After partner opens the bidding, your responses must meet specific requirements for both suit length and point count. Evaluate the strength of your hand by counting your points and select your bids based on established priorities, ensuring clear and effective communication with partner.

  • don’t bid without sufficient values
  • raise partner’s major suit
  • show your own major suit
  • bid no trump
  • raise partner’s minor suit
  • show your own minor suit

We follow these priorities in sequence. First, if you don’t have sufficient values to make a bid, the appropriate action is to either pass or make a lower-level bid. There will be times when you have enough strength to bid once or twice, but as the bidding progresses to higher levels, you may no longer have enough values to justify continuing.

Major suit fits

Raising partner’s major

When partner opens with 1♥ or 1♠, they guarantee at least five cards in that suit. A fit is considered to exist when the partnership has a combined total of eight trumps, meaning you need at least three cards in the suit to confirm a minimum fit. Once a major suit fit is identified, there’s no need to search for a fit in another suit. Instead, you make a bid that communicates two important pieces of information to your partner: the confirmation of the fit and the strength of your hand in terms of points.

  • with 0-5 points, pass (don’t bid without values)
  • with 6-9 points, make a single raise. (ex. raise 1♥ to 2♥ )
  • with 10-11 points, jump raise. (ex. raise 1♠ to 3♠ )
  • with 12+ points, jump to game or explore for slam (explained later)

Before looking at these hands you may want to review how to count points.

♠Q9  ♥KQJ63  ♦987   ♣652  –  Can you raise spades? 

No, you cannot raise spades. A fit requires at least three trumps in your hand to ensure a combined total of eight or more cards. Partner has promised five spades, and with only two in your hand, there is no fit to support a raise.

♠Q9  ♥KQJ63  ♦987   ♣652  –  Can you raise hearts?

Yes, you can raise hearts. Your hand contains 8 high card points (HCP) plus 2 additional points for having two extra trumps.

With a total of 10–11 points, you have enough strength to make a jump raise. Bid 3♥ to show your support and point count clearly.

♠9752  ♥Q863  ♦QT54   ♣3  –  Can you raise spades?

Yes, you can raise spades. Your hand includes 4 high card points (HCP), plus 2 points for the singleton, and an additional point for the extra trump, giving you a total of 7 points.

Raise to 2♠ to show your support and point range (6–9 points).

If partner had opened 1♥ instead, you would also have enough to raise that suit.

♠952  ♥Q863  ♦QT54   ♣73  –  Can you raise spades?

No, you cannot raise spades. You have only 4 high card points (HCP) and no additional values.

It’s important not to bid without sufficient strength.

When partner opens with a minor suit and then rebids 1♥ or 1♠, they are showing only four cards in that major suit. To confirm a minimum fit, you need at least four cards in the same suit to ensure an eight-card combined total.

♠AQ2  ♥AJ965  ♦876   ♣J8  –  Partner opens in a minor and rebids 1♠. Can you raise spades?

No, you cannot raise spades. Partner has only promised four cards in the suit, and while your spades are strong, there isn’t an eight-card fit between your hands.

♠5432  ♥AKQJ65  ♦6   ♣T5  –  Partner opens in a minor and rebids 1♠. Can you raise spades?

Yes, raise spades. You’ve identified an eight-card major suit fit, which is all you need. Even though your hearts are strong, there’s no need to search for another major suit fit when the spade fit is already established.

With 10 high card points (HCP) plus 2 points for the singleton, your hand is too strong to bid just 2♠ (which shows 6–9 points) or 3♠ (which shows 10–11 points). A stronger bid is appropriate to accurately convey the value of your hand.

♠K754  ♥J632  ♦T   ♣8642  –  Partner opens 1♦, and you pass because you don’t have enough values to bid. After an opponent overcalls 1♥, partner rebids 1♠. Is it possible for you to raise spades?

Yes, you can raise spades. While you didn’t initially have the 6 points required to respond to partner’s opening bid, discovering a spade fit allows you to reevaluate your hand. You can now count 4 high card points (HCP) plus 2 additional points for the singleton.

Raise to 2♠ to indicate a point range of 6–9 and your support for spades.

Bidding your own major

Partner’s opening bid may not immediately reveal a major suit fit. When they open with a minor suit, it denies a five-card major, but a major suit fit may still exist if you can bid hearts or spades. A response in a major suit can be made with just a four-card holding. If partner also has four cards in that major, you will have found a fit.

♠QT54 ♥K2 ♦K862 ♣953
Partner opens 1♦, and you have enough values to respond (always ensure sufficient values before bidding). While you could raise partner’s diamonds, bidding minor suits is lower on the list of priorities. Major suits take precedence. You have four spades, and partner might also have four. Respond 1♠, and partner’s next bid will clarify if a spade fit exists.

♠KQ94 ♥7632 ♦JT42 ♣2
Partner opens 1♦ again. You have a diamond fit and sufficient values to respond. However, you also hold two four-card majors, making a diamond raise premature. Which major should you bid first? The rule is to “bid four-card suits up-the-line,” starting with the lowest-ranking suit. Respond 1♥, even though your spades are stronger.

Partner will also bid their four-card suits up-the-line. If there’s no heart fit, you will still uncover a spade fit when partner rebids 1♠. By starting with the lowest-ranking four-card suit, the partnership ensures every possible major suit fit is identified.

♠KQ94 ♥7632 ♦JT42 ♣2
The rule about bidding four-card suits up-the-line also applies to minor suits. If partner opens 1♣ with this hand, your response should be 1♦. This leaves room for partner to bid either major, allowing you to discover any potential fit.

♠AQT87 ♥9 ♦K987 ♣J42
When partner opens 1♣ and you have a five-card suit, it takes precedence over any four-card suit. In this case, you should respond 1♠ to show your five-card spade suit. Prioritizing longer suits ensures effective communication of your hand’s distribution.

show answer

1♠. Bid five card suits ahead of four card suits.

If you later bid diamonds, partner will deduce that you have five spades because you would have started with 1♦ as your initial response if both suits were four cards long. Always follow the principle of “bidding four-card suits in ascending order.”

NT point ranges

Notrump bidding ranks lower in priority than major suits but higher than minor suits. The point ranges for notrump responses are as follows:

  • 1NT = 6-9 points
  • 2NT = 10-11 points
  • 3NT = 12+ points

I hope you noticed that these point ranges are the same as when raising partner’s major suit.

♠KJ9  ♥Q6  ♦T9872   ♣JT8
Partner opens 1♦, and you have sufficient values to respond. Since there is no possibility of a major suit fit, notrump takes priority over minor suits. Therefore, your response should be 1NT rather than 2♦.

♠KJ9  ♥6  ♦T9872   ♣QJT8
The hand has been adjusted slightly. Now, with an unbalanced distribution that isn’t suitable for notrump, you should raise diamonds instead of responding with 1NT. This is possible because you know there is a diamond fit. If a fit were not certain, you might still need to bid 1NT despite having an unbalanced hand.

Like this…

♠9  ♥KT64  ♦9763   ♣KJT2
Partner opens 1♠, and you respond with 1NT to show 6–9 points. While your hand is unbalanced, you lack the additional points required for a bid at the two level (as will be explained in the next section).

♠Q9  ♥J63  ♦AT87   ♣QJ52  –  Partner opens 1♠ 

You have 10 points and a balanced hand.

Bid 2NT.

♠KQ5  ♥AT6  ♦987   ♣QJ82  –  Partner opens 1♦ 

This time you have 11 points (12-1) in your balanced hand.

Bid 2NT.

You did remember to subtract a point for 4333 distribution, didn’t you?

♠KJ2  ♥T432  ♦KJ3   ♣KJ6  –  Partner opens 1♣

You have 11 points (12-1), plenty enough to bid. And your hand is notrumpy in character, but…

Major suits come before notrump. Bid 1♥.

♠852  ♥963  ♦AKJ4   ♣742  –  Partner opens 1♦ 

You have 7 points (8 minus 1) and a balanced hand, so your bid should be 1NT.

There’s no need to be concerned about the lack of honors in the unbid suits. Your 1NT response accurately reflects your point count and balanced distribution. It’s now up to partner to guide the bidding based on this information.

The two over one response

To bid a suit ranked lower than your partner’s opening suit, you must go to the two level. For instance, you might bid 2 of a minor after partner opens 1 of a major. This is referred to as a “2 over 1 response.”

When no fit has been established, increasing the level of the bidding requires more points to ensure the partnership has enough strength to explore higher contracts. A 2 over 1 response guarantees 10 or more points.

♠86  ♥QT76  ♦3   ♣AQT852  –   Partner opens 1♠

You don’t have enough points to make a 2 over 1 response.

Instead, bid 1NT.

The bidding isn’t finished—you may have an opportunity to better describe your hand later. For now, focus on the fundamental priority: “Don’t bid without sufficient values.” Since your hand doesn’t meet the requirements for a 2 over 1 response, 1NT is the appropriate bid.

♠KT5  ♥QJ6  ♦87   ♣AJT82  –  Partner opens 1♦

You have 11 points and a balanced hand.

Bidding no-trump has a higher priority than minor suits. Bid 2NT.

♠QJT  ♥K9  ♦3   ♣AKQJT96  –  Partner opens 1♥ 

You have 16 points and an excellent club suit.

Your initial bid should be 2♣. Future bids will depend on partner’s response, which is often the case—you know your starting bid, but the follow-up depends on how the auction develops. If partner shows extra length in hearts, you’ll have a major suit fit. If partner bids diamonds, the likely outcome will be a notrump contract. If neither option works, the final contract will involve playing in clubs, which is the lowest priority.

♠T3  ♥AQT3  ♦Q984   ♣KQ2  –  Partner opens 1♠

This is a nuanced situation.

You have enough points to bid 3NT, but the search for a major suit fit isn’t complete. Partner may still have four hearts. Jumping directly to 3NT would risk missing that potential fit.

Instead, bid 2♦ to keep the bidding open and give partner the opportunity to show a four-card heart suit, if they have one. If no heart fit is revealed, you can confidently make your next bid 3NT.

Did you notice that in the previous hand, you bid a four-card diamond suit instead of a stronger four-card heart suit? This is similar to the suit length requirements for opening bids. A 2 over 1 response requires at least five cards in hearts, but bidding a four-card minor is acceptable.

Summary:

1 level responses, and raises of partner’s suit, promise 6+ points.

Jump raise partner’s suit with 10-11 points and a fit.

2 over 1 responses promise 10+ points.

Bid 5 card suits ahead of 4 card suits.

Bid 4 card suits up-the-line.

2♥ over 1♠ promises 5+ cards.

After Partner’s 1NT Opening

You can raise partner’s 1NT (15–17 points) to 2NT with 8–9 points or to 3NT with 10 or more points. However, identifying a major suit fit takes priority over immediately raising notrump, so you may need to explore other bids first.

When might there be a major suit fit after partner opens 1NT? If you have a five-card major, there’s a possibility partner has 3 or 4 cards in the same suit. You’ll need to ask through your bidding. Similarly, if you have a four-card major, partner might also have four, and you’ll need to inquire about that as well.

How can we ask a question with our bidding?

We establish agreements with our partner that assign specific meanings to certain bids. These are known as “bidding conventions,” where a bid is used to convey information about something else, such as hand strength or suit preference.

After partner’s 1NT opening bid, there are two conventions we can use. The first is called “Stayman,” and the second is known as “Transfers.”

Stayman

After an opening bid of 1NT, the Stayman convention involves a bid of 2♣, which does not indicate anything about the club suit. Instead, it asks, “Partner, do you have a four-card major?” If partner has a four-card major, they will bid it. If not, they will respond with 2♦ to deny holding a four-card major.

You might have a hand like:

♠62  ♥QJT3  ♦AQ4  ♣Q876
When partner opens 1NT (15–17 points), you bid 2♣ (Stayman) to check if partner holds four hearts. If partner does, the contract will be in hearts. If not, the contract will remain in notrump.

♠A864  ♥K92  ♦43  ♣QJ54
This is another situation where a 2♣ Stayman response is appropriate. You want to determine if the opener has four spades, and the 2♣ bid serves as the inquiry.

How do you know when partner’s 2♣ response is stayman?

After a 1NT opening bid, a 2♣ response always indicates the Stayman convention. However, following other opening bids, 2♣ shows an interest in clubs and is not used as Stayman.

♠AKJ4  ♥J865  ♦K3  ♣A54
You open 1NT, and partner responds with 2♣, asking if you have a four-card major. If you do, which major should you bid?

Bid four-card majors in ascending order, so your response is 2♥. If partner makes another bid, it indicates they were specifically interested in spades and not hearts, as Stayman is only used when holding a four-card major. Your next bid will then be in spades.

Partner opens 1NT(15-17). And you hold…

♠A4  ♥Q93  ♦82  ♣AQJ954  –  Do you bid 2♣? 

Absolutely not.

A 2♣ bid is Stayman and is used to ask if partner has a four-card major. Since there is no possibility of a 4-4 fit, this inquiry is irrelevant.

Moreover, using 2♣ implies that you yourself have a four-card major, which you do not.

♠KQ64  ♥Q92  ♦KJT87  ♣8  –  Do you bid 2♣?

Yes, bid Stayman. This allows you to check if partner has four spades. If they do, the contract will be in spades.

Keep in mind, if partner responds with 2♦, it doesn’t indicate they have diamonds—it simply means they do not have a four-card major. In that case, you’ll proceed with a notrump contract.

♠A864  ♥K92  ♦43  ♣QJ54  –  Do you bid 2♣? 

Yes, bid 2♣ Stayman.

As with the previous hand, your goal is to determine if there is a spade fit before deciding on a notrump contract. Major suit fits take priority over notrump.

♠KJ6  ♥T863  ♦AK  ♣QT98  –  Do you bid 2♣?

The correct bid is 2♣, Stayman.

Although your hearts may be weak, you do hold four cards in the suit. Use Stayman to check for a major suit fit.

How many points are required for a stayman bid?

Stayman requires 8+ points.

A new player might ask, “Why do we need at least 8 points to use Stayman? Wouldn’t it make sense to look for a major suit fit even with a weaker hand?”

That’s an excellent question! While finding a major suit fit is important, using Stayman raises the level of the bidding—from the one level to the two level. If partner doesn’t have the “right” four-card major, the auction might escalate further in the search for a fit.

For this reason, you need enough points to justify the higher bidding level in case a major suit fit isn’t found. Having at least 8 points ensures that the partnership has sufficient combined strength to safely handle the increased bidding and still arrive at a playable contract.

Requiring 8+ points for Stayman aligns with one of the core principles of good bidding: “don’t bid without adequate values.” This approach minimizes the risk of overcommitting and ensures that every bid is made with a realistic chance of success.

Transfers

When we are the first to bid a suit, we will typically become the declarer if that suit is chosen as trump. However, there are situations where it might be more advantageous for our partner to be the declarer instead.

A beginner might understandably ask, “Why does it matter who the declarer is?”

Do you recall the advantage of playing last? When partner opens with 1NT, they hold a balanced hand with several honor cards. This is the perfect situation where they might gain an extra trick by being the last to play to the opening lead.

In other words, your partner should be the declarer, not you. To achieve this, we need to “transfer” the role of declarer to them. This requires your partner to be the first to bid the trump suit.

How can we accomplish this? By using a convention called a “transfer” bid. Similar to Stayman, it involves bidding one suit to indicate a holding in another. Transfer bids are specifically used in your first response after partner opens 1NT.

How to bid a transfer

  • Bid 2♦ when you hold 5+ hearts. Partner then “completes the transfer” by bidding 2♥.
  • Bid 2♥ when you hold 5+ spades. Partner then “completes the transfer” by bidding 2♠.

♠A4  ♥KQT93  ♦82  ♣QT4  –  How do you respond to 1NT?

When holding a five-card major, use a transfer bid by bidding 2♦.

Partner will complete the transfer by bidding 2♥, ensuring that the stronger, balanced hand becomes the declarer if hearts are chosen as the trump suit.

♠KJT975  ♥AJ7  ♦82  ♣Q8  –  How do you respond to 1NT?

With six spades, you can be certain there is a spade fit. Partner cannot have a spade shortage when opening 1NT.

Use a transfer bid to make partner the declarer. Bid 2♥, and partner will complete the transfer by bidding 2♠.

♠AKQ4  ♥87  ♦KQ92  ♣984  –  How do you respond to 1NT?

Yes, your spades are strong, but you don’t have enough to justify a transfer.

Instead, bid 2♣ (Stayman). This allows you to check for a spade fit before deciding whether to play in notrump.

♠QJ6  ♥76543  ♦AT  ♣KQ8  –  How do you respond to 1NT?

Bid 2♦ to transfer to your five-card heart suit.

Yes, your hearts may be weak, but you still have five cards in the suit.

♠JT96  ♥KJ87  ♦J5  ♣852  –  How do you respond to 1NT?

Pass! While it would be ideal to explore a possible major suit fit, you don’t have enough points to bid Stayman.

Review of NT responses: After a 1NT opening, we play stayman and transfers.

  • 2♣ (stayman) asks for a 4 card major. Stayman promises 8+ points.
  • 2♦ transfers to hearts. Opener must bid 2♥.
  • 2♥ transfers to spades. Opener must bid 2♠.

A beginner might ask, “What about the other bids? What does a 2♠ response mean? How do I bid when I have a strong minor suit? And what should I bid next after making a Stayman or transfer response?”

Hold on for a moment—that’s a lot to cover! You’re right; there’s plenty more to learn. Let’s take it one step at a time and focus on mastering these basics before diving into the rest. Patience is key!

Practice hands

hand 1

You
♠ K 8
♥ J T 3
♦ K J T 9 7 2  
♣ 7 6
WestNorthEastYou
–1♥P?

What’s your call?

Yikes! That’s way off!

You don’t have enough points to make a 2-over-1 bid.

Plus, you’ve already found a major suit fit, so there’s no need to explore minor suits. Stick to the major!

Indeed! 8 points and a major suit fit is a raise.

hand 2

You
♠ K J T 8 4  
♥ J 3
♦ K T 9 7
♣ 7 6
WestNorthEastYou
–1♣P?

What’s your call?

Sorry, no honey this time. Bid five card suits at the one level before 4 card suits.

Yes, well done! Bid five card suits at the one level before 4 card suits.

hand 3

You
♠ Q 9 6 5  
♥ 8 2
♦ Q J 9 3
♣ A Q 3
WestNorthEastYou
–1NTP?

What’s your call?

You have more than 8 points and you want to ask partner if he has four spades.

Bid 2♣, stayman.

No, not 2♠.

When partner opens 1NT, you don’t bid the suits you hold directly. Instead, you use Stayman or transfer bids to explore the possibility of a major suit fit.

Your correct response is 2♣, using Stayman.

hand 4

♠ K 6 5
♥ Q T 8 7 6  
♦ 2
♣ K Q 5 3
WestNorthEastYou
–1NTP?

What’s your call?

No, not 2♣. You don’t have a four card major.

You want to transfer to your five card heart suit. Bid 2♦.

Correct.

It may seem odd to bid your singleton, but your bid has nothing to do with diamonds. You’re transferring to your five card heart suit.

hand 5

You
♠ 7 2
♥ K J 8 2  
♦ A J 4
♣ Q T 8 2
WestNorthEastYou
–1♠P?

What’s your call?

Yes, yes, yes.

You have the correct point count and distribution for a 2NT bid, but you still need to explore the possibility of a major suit fit.

Bid 2♣ to give partner the opportunity to show a four-card heart suit, if they have one. You cannot bid 2♥, as that requires a five-card suit.

Oops… you skipped over one of our highest priorities, finding a major suit fit.

Bid 2♣, and give partner the bidding space to show a 4 card heart suit if he has it.

You can always bid NT later, after the search for a major suit fit is over.

hand 6

You
♠ K J 8 4  
♥ J 3
♦ Q J 9 7
♣ A 7 6
WestNorthEastYou
–1♠P?

What’s your call?

Well, let’s see… 3♠ shows 10-11 points.

How many points do you have? 12 hcp, plus one for the extra trump.

No, your hand is too strong to bid only 3♠. You have to bid 4♠

Correct.

3♠ shows 10-11 points, but you have 12 + 1 = 13.

hand 7

You
♠ Q 9 6 5  
♥ 8 2
♦ Q J 9 3
♣ K J 3
WestNorthEastYou
–
P		1♣
1♠		P
P		1♦
?

What’s your call?

Yes, 2♠ is enough.

You have 9 hcp and no extra trumps.

This one stung you. 3♠ promises 10-11 points.

When partner rebids 1♠, he’s only promising a four card suit. You have no extra trumps so you have only 9 points. 2♠ is enough.

Reminder:
We bid only a partial when we have up to 23-24 points, but we go to game with 24-25.

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