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Simon started playing aged 10, together with his family (Brothers Jack and Zebedee make their living exclusively from teaching bridge), and was soon playing at club, county then national level. Simon represented England as part of the Under 25 squad, partnered with both brothers in turn. On completing a degree in Classics from Trinity College, Oxford, Simon began teaching bridge at the London School of Bridge, and then at The Acol Bridge Club with Andrew Robson. In 1995, Simon started the Andrew Robson Bridge Club in partnership with Andrew, establishing it (with help from brother Zebedee) as the world’s most successful bridge club. Simon left in summer 2000, pending the arrival of his son Max, and now teaches in London, the Cotswolds, and the Caribbean. In 2004 Simon played bridge on top of Kilimanjaro at a height of 19,335 feet.

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Thursday, April 10, 2008 

Stayman - Overview



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STAYMAN - CONTENTS:

OVERVIEW
1. History
2. Requirements
3. Hand Types


REGULAR STAYMAN:
1. Point Requirements
2. Responses
3. Examples



WEAK STAYMAN (More Advanced):
1. "Weak-take-out" in ♣s
2. Five-four in both majors, 0-10 points
3. Esoteric Stayman - WARNING



ADVANCED STAYMAN:
1. Stayman 3♣ to 2NT
2. Stayman cancelled after Double
3. Conventional Redouble option - MAJOR WARNING
4. Stayman after intervention - WARNING
5. Intervention after Stayman
6. Extended Stayman - WARNING
7. Stayman with Transfers - WARNING
8. Doubling Stayman
9. Five-Card Stayman (over 2NT) -WARNING
10. Puppet Stayman (over 2NT) - MAJOR WARNING
11. Modified Puppet - MAJOR WARNING

If you really want to get to grips with Stayman, you need to read everything except those topics given a WARNING. These sections are for serious partnerships and duplicate players. If you have any questions - please don't hesitate to contact me.


HISTORY

Sam Stayman (1909-1993) was an American bridge player, part of the US team which won the inaugural Bermuda Bowl in 1950 and subsequently in 1951 and 1953. Although the convention bears the name of Sam Stayman, it is widely accepted that he did not invent it. Initially in London during the early 40s, Mr Ewart Kempson and later 'Skid' Simon, developed ways to exchange information opposite an opening 1NT. Subsequently Jack Marx (also in England) and George Rapee took up the mantle. George Rapee was Stayman's regular partner and is often believed to be the true founder of the Stayman 2♣ convention. Jack Marx may have been prevented from publishing it until 1946, because all bridge publications were suspended due to paper-shortage in England. Stayman fine-tuned Rapee's convention and then promoted and published the convention under his own name in 1945 in "The Bridge World".

Stayman is usually the third (and often the last) convention learnt by bridge-players. The first is the opening 2♣ bid, which signifies 23+ points and the second Blackwood, 4NT ("how many aces do you have partner?"). The responses are also conventional.

A conventional bid is an artificial bid and says nothing about the suit bid. Stayman 2♣ is a conventional bid: it is 'forcing' and must never be passed. It says nothing about ♣s but asks, "Do you have a 4-card major suit partner?"



FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS for STAYMAN:

1. You need to have agreed to play it with partner.
2. You partner has opened 1NT (or 2NT) or overcalled 1NT.
3. You can cope with any response from partner.



HAND TYPES for STAYMAN:

A. Precisely 4 cards in ♥s or ♠s (or both), game values.
B. A weak hand with long ♣s (typically 6+ cards).
C. A weak hand which can handle any response.


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