Contract Bridge The Card Game - Blog request

[BEstudent]

Hey Mark, first of all nice videos you have. But I have a question for you. I am almost at the end of the beginners course and there is one thing I don't understand. After 1NT you can apply Jacoby or Stayman. Stayman is there to find a major suit fit and you use a convention to so. But why use a convention when a natural bid like 2H is also possible?

Greetings Evert

[iBridgePlayer]

@BEstudent If you have 4 hearts or spades you can use Stayman to see if there is a major suit fit. If you have 5 or more hearts or spades you can use the transfer convention. The reason why you don't show your 4 hearts by bidding 2H is because it is very dangerous. Partner, having bid 1NT, might have only 2 hearts - how is he going to communicate to you that he does not have 4 hearts without going too high in the bidding? Stayman saves bidding space and allows accurate information to be conveyed