is based on a bridge truism that most contracts generally play at least one trick better when the the strong hand declares, because the opening lead might be made up to a "TENACE".
In order to achieve this end, the responder, by agreement, bids the suit directly beneath his major, asking the opener to bid the major.
1NT..2D (asks opener to bid 2 Hearts) 1NT...2H (opener to bid 2 Spades)
1NT..4D (asks opener to bid 4 Hearts) 1NT...4H (opener to bid 4 Spades)
Yes, the responder can transfer at either the 2 or 4 level after opening 1 NT and at the 3/4 level after opener of 2 NT...
OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE RESPONDER HOLDING A SIX (6) CARD SUIT:
A. SIGNING OFF...This one is easy 1NT..2D..2H..PASS!
B. INVITING GAME...rebid your "real suit" 1NT..2D..2H..3H?
C. INVITING SLAM...1NT..2D..2H..4H..(Opener might look for slam via BW)
D. PLAYING IN GAME (NO MORE)....1NT..4D..4H..PASS
E. SETTING UP "TRUMP", THEN ASKING FOR ACES....1NT..4D..4H..4NT
Once it is understood how to respond to 1 NT w/6 card major, the same bids are in effect if partner opens 2 NT or uses a 2/3 NT rebid after a 2C opener followed by a response of 2 D ...
**(This is why many people prefer 2D as a waiting bid in response to a Strong 2 Club Opener.
JACOBY TRANSFERS WITH A FIVE (5) CARD SUIT
When partner opens with some number of NT, there is a world of difference between holding a 5 card or a 6 card major suit. With a 6 card suit you are assured of an 8 card fit, w/5 card suit your partner may have a doubleton!
A. SIGNING-OFF...Transfer and then PASS...* With a 5-3-3-2 hand and a very weak suit sometimes you could opt to pass! Partner may have a xx and you may not be improving the contract.
B. TRANSFERRING AND REBIDDING 2NT...Before JT AN 8-9 point bid would have been 2NT, now you have the valuable addition of being able to describe your distribution first...and your points on your rebid.
C. TRANSFERRING AND REBIDDING 3 NT...Same as above but 10-14 points!
Opener must decide what to do with 4-3-3-3 or 3-4-4-2(Ask yourself if all side suits stopped?) This is the key to your decision to stick it out in 3 NT? or convert to 4 of major?
D. TRANSFERRING AND REBIDDING 4 NT...THIS IS QUANTITATIVE..NOT BLACKWOOD
As always, JT let's us show our distribution...then our points..This is an "invitation" not a force. It is similar to a direct raise to 4 NT, opener bids slam w/max...passes w/min. If the responder had wanted to ask for Aces, he could leap directly to 4 clubs (Gerber) or transfer at the 4 level to set the suit, then bid 4 NT.
E. TRANSFERRING AND THEN BIDDING A NEW SUIT ...This is a game force and slam invitation. Generally the responder will be showing 5-5 distribution.
F. TRANSFERRING AND THEN JUMPING.."A Do-It-Yourself-Splinter" A transfer followed by a jump shows a 6 or 7 card major, a singleton in the jump suit and some slam interest...
Opener Responder
A87 KQ9432
874 10 1 NT....2H
KQ43 AJ6 2 S......4H
AKJ Q98 4 NT....5D/5S 6 Spades by the opener is the contract
ADVANCED JACOBY
G. "SUPER ACCEPTING" A TRANSFER...1NT...2H...Responder has transferred and is expecting to hear opener rebid 2 Spades...However there are exceptions to everything...If the opener has a super maximum hand with a great fit for partner's suit, he is allowed to do more than simply accept by bidding 2 S
Plan A...With 4 pieces and a minimum hand he can jump directly to 3 S...
Plan B...With 4 pieces, and a maximum hand he can rebid 2 NT...this agrees to spades but shows max!
(When the opener shows a maximum with 4 trump by rebiddding 2 NT, the responder may not always be so thrilled to hear it. The responder may still wish to play in spades at the lowest level possible and from the strong side of the table......
AFTER THE OPENER SUPER ACCEPTS WITH 2 NT....IF THE RESPONDER WISHES TO RETURN TO THE INDICATED MAJOR,... HE MUST REBID THE TRANSFER SUIT.... THE OPENER IS NOW DUTYBOUND TO BID RESPONDER'S MAJOR AT THE
3 LEVEL.......1NT...2D...2NT...3D...3H...Responder may feel like saying.."Thanks a heap now I can pass this "dog"!
Plan C...Least attractive option...With 4 pieces and a maximum hand responder could show their xx...same rules apply concerning the re-transfer...
H. WHEN THE OPPONENTS OVERCALL...TRANSFERS ARE OFF... At the 2 Level or the 3 Level...But do apply at the 4 Level...IF...the overcall was 3 Clubs or lower...Sorry about that!
1NT...(2D)...2H is natural
1NT...(2D)...4H is transfer to 4 Spades
Had the overcall been (3D)...the responder would have to bid 4 Spades himself...4H would be "natural". This is one area of bidding where you and your partner must be on the same wavelength or you will have a disaster the likes of which you have never seen before!
I. WHEN YOUR TRANSFER BID GETS DOUBLED (THE NERVE!) 1NT...P...2H...X...?
Partner has transferred you to spades and the opponent has doubled to indicate a lead to their partner...What should you do?
1)...Pass 2)...2 Spades 3)...3 Spades 4)...Redouble
Conventional wisdom is that after a double, you should pass with a doubleton spade, bid 2 spades with 3 trump, jump to 3 spades with a maximum, and either bids 4 spades or re-double with four (or more) strong hearts.
***233 Peanut Butter &Jelly sandwiches + 1=Game...Re-double with 4 Top Trump***
Magic Formula.. 2P...3B-...3J+....4BG
(XX-4TT)
J. HANDLING 5-5 IN THE MAJORS...It is important for the responder to be able to show hands of various strengths that have 5-5 in the majors. Basically, we are talking about weak sign-offish hands, invitational hands and game-forcing hands.
1. WEAK 5-5...(0-5 hcp) responder transfers into their strongest major and then passes. This does not always work but then you can always blame the system! Opener will find out your distribution soon enough..don't take another bid!
2. INVITATIONAL 5-5...(6-8 hcp) responder transfers into hearts and then bids spades...this is non- forcing. Opener must now bid the full limit of his hand.
3. FORCING 5-5... (At least 9 or more hcp) Responder transfers into Spades and then simply bids Hearts themselves...This promises 5 of each because with 5-4 responder would have bid Stayman. (This s one of the rare times the responder may end up as the declarer.)
K. THE 2 SPADE RESPONSES...When playing JT, a response of 2 or 3 Spades no longer has a natural meaning so most players use this response as some form of MSS (Minor Suit Stayman)...there are many "Conventional" bids on the market.."..Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice!" We will cover these in another class, did I hear a sigh of relief?
My own personal favorite is using a bid of 2S as a "WALSH RELAY"2S relays to 2N...
After this 2S relay to 2NT...the opener MUST bid 2NT...then at last the responder will describe their hand...all bids made relate to the quality of the responder's minor suits...
3 NT.... 5-5/Top of bid...Forcing to game/Inv to slam
3 Spades.. .6 Cd Solid....Forcing to game/Inv to slam
3 Hearts... 6 Cd Solid....Forcing to game/Inv to slam
3 Diamonds 6 Cd Broken...Game invitational
3 Clubs.... 6 Cd Broken...Game invitational
(In it's purist form...the relay system devised by Dick
Walsh, to show game/slam interest in the minors, started with the Jacoby
Transfer of 2D...after the opener dutifully "puppets" the expected 2H
response... the responder continues by bidding 2 Spades (intended as a relay to
2NT) instead of the expected response of some number of hearts or a quantatative
call in NT! At this point the opener realized that the responder does not
have the heart hand...rather they had a long minor holding they wanted to
describe!) This second portion of the system was called a "2-Spade Relay" and
in some parts of the country, the only portion used...due to the use of
"Super-Accepts of transfer bids.)
THE BOTTOM LINE
1. When responder has a 5 card major suit and partner opens 1 NT or 2 NT, it is normal to transfer and then either pass, bid NT, or show a 2nd suit. Transferring and then rebidding the same major promises a six (6) card suit.
2. Transfers exist at the two and four level after a 1 NT opening at at the three and four level after a 2 NT opening.
3. Transferring at the lowest level possible and then bidding 4NT is natural, "QUANTITATIVE", NOT Blackwood.
4. Transferring at the 4 level and then bidding 4 NT IS Blackwood.
5. Transferring and raising to game is a slam try without a singleton. (Requires a 6-card suit)
6. Transferring and jumping in a new suit is a slam try showing a singleton in the jump suit. Both (5) and (6) require six card suits, minimum!
7. After interference, JT are off at the 2 and 3 level, but are still on at the 4 level...if the interference was 3 Clubs or lower. If the interference is higher than 3 Clubs, JT are off completely,...(as it interferes with Stayman, which is the cue bid of the opponent's suit at the 4 level.)
8. When the opener has a super good "fit" (4 trumps), he so indicates by either....jumping in partner's major... following the principle of “Fast arrival” this shows a minimum hand or by rebidding NT showing a maximum hand... using the principle of “Slow arrival”....
9. Responses in 2 & 3 Spades tend to be used to show the minors, usually with some slam interest...otherwise 3 NT is the place to be...
10. JT can handle 5 card majors, 6 card majors and 5-5 in the majors...if your hand is 6-4 or 5-4 do not use JT...USE STAYMAN INSTEAD!!
RULES ABOUT TRANSFERS:
1. Transfers are used for 5 card suits only...
2. With 4/4...5/4...even...6/4..."JT" are not advised...
*STAYMAN IS THE PREFERRED METHOD*
3. Transfers followed by NT rebids are "Quantitative" 2/3/4
4. Transfers followed by bids in a new suit are "GF"/Slam Inviting
5. Transfers followed by a jump in a new suit promise 6-7 cd major
and a 0 or x in 2nd bid suit..(a do-it-yourself Splinter!)
6. With 5-5 Weak...........Transfer to your choice and Pass!
5-5 Invitational...Transfer to Hearts and bid Spades
5-5 Forcing........Transfer to Spades and bid Hearts
"Take an active attitude to show a "fit"!