TLDR
Stayman is the 2♣ response to 1NT that asks partner whether they hold a four-card major. Partner answers 2♦ (neither), 2♥ (four hearts), or 2♠ (four spades). Responder usually needs 8 or more points, plus interest in a major suit game or partscore.
In this post, you’ll find the full mechanics, responder’s rebids, Garbage Stayman, handling interference, the five-four major decision, common mistakes, and a practice hand walked through end to end.
Your partner opens 1NT and you look down at ♠ K J 6 3 ♥ A 10 7 2 ♦ 8 4 ♣ K 7 3. You have 11 high-card points and four of each major. You would rather play in a four-four major fit than in 1NT or 3NT, because the eight-card trump suit will usually take an extra trick. How do you find out whether partner has a four-card major without committing the auction?
That is the question Stayman was built to answer. It is the oldest and most widely played bridge convention. Partner’s 1NT opening only guarantees a balanced hand and the right point range, it says nothing about specific suits. Stayman asks the question, and it does so cheaply, at the two-level, without committing the partnership to anything.
Why the convention exists
A 1NT opening shows 15-17 points and a balanced distribution. Balanced means 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2 (where the five-card suit is a minor in most systems). Opener might hold any of those shapes, with or without a four-card major. Notrump often plays well at matchpoints, but a four-four major fit beats notrump by a trick on most hands, and game in a major is worth more than game in notrump at a partscore level.
Stayman solves this by letting responder ask a specific question. Do you have a four-card major? Partner answers truthfully, and the partnership lands in the right strain. Without the convention, there is no way to discover a four-four major fit after 1NT, because bidding 2♥ or 2♠ naturally would promise five cards in the suit.
The basic mechanics
Stayman is responder’s 2♣ bid after partner’s 1NT opening. It is artificial, meaning it says nothing about clubs. It asks one question: do you have a four-card major?
| Opener | Responder | Opener’s reply | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | 2♣ | 2♦ | No four-card major |
| 1NT | 2♣ | 2♥ | Four or more hearts (may have four spades too) |
| 1NT | 2♣ | 2♠ | Four spades, exactly (denies four hearts) |
Two small details are worth drilling. The 2♥ response does not deny four spades. With both majors, opener always bids 2♥ first, and responder can show or ask about the second major on the next round. The 2♠ response does deny four hearts, because opener would have shown hearts first if they had both.
Point requirements and shape
The standard Stayman bid promises at least one four-card major and enough points to handle any response. The baseline is eight high-card points, because even if partner denies a major (2♦), you will be at least at 2NT on the next round, and you need partnership values for that. With less than eight, passing 1NT is almost always better.
There are only three shapes where Stayman normally applies:
- 4-4 in the majors: the classic Stayman shape. Invite or force to game based on points.
- 5-4 in the majors: Stayman first, then bid the five-card suit to show the shape.
- 4-3 or 3-4 in the majors with game-going values: Stayman only if you are willing to play 3NT. If partner shows your four, you have a seven-card fit and can raise.
Responder’s rebid after Stayman
After opener’s response, responder has to clarify strength and shape. Here is the decision tree for each of the three opener responses, with 8 HCP being invitational, 10 HCP being game-forcing, and 16+ HCP showing slam interest.
After 1NT – 2♣ – 2♦ (no major)
| Your rebid | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2NT | Invitational with 8-9 HCP, balanced |
| 3NT | Game values, 10-14 HCP, balanced |
| 3 of a major | 5-4+ in the majors, game-forcing |
| 4NT | Natural quantitative invite to 6NT, 16-17 HCP |
After 1NT – 2♣ – 2♥ or 2♠ (major shown)
| Your rebid | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pass | Weak, four cards in partner’s major (Garbage Stayman) |
| 2 of other major | 5-4 in majors, invitational (partnership agreement) |
| 2NT | Invitational, you do not have a fit in partner’s major |
| 3 of partner’s major | Invitational with four-card support |
| 3NT | Game values, no fit (you have the other major) |
| 4 of partner’s major | Game values, four-card support, no slam interest |
Garbage Stayman: getting out of 1NT with a weak hand
Most partnerships play a variant called Garbage Stayman that lets responder escape from 1NT with a weak hand that has short clubs and some length in the other suits. The classic Garbage Stayman shape is 4-4-4-1 with a singleton club and 0-7 high-card points.
The idea: bid 2♣ with the weak hand, then pass whatever opener bids. You end up in a two-level suit contract rather than defending 1NT with a singleton club that partner may waste points on. Partner holds 15-17 and a balanced hand, so any four-card suit partner shows will be at least a seven-card fit for your side.
If opener rebids 2♦ with no major, responder passes. 2♦ with a 4-4-4-1 and partner’s likely three-plus diamonds still beats 1NT with a singleton club. This is why Garbage Stayman works even though the partnership has not reached the usual 8-point threshold.
Key rule: Garbage Stayman requires at least four cards in every suit opener might rebid. Specifically, responder must hold at least four cards in diamonds, hearts, and spades. A hand with four hearts, four spades, and only three diamonds would be dangerous, because if opener bids 2♦, responder has to pass a seven-card trump fit at best.
The five-four majors decision
You have five cards in one major and four in the other. Do you use Stayman or Jacoby Transfer? This is one of the most argued-over decisions on bridge forums, and there are two standard answers depending on strength.
- Weak (0-7): Transfer to the five-card major and pass. Do not use Stayman, it forces the auction too high.
- Invitational (8-9): Stayman first. If partner shows either major, raise. If partner bids 2♦, rebid 2NT with the five-card heart hand and 2♠ (usually invitational, partnership agreement) with the five-card spade hand.
- Game-forcing (10+): Stayman first with 5-4, then bid the five-card suit at the three-level if partner does not have a fit. That sequence is unconditionally game-forcing and describes your shape exactly.
The logic for Stayman-first with 5-4 game values: if partner has four of your five-card suit, you land in the best game. If partner has four of your four-card suit, that is still a four-four fit and preferable to a five-three. Only if partner has neither major do you need to show the five-card suit.
When opponents interfere
Over a double of 1NT
Most partnerships play systems on over a penalty double, meaning Stayman (2♣) and transfers still function normally. Some pairs play systems off, treating 2♣ as natural and invoking a runout structure instead. Agree this before the session. If you are uncertain, systems on is the simpler default.
Over an overcall
When opponents overcall 1NT naturally, Stayman is off. The partnership now uses cue-bids, Lebensohl, or negative doubles depending on agreement. Our full guide to Lebensohl covers the most common tool for this situation.
Stolen-bid doubles
Some partnerships play that a double of the opponent’s 2♣ overcall (when they bid the Stayman suit) means “I would have bid Stayman.” This is non-standard and not recommended. Keep double as a values or penalty bid and let partner figure out the distribution from context.
Common mistakes
1. Using Stayman with a 5-3-3-2 balanced hand
You have five of a minor, three of each major, and three of the other minor. Stayman is pointless here. You have no four-card major, partner’s response of 2♥ or 2♠ leaves you with a seven-card fit at best, and most of the time you will just bid 3NT anyway. Save Stayman for hands with at least one four-card major.
2. Stayman with 4-4-4-1 and strong clubs
If your singleton is not clubs, Garbage Stayman works beautifully. But with a 4-4-4-1 hand where clubs is the singleton, weak hands still Stayman, but strong hands have a problem if opener bids 2♦. Partnership agreement should cover whether 2♠ rebid after 2♣-2♦ is forcing or invitational.
3. Passing 2♦ as a sign-off without partnership agreement
You bid Stayman with a weak hand planning to pass any response. Your partner gets a strong 1NT and is expecting at least an invitational rebid. Discuss Garbage Stayman explicitly before using it, because many older partnerships do not play it and expect 2♣ to promise 8+ HCP unconditionally.
4. Forgetting that 2♥ response does not deny spades
Partner bids 2♥ and you have four spades. You raise hearts and miss the four-four spade fit. This is a rebid error, not a Stayman error, but it comes up often. With four spades after opener’s 2♥, bid 2♠ if you have the values to show a second suit, or jump to 3♠ with game-forcing 5-4.
5. Stayman before an invitational 2NT
With a balanced 4-3-3-3 and no four-card major, just bid 2NT (invitational) or 3NT (game). Do not pass through Stayman unnecessarily, because it gives opponents more information on the opening lead and wastes a round of bidding.
A practice hand walked through
You are South. Partner deals 1NT and the auction is yours.
You hold:
♠ A J 10 6
♥ K 9 7 2
♦ Q 4
♣ J 8 3
Auction so far: Partner You
1NT ?
Ten high-card points, four spades, four hearts, balanced shape. You have game-going values opposite partner’s 15-17, and a four-card major fit would mean a four-four fit that plays a trick better than notrump. This is the textbook Stayman hand.
You bid 2♣. Partner’s response tells you where to go.
- If partner bids 2♦ (no major): bid 3NT. You have game values and no fit.
- If partner bids 2♥: bid 4♥. Four-four heart fit, game values, no slam interest.
- If partner bids 2♠: bid 4♠. Same logic, spade fit.
Three clean auctions, three right contracts. The convention did exactly what it was designed to do. Without Stayman, you would guess between 3NT, 2NT, and a natural 2♥ or 2♠ bid that lies about your length.
Putting this on your card
Before you play Stayman in earnest, agree three things with your partner: whether you play Garbage Stayman, whether the 2♠ rebid after 2♣-2♦ is invitational or forcing, and whether systems are on or off over a penalty double of 1NT. With those three agreements written on the back of your convention card, Stayman becomes a tool you never have to think about twice.
Play 20 hands where Stayman comes up and it will be automatic. Then start paying attention to the edge cases, especially the 5-4 majors hands, which is where most intermediate partnerships leak points.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do I need for Stayman?
The standard threshold is eight high-card points, because you need enough to handle any response without dropping below the partnership’s combined minimum. Garbage Stayman lets you go lower with specific 4-4-4-1 shapes where a two-level suit contract beats defending 1NT. Any weaker balanced hand should pass 1NT rather than invoke Stayman.
What does opener bid if they have both four-card majors?
Opener bids 2♥ first. The 2♥ response does not deny four spades, which is why responder with four spades and the values to show them can bid 2♠ on the next round. Only opener’s 2♠ response denies four hearts, because opener would have shown hearts first.
Is Stayman forcing?
Yes, opener must respond to Stayman. Partner cannot pass 2♣, because the bid is purely artificial and says nothing about clubs. Partner is obligated to answer with 2♦, 2♥, or 2♠ depending on their holding.
Stayman vs Jacoby Transfer, which should I use?
Use Stayman when you have at least one four-card major and want to find a four-four fit. Use a Jacoby Transfer when you have a five-card major and want to end up playing in it with partner as declarer. The tricky overlap is five-four in the majors. Weak five-four hands transfer. Strong and invitational five-four hands usually Stayman first.
Can I use Stayman over a 2NT opening?
Yes. Over a 2NT opening, 3♣ is Stayman and the structure is identical to the 1NT version, just one level higher. The same rules apply over 2♣-2♦-2NT and similar balanced sequences where opener shows 20+ points.
What is Puppet Stayman?
Puppet Stayman is a variant that also asks for five-card majors. It is mainly used over 2NT openings where opener might hold a five-card major in their balanced hand. 3♣ asks partner to bid 3♦ with no five-card major, 3♥/3♠ with one. Puppet is partnership-dependent and worth adding only after regular Stayman is fully grooved.
Do transfers apply over a Stayman response?
Most partnerships play that direct transfers apply to 1NT and are not mixed into Stayman sequences. After 1NT-2♣-2♦, any heart or spade bid by responder is natural, not a transfer. Some expert partnerships play extended structures with transfers inside Stayman auctions, but that is an advanced variant.
Is Stayman on over a weak 1NT (12-14)?
Yes, Stayman works identically over weak notrump openings. The point threshold adjusts though. With a 12-14 HCP opening, responder needs 11-12 HCP to invite game and 13+ to force. Garbage Stayman is less useful over a weak notrump because the combined hands are already lighter and the partnership is often better off defending.