Puppet Stayman

Stayman and Puppet Stayman are bidding conventions used by a partnership to find a 4-4 or 5-3 trump fit in a major suit after making a one notrump (1NT) opening bid; it has been adapted for use after a 2NT opening, a 1NT overcall and many other natural notrump bids.

Puppet Stayman is a method of responding to 1NT devised by Kit Woolsey. Responder’s 2♣ asks for a five-card major.  (See next paragraph for use Puppet Stayman in conjunction with regular Stayman.)  With no five-card major, opener is forced to bid 2♦. Responder now bids the major he doesn’t have, or notrump with both majors. Opener is now in a position to select the right denomination without revealing his distribution to the opponents. Puppet Stayman can also be used over 2NT openers with equal effectiveness. After 2NT – 3♣; 3♦ (at least one four-card major), responder can use 4♦ as a way to sign off in partner’s major, while 4♣ shows slam interest in partner’s major(s). Over 4♣, opener can bid slam, sign off or pass the buck with 4♦.

The use of Puppet Stayman has been extended to use in conjunction with Stayman and four-suit transfers. In that scheme 1NT – 3♣ is Puppet Stayman. The usual responses are:

3♦: one or both four-card majors.

3♥/3♠: five-card suit

3NT: no four-card major.

This allows responder to try to locate a 5-3 or even a 4-3 major fit when he has a hand that looks vulnerable to attack in a particular suit, even if he does not hold a four-card major.

See also:  Stayman, Garbage Stayman, Smolen

SOURCE: "Conventions", The Official ACBL Encyclopedia of Bridge, 7th ed. Horn Lake: American Contract Bridge League, Inc., 2011, page 308-309. Print