ with a stiff club and a 4-4-4-1 intending to pass any response.

What if you do have 4-5 specifically in the majors and an invitational hand ? Bid Stayman and if partner bids 2♦ you are forced to bid 2NT . Not pretty but it is workable. Otherwise you can use a transfer to hearts & bid spades . This of course foregos the slam treatment. Obviously a partnership understanding to decide which way to go..

Stayman extensions also come into play. If the NT hand has both majors , she can deviate from the norm . 2NT shows both and a minimum and 3♣ shows both with a maximum. We now have the inference that a 2♥ response after Stayman can never hold 4♠.