What Is the Stayman Convention in Bridge?

Stayman is a bidding convention in which responder bids 2♣ after partner opens 1NT to ask one question: do you hold a four-card major? Opener answers 2♥ with four hearts, 2♠ with four spades, or 2♦ with neither. The whole point is to find a 4-4 major-suit fit before settling for notrump.

By Tracey Bauer, two-time WBF Women's Spring Festival Champion (2020 and 2022) and Lifetime Platinum member.

Stayman is the first convention most bridge players ever learn, and it is still the one that wins the most points at every level of the game. Here is how it works, taught the way tournament players play it today.

What problem does Stayman solve?

When partner opens 1NT, you know almost everything about their hand: 15 to 17 high card points (HCP) and balanced shape. What you do not know is whether the two of you have eight cards in hearts or spades between you.

That matters, because a 4-4 major-suit fit usually produces an extra trick or two compared to notrump. The trump suit gives you control, ruffing power, and safety that 3NT cannot offer. Without a way to ask, responder would have to guess. Stayman removes the guess. You bid 2♣, and one bid later you know.

The 2♣ bid says nothing about clubs. It is completely artificial, a question rather than a suit.

When do you use Stayman?

Two conditions, and you want both:

1. At least one four-card major. You are asking about hearts and spades, so you need a real interest in the answer. 2. Enough strength to invite game. Opposite 15 to 17 HCP, that means about 8 or more HCP. With less, you normally pass 1NT and let partner play it there.

So an auction like 1NT - 2♣ promises a hand that holds a four-card major and wants to be at least at the two level asking questions. The one exception, Garbage Stayman, is covered below.

How does opener respond to Stayman?

Opener has exactly three answers:

• 2♦ = no four-card major. This says nothing about diamonds. It is simply "no."
• 2♥ = four hearts, possibly four spades as well.
• 2♠ = four spades, and specifically not four hearts.

With both majors, opener answers 2♥ first. That order is what lets the partnership untangle 4-4 fits later: if responder shows no interest in hearts, opener can still offer spades on the next round.

Once you internalize those three responses, the logic of every Stayman auction opens up. There is no memorization beyond this. Each bid is an answer to a question.

What do you bid after opener's response?

Your rebid tells opener two things: whether you found a fit, and how strong you are.

When you find your fit, raise it. With invitational values (8 to 9 HCP), raise to the three level: 1NT - 2♣ - 2♥ - 3♥ invites game, and opener bids 4♥ with a maximum or passes with a minimum. With game-going values (10 or more HCP), bid game yourself: 1NT - 2♣ - 2♠ - 4♠.

When opener denies a fit with 2♦, fall back on notrump: 2NT invites, 3NT says you have the values for game. An auction like 1NT - 2♣ - 2♦ - 3NT is one of the most common sequences in bridge.

When opener answers the wrong major, say you hold four spades and hear 2♥, bid notrump at the level your points allow. Because opener answers 2♥ first with both majors, opener can still convert to spades holding four of them. The fit is never lost.

What is Garbage Stayman?

Garbage Stayman is the exception to the point requirement, and it turns a miserable hand into a playable one. With a weak hand that is short in clubs and can tolerate any answer opener gives, you bid 2♣ planning to pass the response.

Opener bids 2♥ or 2♠ and you pass, happy to play a suit partial instead of a doomed 1NT. Opener bids 2♦ and you pass that too, because your hand includes diamond length. Either way, the weak hand escapes notrump and lands in a fit at the two level. It feels like getting away with something. It is completely standard.

What happens when opponents interfere over 1NT?

Opponents love to bid over 1NT precisely because it disrupts Stayman and transfers. When they overcall or double, the partnership needs agreements: when 2♣ (or a cuebid) still asks for a major, when to compete, and when to defend.

This is where the convention stops being a formula and becomes judgment. It is also the layer most players never get taught, and it is exactly the kind of territory the live workshop covers, along with the competitive decisions Tracey has picked up from years of competitive play.

Common Stayman mistakes

• Bidding 2♣ without a four-card major. You asked a question you do not care about, and now you have to invent a rebid.
• Using Stayman with a five-card major. With five hearts or five spades, a Jacoby Transfer is usually the right tool instead. The two conventions are partners, not rivals. (Full explainer: /post/jacoby-transfers-bridge .)
• Reading 2♦ as a diamond suit. It is an answer, not an offer. Do not raise diamonds.
• Inviting on hope. With 6 or 7 HCP and no fit for the exception above, pass 1NT. Discipline scores better than optimism.
• Forgetting the convention applies over 2NT too. After a 2NT opening, or after a Strong 2♣ auction where opener rebids 2NT, the same asking machinery works one level higher. (See /post/strong-two-clubs-bridge .)

Learn it live: the Stayman workshop

Reading about Stayman gets you the map. Playing it gets you the territory. The Bridge Unleashed Stayman workshop starts at the absolute beginning and builds to expert-level application: every response decoded, rebids, game-going versus invitational hands, Garbage Stayman, and interference over 1NT, with sample hands walked through together and a live Q&A.

Your $25 gets you the complete workshop replay plus the Play of the Hand session replay, where the convention stops being theory and starts being tricks in your column.

Want every workshop in the series? VIP membership is $97/month or $797/year, and the founding rate of $497/year is locked for life through Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Browse the full series at bridgeunleashed.com/workshops, or get the 50 Conventions in 50 Days email series for $15 one-time.

Questions players ask about Stayman

Do you need points to use Stayman? Normally yes, about 8 or more HCP, because the 2♣ bid commits you to the two level with interest in game. The exception is Garbage Stayman, where a weak hand short in clubs bids 2♣ planning to pass any response.

Does the 2♣ bid promise clubs? No. Stayman's 2♣ is completely artificial. It asks opener about the major suits and says nothing at all about clubs.

What does opener bid with both four-card majors? Opener answers 2♥ first. If responder's next bid shows no heart interest, opener can offer spades on the following round, so the 4-4 spade fit is never lost.

Can you use Stayman with a five-card major? With a single five-card major, a Jacoby Transfer is usually the better tool. Stayman is built for four-card majors, and partnerships add tools like Smolen for hands with five of one major and four of the other.

Does Stayman work over 2NT openings? Yes. Over a 2NT opening, 3♣ asks the same question and opener answers the same way one level higher: 3♦ with no four-card major, 3♥ or 3♠ with one.