Puppet Stayman

A 2NT opener holding ♠AQ4 ♥AKJ73 ♦KQ5 ♣J6 is balanced and has 20 points, and plenty of modern players open it 2NT rather than 1♥. Opposite three small hearts, the right game is often 4♥. Ordinary Stayman cannot find that fit, because responder with three hearts has no four-card major to ask about. Puppet Stayman asks for a fifth card in a major as well as a fourth.

Fifty years ago a five-card major was a reason not to open notrump. Today most tournament players open 2NT with a balanced 20 or 21 and a five-card major, and many open a 15 to 17 point 1NT with one too. The hand is described accurately for strength and inaccurately for shape.

Ordinary Stayman still finds the 4-4 and 5-4 fits, because opener bids any major of four or more cards. The fit it loses is 5-3. Responder holding three-card support and no four-card major has nothing to ask about and simply raises to 3NT. On a deal where the major suit game makes and 3NT fails on a long suit run against it, that miss is a game swing.

Puppet Stayman finds the 5-3 fits and keeps the 4-4 ones with a single question. Its cost is that opener reveals a little less about four-card majors at first, and responder has to do some extra work to place the contract.

Responder bids 3♣ with game values and at least three cards in a major. Opener answers in the following order of priority.

After 3♦, responder bids the major he does not hold. So 3♥ shows four spades and 3♠ shows four hearts. If opener has four cards in the major responder has shown, opener bids game in it and becomes declarer. Otherwise opener bids 3NT. The reverse logic exists to keep the strong hand concealed and let it play last to the opening lead. Most pairs treat 4♦ as both majors, asking opener to choose, and 3NT as no four-card major at all.

After a five-card major reply, responder raises to game with three-card support or bids 3NT without it. Pairs who play it often add further bids here for slam tries, but raising or signing off covers almost every hand.

A variant: Muppet Stayman

Muppet Stayman swaps two of opener's replies over 2NT. Opener bids 3♥ with no major and 3NT with five hearts, and responder with heart support then transfers back with 4♦ so opener still declares. It is a partnership choice, and the rest of the structure is unchanged.

The 5-3 fit

Without Puppet Stayman, South bids 3NT, and the defense leads clubs. North's ♣J6 opposite ♣K3 is a fragile stopper, and the defenders may set up their clubs before declarer has nine tricks. In 4♥, South's short clubs and the third heart give declarer a ruff and time to set up the diamonds.

The 4-4 fit

North's 3♦ shows a four-card major and no five-card one. South's 3♠ denies four spades and shows four hearts. North has the fit and bids the heart game himself, so the opening lead comes up to the 21-point hand.

Some partnerships use the same idea one level lower, with 2♣ as the puppet over a 15 to 17 point 1NT. Opener bids 2♦ with at least one four-card major, 2♥ or 2♠ with five cards, and 2NT with no major. After 2♦, responder again bids the major he does not hold.

The price is paid in the rest of the 1NT structure. In ordinary Stayman, 2♦ denies a major, and responder's 2NT invitation and Smolen jumps are built on that. Once 2♦ says nothing about the majors, those continuations need a fresh set of agreements, and garbage Stayman becomes harder to use. Pairs who play it over 1NT usually keep plain Stayman as well, on a different bid or by agreement in certain seats. Most club partnerships play Puppet over 2NT only.

• Bidding 3♣ without a major. Responder needs at least three cards in a major to gain anything. Holding no four-card major and no three-card support, bid 3NT.
• Forgetting which major 3♥ shows. After 2NT - 3♣ - 3♦, responder's 3♥ shows four spades. Bidding the suit you hold puts the wrong hand in charge, or lands in a 4-3 fit.
• Using Puppet with a five-card major. Responder with five hearts or five spades transfers instead, with Jacoby transfers at the three level or a Texas transfer to game. Puppet Stayman is for three- and four-card holdings.
• Showing a four-card major over a five-card one. Opener with five spades bids 3♠, even with four hearts as well. The five-card suit comes first.

What is Puppet Stayman in bridge?

Puppet Stayman is a 3♣ response to a 2NT opening that asks opener for a five-card major as well as a four-card one. Opener bids a five-card major directly, 3♦ with one or two four-card majors, and 3NT with neither.

How is Puppet Stayman different from regular Stayman?

Regular Stayman asks only for four-card majors. Puppet Stayman also finds a five-card major in the notrump opener, so responder with three-card support can locate a 5-3 fit.

Why does responder bid the major he does not have?

It lets the 2NT opener bid the 4-4 fit first and become declarer, which keeps the strong hand hidden and gives it the last play to the opening lead.

What does 4♦ mean after 2NT - 3♣ - 3♦?

By common agreement it shows both four-card majors and asks opener to bid game in the major he holds. Confirm this with your partner, since some pairs use 4♦ differently.

Can Puppet Stayman be played over 1NT?

Yes. Some pairs play 2♣ as Puppet Stayman over 1NT, with 2♦ showing at least one four-card major. It needs a new structure for responder's rebids, because 2♦ no longer denies a major.

What is Muppet Stayman?

Muppet Stayman is a variant of Puppet Stayman over 2NT in which 3♥ shows no major and 3NT shows five hearts, letting responder transfer back so opener declares.