Some New Ideas For Puppet Stayman

Presented by Mike Savage

        A Basic Standard Version and Two Modern Ones

Opener's bids are in this COLOR
Responder's bids are in this COLOR

This is a basic version of Puppet Stayman.

    2NT   20-21 HCP Balanced, but may have a 5 card major
      3C = Asks if opener has a five-card major
        3D = Shows no five-card major but at least one four-card major
          3H/3S = Shows 4-cards in the other major so the big hand will always be declarer
          3NT = Denies a four card major
          4C = Gerber (some partnerships play 4C as 4-4 in the majors with slam interest)
          4D = Shows two four-card majors
        3H/3S = Shows five cards in the bid major
        3NT = Denies either a five card or four-card major and is to play
      3D/3H = Jacoby Transfer to hearts/spades
      3S = Minor Suit Stayman
      3NT = To play




This is a newer version of Puppet Stayman.

    2NT   20-21 HCP Balanced, but may have a 5 card major
      3C = Asks if opener has a five-card major
        3D = No five-card major (minimum hand, regardless of a four-card major)
          3H/3S = Shows four cards in the other major
          3NT = To play
          4C/4D = Shows at least a five-card minor (often longer) with slam interest
          4H/4S = Shows a stiff or void in the bid major with both minors and slam interest
        3H/3S = Shows a five-card major
          4C/4D = Shows at least a five-card minor (often longer) with slam interest
        3NT = Shows a maximum and no four-card major
      3D/3H = Jacoby Transfer to hearts/spades
      3S = Relay to 3NT, to play       (but over 3NT your partnership can assign meanings to 4C, 4D, 4H & 4S)
      3NT = Bid with two four-card majors (some 5-4s) & asks opener to bid a 4-card major or pass



Playing both of these versions of Puppet Stayman, the downside is you may miss 4-4 heart fits when responder has five spades and four hearts. The advantage of playing this newer version of Puppet Stayman is that the big hand does not disclose if it has a 4-card major, unless there is a guaranteed 4-4 fit.

With 5-4 in the majors, there is no perfect solution. With five hearts and four spades, it's usually best to transfer to hearts and then bid 3S but with five spades and four hearts, responder has a choice of flawed options. He can bid Stayman (3NT) and perhaps miss a 5-3 spade fit or transfer to spades and then bid 3NT (not showing the heart suit) and occasionally the partnership will miss finding a 4-4 heart fit.

Handling 5-4 in the majors at the 3-level, allows 4C & 4D to be natural bids after bidding 3C first.

Finally here's a very simple modern version of Puppet Stayman that's probably the best of the three.
It finds all 8 and 9-card major suit fits at the 3-level while still allowing the 2NT opener to be declarer.

    2NT   20-21 HCP Balanced, but may have a 5 card major
      3C = Asks if opener has a five-card major or four hearts
        3D = Denies having a five-card major or four hearts
          3H asks if opener has four spades (3S shows four spades, 3NT denies four spades)
        3H = Shows either four or five hearts
          3S = Asks how many hearts opener has (3NT shows four hearts, 4H shows five hearts)
        3S = Shows five spades
        3NT = Shows 4-4 in the majors and responder will pass or correct (transfers can be used)