The Stayman and Jacoby Transfer Bidding Conventions in Bridge

Warning: If you are not a Bridge Player This will Not Make Sense to YOU!  

I am posting this for the benefit of New and Intermediate Bridge Players. If you are an advanced player you probably know all these by heart. My apology and skip reading until the end of the article.    

Responses: Yellow-Forcing for One More Round, Blue-Non Forcing and White- Game Forcing

Notice the current trend now is you can open a bid with 12 points minimum instead of 13 specially if you have 5-CARD major.  In the past I do not open with only 12 points.  

I have been playing bridge since 1960 both party and duplicate.  I played Party and Duplicate bridge from 1960 to 1990 both in home as well as in tournament settings.  I have accumulated more than 100 junior IMPs playing Duplicate in Tournaments as well as at the El Cerrito, Ca Bridge Club. Then there was HIATUS years from 1990 to 2023. When I moved to THD last year, I started to play bridge again.   Needless to say, my knowledge of the Game has not been erased in my memory after a hiatus of over 33 years. 

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2017/11/i-started-playing-duplicate-bridge-on.html

Here at THD I play party bridge 4 days per week. We have a number of good players here at THD but also a few beginners and intermediate players. The convention we used  is the Standard American Bidding System with its minor variations. The most common conventions we used are the Stayman and Jacoby Transfer.  

A lot of confusion to some players is the response after the Jacoby Transfer.  To Clarify see the mark statement below.💚 

1. Stayman is a bidding convention in the card game contract bridge. It is used by a partnership to find a 4-4 or 5-3 trump fit in a major suit after making a one notrump (1NT) opening bid and it has been adapted for use after a 2NT opening, a 1NT overcall, and many other natural notrump bids.

The convention is named for Sam Stayman, who wrote the first published description in 1945, but its inventors were two other players: the British expert Jack Marx in 1939, who published it only in 1946, and Stayman's regular partner George Rapée in 1944.

The convention is used if the responder ( to INT) has at least 10 points and has a 4-card major. 

2. Jacoby Transfer (used whenever Responder has 5 or more of a major):

To use this transfer technique, you must have 5 cards (or more) in a major suit and any number of points, even 0. Yes, even with 0 points you will demand that your partner bid your suit! Usually, it is a better option to insist on a trump suit than to leave your partner in No Trump when you have a 5-card major. Jacoby Transfer is a demand bid. Responder is telling the Opener to bid a major and Opener must do as told!

With 5+ hearts, Responder bids 2♦. Opener immediately says, “Hearts” so everyone knows that this transfer refers to hearts. As soon as the next player bids or passes, Opener must bid 2♥ (one rank up from Diamonds). With 5+ spades, Responder bids 2♥. Opener immediately says, “Spades” and bids 2♠ (one rank up from Hearts) after opponent’s turn.

💚After transferring, Responder rebids as follows: (yes, you should memorize this) Pass with 0-7 points, bid 2NT with 8-9 points, or bid 3NT with 10+ pts. 

Explore Small slam - Think of small slam if you have also 15-17 pts ( ask for Aces and Kings- Blackwood( 4NT) or Gerber( 4Clubs) and Grand Slam if you have 22 points.  The total deck card points is 40 and distributional points may be added. Distributional Points: Doubleton=1, Singleton=2 and a Void=3.

A single Ace is counted as 4-5 distributional points.  Also you may add one point after your 5-card  major, that is if you have 6 add one more point and 2 points if you have 7 in one suit.  

With the minimum responding hand (0-7 pts), you cannot give your partner any options. You are better off in a trump suit, even if partner has a doubleton in that major. You do not have enough points together for game, so keep the bidding low. With a medium hand (8-9 pts) or a maximum hand (10+ pts), you can give your partner the option of staying in NT or choosing the major suit. You’ve already told your partner you have 5 in a major; now tell the Opener point count.

How does the opener decide? If the opener has only 2 cards in Responder’s suit, a NT contract can be a better choice, so they can pass. If the opener has 3-4 cards in that major suit, they have the choice to bid the suit, since you have shown 5 cards in that suit and they will know there is an 8-card fit.

Also, by bidding 2NT, you are showing 8-9 pts, so opener can bring it to game level if they have 17 points (maybe even 16, though that is a gamble if Responder has just 8 points).

By bidding 3NT, Responder is showing 10+ points and opener can pass or bid 4♥ or 4♠ with 3 or 4 cards in your major suit

https://www.bridgebum.com/jacoby_transfers.php

Meanwhile Here's a List of other Bidding Conventions Worldwide.

https://www.bridgebum.com/bridge_bidding_conventions.php

“One advantage of bad bidding is that you get practice at playing atrocious contracts.” 

“The real test of a Bridge player isn't in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he's in.”

 “Bridge is too important to take seriously.” 

“Old Bridge players never die; they just lose their finesse.”

Trump-The Picasso of Pettiness and Harris Acceptance Speech

DNC Convention is over with 

Vice President Kamala Harris used her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last night presenting herself as a pragmatic leader who could unite all Americans behind a “new way forward,” painting her opponent, former President Donald J. Trump, as a dangerous and “unserious man” whose election would alter the foundation of American democracy. I say, Amen, Amen!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy49xlx54vo

However this posting is about Trump and this article was from my Facebook Page the other day!    The whole world will be laughing at USA ( US)  if Trump Gets Reelected- That is my own Personal Assessment.   Do you agree or disagree?

Nate White, a British Writer, Pens The Best Description Of Trump

“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has

no class,

no charm,

no coolness,

no credibility,

no compassion,

no wit,

no warmth,

no wisdom,

no subtlety,

no sensitivity,

no self-awareness,

no humility,

no honour and

no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. 

His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.

Meanwhile I took a few more photos of yoga conversion to our dining area during Kitchen renovation.

Ms Rachel Ryan ( THD COO) on her regular visit/inspection of our Community with Jenny S and Barbara S. Hopefully. a solution to the noise levels at Newton's can be resolved in the near future.

Again Looking forward for the Food Trucks This Saturday- It will be a welcome change from our Newton's Restaurant Menu, I hope. 

Watching the last day of the DNC convention last night gave me hope for a brighter future for our country. The acceptance speech of VP Kamala Harris made me so proud as an American with Filipino ancestry.

Antique Appraisal Today- Mexican Fiesta Photos

Another Activity Event I am looking forward to is the Antique Appraisal Day scheduled for today, Thursday, August 22, from 10AM to 2PM. You are limited to only 3 items.  There will be appraisal on Asian Arts, Jewelry, Collectibles, small Furniture and Fine Arts. The sponsor is Clars Auction, Oakland, Ca

https://clars.com/ 

I am planning to submit  two Asian Art Collection (Japanese Warrior Prints (set of 12) and A Pair of Chinese Water color Prints)  for re-appraisal. I am also planning to submit an antique leather stool  and A Martin Laurence Limited Edition Painting💚. I have signed for the 10:00-10:30AM time slot. 

💚mark king martin lawrence limited edition

The original unofficial appraisal value of these Asian Art collections is detailed in my blog below: I have no idea on the value of the Antique Leather Stool. 

1. This is one of the Samurai Japanese Warrior Prints ( Framed) out of 12 that I found in David's E ( RIP) closet while I was preparing for the Estate Sale because I am moving. I was intending to sell it for $10 each, However, when I had it appraised I was told the current market value of this art is around $80-$100 each. Here's a quote from the Appraiser.    

The photo above is by Kuniyoshi. The series is titled 69 stations along the Kisokaido and this particular print is of Yabuhara Station with the warrior Sue Harutaka on horseback.  The market value for prints from this series are about $80-100 each.

2. This is Pair of Chinese Water Color Prints, Fah-yen-Fah,the Princess dated 1926

I was planning to sell it for $50 each. I did some google search and I found the market value of this art ranged from $225 to $250 each. An honest neighbor informed me to do some search, before selling it at $50 each. Here's our conversation with my honest neighbor on the value of this art. 

"I just Google those. They are worth a couple hundred each. I would get them appraised if I were you. But I will take them for $50 if you just want to sell them".

 

ME

Thanks for the advise. How will I go about appraisal?. They are dated 1926 and were $50 then, so they must be worth more than a couple of hundred as you indicated by today. Yes I will have it appraised. Tks

 

This painting is Fah-yen-Fah, the Princess. The 1940 is listed on Goggle for $225. Since Mine is dated 1926, it probably worth at Least $300. The other painting is titled Elbow Page of Viceroy, Painting No.2 (Label from the back of the Frame)

For Details visit my blog below:

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2023/05/learning-market-values-of-david-e-art.html

Meanwhile here are some photos of I took yesterday Dinner) - A Mexican Fiesta held at our Outdoor Court Yard.

My Chili Relleno Casserole with all its trimmings, beans, rice and avocado-Yummy, indeed!

I had the Chili Relleno Casserole and It was delicious. A Mariachi Band  provided authentic Mexican Music during our Outdoor Dinner in perfect late afternoon weather. Thank You THD for this memorable  Fiesta celebration during the Kitchen Renovation. Another special occasion that enhanced our well being and sense of Community.    

Have a Good To All!  Keep Smiling! You are in Candid Camera! ( In my Blogs). See you at the Appraisal!!!

Candlelight Concert- World Senior Citizen's Day

I attended last Saturday night ( August 17) Candlelight Concert by the Capriccio String Trio ( 2 violins, and a cello). The trio are Kathryn Hoffer ( 1st Violin), Janet Grizzle ( 2nd Violin) and Wendy Reynold( cellist). The first concert from this Trio, I heard was last November 19, 2023💚. 

💚https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2023/11/most-enjoyable-chamber-music-here-at.html

Last Saturday Night repertoire has a lot more classical pieces that I am not familiar with.  However, one of the pieces by a German Composer ( Ferdinand Ries) was so familiar I felt nostalgic, remembering my college days  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Ries

The piece I have heard has been played numerous times, by my former dorm mate in College who was a Music Major in Piano and Violin.  💜   

I took some photos during the concert as follows: There were around 20 seniors who attended ( 15 inside the Activity room and 5 outside at the Lobby.  

Kathryn Hoffer, Janet Grizzle and Wendy Reynold- The Capriccio Trio

Jane Lowry and Debbie Baldwin

Anne Long and Mary Alice Rathbun- with Cidney Carbah and Soraya Cross ( standing outside)

Jan McGowan and Ray Gordon and at background table are Sue Hoyt and Emily Yee( new residents) 

Steve Kam, Karma Pippin, Dean Elias amd Marsha Kefer

The Capriccio Trio

I apologize for the lighting of my cell phone Camera- forgot to use the Night Feature for Photos.

Here's my article on my three Favorite Violin Concertos for your information and how I learned how to appreciate violin music.   

💜https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2020/09/my-three-favorite-violin-concertos.html

Meanwhile today is World Senior Citizen's Day -𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐓 21, 2024 | 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘

“Ageing is just another word for living.” – Cindy Joseph

Today is World Senior Citizen’s Day! Life teaches us many lessons, however, with the help of an elder, these lessons become a lot easier. This is the perfect time for us to express our love and gratitude to those elders whose wisdom and experience lay the groundwork for our future. Let us appreciate them for they are our history, our roots, and our greatest educators. Happy World Senior Citizen’s Day to All My Fellow THD Residents!

Yoga Room Conversion as Our Dining Area During Kitchen Renovation

Starting yesterday, August 19 ( see Rejuvenation schedule above), Dining Activities have been temporarily transferred to our Yoga Room and the Outside Patio.  All exercises and other Activities  in the Yoga Room will now be at the Liberty Courtyard during this 3-week rejuvenation and maintenance of Newton's Kitchen.  The Conversion run very smoothly yesterday using plastic dining wares/plates, The food was great, but I missed my soups and tea service. 

 I took some photos yesterday and the Yoga Room looks Great. 

The Temporary Kitchen Area with Carolina ( Carol) Salvador preparing my Sandwich

Liberty Courtyard now will be our Exercise Room and Place for other Activities( Chair Volleyball) etc..

Soraya Cross and Minor Farver with Samanta Gaylan and Maddy( Maricela) Bermudez in the Outside Patio 

What's the problem with your eyes, Samanta?

Mary Reiser and New Resident Emily Lee-Inside Yoga Room Dining Area at Brunch Time 

Martha and Maddy talking to Linda at the temporary Kitchen Counter

John and Carol Larimore- Overheard them say-This is Camping in Heritage!!

With Nancy Schultz, Anne Long , Linda Mitchell and Kerry Horner in my Table at Dinner Time

Dining Outside the Yoga Room -Camping Style- Plastic Plates and Utensils. It was great.  My Beef Stroganoff and Haagen Daz ice cream were delicious.   I missed my soup and tea service, but I will be patient..

Kudos to the Kitchen Staff and Crew for a smooth and trouble-free transition of Our Dining Activity. 

Good Day To All.  Again, looking forward for the Mexican Taco Fiesta this Wednesday and the Food Trucks this Saturday! 

A Most Appreciated Gift and An Act of Kindness

The much awaited pork sinigang soup that our Chef Agustin and I has been talking about,  was handed to me during my brunch take-out trip to Newton's yesterday. It was a gift from Agustin's Filipino-American wife( Mrs. Gutierrez).  As seen in the photos above, I divided the dish in 3 portions. Two for future use in my freezer, the other one I have savored and indulged with gusto last night with steam white rice and green papaya atchara ( sweet pickles).  

The soup has been rated by Taste Atlas as the best tasting soup in the world.💚 This soup was served at Newton's last October 13, 2023 during the Filipino-American History Month Celebration here at THD.

I have written several articles on the soup sinigang. Again here's a summary for your information and review.    Sinigang is a sour soup native to the Philippines. The recipe above uses pork as the main ingredient. Other proteins and seafood can also be used. Beef, shrimp, fish are commonly used to cook sinigang. The chicken version, on the other hand, is called sinampalukang manok. It is mixed with a variety of vegtables, such as green beans, okra, radish, eggplants etc...,  For detail visit:

https://panlasangpinoy.com/pork-sinigang-na-baboy-recipe/

💚https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2024/03/pork-sinigang-best-tasting-soup-in-world.html

Here are more websites on Best Soups of the World, listing Sinigang in the top 10, top 50 and top 100 best tasting soup in the world

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-100-best-dishes-in-world.html

https://lifeinus1960present.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-top-ten-most-popular-dishes-of.html

Again thank You, Mrs Gutierrez and Maraming Salamat!! Masarap! Manamit Guid ( Ilongo).This gift is very much appreciated!!

Meanwhile,  Happy Renovation Celebration to all my Fellow Residents here at THD! Will there be Pinoy Food in the Food Trucks This Saturday? Just Dreaming? 

My photo taken by Martha Rodriguez after receiving the Sinigang from Agustin yesterday. 

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2024/08/thd-newtons-restaurant-kudos-to-chef.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawEvm2BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVlQub2O1x2sFTb_ZXeekvCjcD_mjvgm7SOLVQUmDj4T92F4JCOjhmXhvg_aem_hYOUG5UZ9cHkk--jGy6laQ