When your partner opens 1NT or 2NT and responder has a 5-card or longer major, responder should show their major and their level of game interest. This is not possible with natural bidding. Let’s look at hands where opener bids 1NT and responder has 5 hearts to illustrate the problem of natural bidding:
- ♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦942 ♣JT6
Responder’s hand has little value if the contract isn’t hearts. Using natural bidding, responder bids 2♥ to play. - ♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦A42 ♣QT6
Responder has 10 points and wants to force to game. Responder jumps to 3♥ to show a game forcing hand with 5 hearts. If opener has 3 or more hearts, opener knows their partnership has an 8+ card heart fit. Opener places the contract at 4♥. If opener has only 2 hearts, opener bids 3NT. - ♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦A<42 ♣JT6
Responder has 9 points and wants to invite game. What is responder supposed to bid if 2♥ is a signoff and 3♥ is a game force.
Natural bidding doesn’t provide responder a way to show their 5-card major and specify whether their hand is game forcing, invitational, or wants to play in a partscore.
Jacoby Transfers are a way to give responder the bidding room to show their 5+ card major and then specify their level of game interest. Responder begins by bidding the suit below their 5-card major.
After the auction begins 1NT – Pass:
- responder’s 2♦ bid is artificial showing 5+ hearts. Opener is expected to bid 2♥.
- Responder’s 2♥ bid is artificial showing 5+ spades. Opener is expected to bid 2♠.
This is space efficient. After opener completes the transfer, the auction is at 2 of responder’s major. This leaves room for responder to show their level of game interest.
Let’s revisit the hands discussed above.
-
♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦942 ♣JT6
Responder’s hand has little value if the contract isn’t hearts. Using transfers, responder bids an artificial 2♦ to show 5+ hearts. When opener bids 2♥, responder passes to play 2♥. -
♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦A42 ♣QT6
Responder has 10 points and wants to force to game. Responder bids 2♦, a Jacoby Transfer showing 5+ hearts. After opener bids 2♥ to complete the transfer, responder bids 3NT to offer opener a choice between 3NT and 4♥. If opener has 3 or more hearts, their partnership has an 8+ card heart fit and want to play 4♥. So opener bids 4♥ to play in their 8+ card major suit fit. If opener has only 2 hearts, opener passes and plays 3NT. -
♠83 ♥KJ754 ♦A42 ♣JT6
Responder has 9 points and wants to invite game. Using transfers, responder bids an artificial 2♦ to show 5+ hearts. When opener completes the transfer by bidding 2♥, responder bids 2NT to invite game. This gives opener a choice between 2NT and 3♥, 3NT, and 4♥ depending on their strength and their heart support.
If responder has 6 or more hearts, responder expects their partnership to have an 8+ card heart fit. So responder will not make notrump an option. The auction would proceed as follows:
-
♠83 ♥KJ7542♦92 ♣JT6
Responder’s hand has little value if the contract isn’t hearts. Using transfers, responder bids an artificial 2♦ to show 5+ hearts. When opener bids 2♥, responder passes to play 2♥. -
♠83 ♥KJ7542 ♦A4 ♣QT6
Responder has 10 points and wants to force to game. Using transfers, responder bids an artificial 2♦ to show 5+ hearts. When opener bids 2♥, responder jumps to 4♥ to show a game forcing hand with 6+ hearts. Note that if your partnership plays transfers at the 4-level (called Texas Transfers), this sequence is a mild slam invitation. Responder would bid 4♦ as a transfer to 4♥ to show 6+ hearts. Responder would then pass opener’s 4♥ bid if they didn’t have slam interest. -
♠83 ♥KJ7542 ♦A4 ♣JT6
Responder has 9 points and wants to invite game. Using transfers, responder bids an artificial 2♦ to show 5+ hearts. When opener bids 2♥, responder bids 3♥ to show 6+ hearts and invitational values. This gives opener a choice between 3♥, and 4♥ depending on their strength and their heart support.
Transfers also offer the benefit of having the notrump hand declare a major suit contract. You typically want the lead to come up to the notrump opener to protect their positional honors.
If responder uses a Jacoby Transfer to show a 5-card major and then bids a new suit at the 3-level, it is natural and game forcing. Transferring to hearts and then bidding 2♠ is invitational with 5+ hearts and 4+ spades. Transferring to spades and then rebidding 3♥ shows a game forcing hand with 5-5 or longer in the majors.
Responder will begin with Stayman when holding an invitational or better hand with 5 spades and 4 hearts to bring both majors into play.
