"Tears on My Pillow" Stayman or Transfers by Marti Ronemus

When a less experienced player tackles Stayman and Transfers, frustration and tears often initially ensue. Little Anthony and the Imperials must have been learning bridge back in 1958 when their "Tears on My Pillow" hit the charts.

Let's explore this dilemma together today. In each example, our Pard will open 1NT, and we'll decide what to do. Get your hankies ready and let's go.

BTW, why do we go through all this rigmarole anyway? Because if we can keep the big hand hidden with the opening lead coming INTO the big hand, in the long run it's worth 1/2 trick.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ J 10 9 4
♥ 8 4
♦ A K 5 4 3
♣ 7 3

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 NT	Pass
?

A: 2♣: This is such a perfect Stayman hand. We've got a four-card major, shape for ruffing and 8 plus pts.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ J 10 9 4
♥ 8 4 3
♦ A K 5
♣ 7 3 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 NT	Pass
?

A: 2 NT: Remember: No shortness, no Stayman. We have a Pard who's got a flat, balanced hand. We've got a hand with zero ruffing value. No reason to be in a major if we won't be able to trump in dummy.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ J 9 8 5 4
♥ 3 2
♦ A Q 10 4
♣ K 5

Q: 3 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 NT	Pass
?

A: 2♥: We want our Pard to name Spades first... we've got five of them. So we name the suit lower than Spades, Hearts. We plan on ultimately placing the contract in game, either Spades or No-trump.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 9 8 5 4
♥ A Q 3 2
♦ 10 8
♣ K 5

Q: 4 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 NT	Pass
?

A: 2♣: This is a tough one, a real tear-jerker. When we hold 5-4 in the majors, we begin with Stayman. With luck Pard will hold one also. If not, our rebid will be our five-card major. Pard will then know we are 5-4, and can bid appropriately. Sometimes the big hand will end on the table, and there's a way around it, but not for a while...

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ J 9 8 5 4
♥ A Q 8 3 2
♦ 10
♣ K 5

Q: 5 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 NT	Pass
?

A: 2♥: This is another tough one. We're going to start by transferring to Spades, and then on our rebid, bid Hearts again. Pard will know we've got five Hearts and five Spades and will know what to do. With 10 cards in two suits, we really own this table.

And now, fresh hankies... we're gonna play a hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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