Namyats (Stayman backwards) is a bidding convention to describe hands with long majors between 7 and 9 Playing tricks.
The opening bids are between 4♣ and 4♠.
Let’s look at the meaning of these bids:-
- 4♣ – 8 or 9 Playing tricks with 7+Hearts
- 4♦ – 8 or 9 Playing tricks with 7+Spades
- 4♥ – 7 or 8 Playing tricks with 7+Hearts
- 4♠ – 7 or 8 Playing tricks with 7+Spades
I really like this very simple system for a couple of reasons.
Firstly I never like opening a natural pre-empt of 4♣/♦ because i’m worried I might be missing 3NT…so for me the 4♣/♦ opening bids never existed as opening bids. Now I have a good use for them with the Namyats convention.
Secondly so many times my partner had 8 hearts/spades in their hand and opened 4♥/♠ and then we missed an easy slam because they were stronger than I expected them to be…or I bid slam and went off because the converse was true.
Example hands would be:-
- ♠ – AKJ107654 ♥ – Q7 ♦ – 6 ♣ – 95
- ♠ – 4 ♥ – AK1098743 ♦ – A6 ♣ – 42
- ♠ – AQJ107654 ♥ – 87 ♦ – K2 ♣ – 6
- ♠ – AJ1097654 ♥ – Q7 ♦ – AK ♣ – 7
- ♠ – 54 ♥ – AKQJ876 ♦ – AQJ ♣ – 3
- ♠ – KQJ107654 ♥ – K7 ♦ – 6 ♣ – 42
- ♠ – A4 ♥ – KQJ109876 ♦ – 6 ♣ – 32
- ♠ – KQJ107654 ♥ – 72 ♦ – KQ ♣ – 2
So with the weaker hand (7-8) playing tricks you would open 4♥ or 4♠ (hands 1,3,6,7,8) and the stronger hand with (8-9) playing tricks you would open 4♣ or 4♦ (hands 2,4,5).
Responding
Most of the time you are just going to pass a 4 of a major opening bid or put partners 4 of a minor into the correct major.
If you bid 4♦ over 4♣ you are investigating slam in Hearts.
If you bid 4♥ over 4♦ you are investigating slam in Spades.
You have two choices going forward:
- Italian cue bids or use RKCB to investigate if slam is on.
- bid the suit you have 2 losers in – an anti-cuebid
Competition
Over an artificial minor opening, opponents can double which would be lead directing…or possibly the start of a way of showing a two-suited hand.
Over a double system can be kept on…so a re-double would imply interest in slam and possible a cue bid in that suit or the higher ranking suit and a bid of the next suit up would imply slam interest still and could show no minor ace.
For example
| North | East | South | Meaning |
| 4♣ | Double | Pass | Maybe ace of spades or two aces? |
| Redouble | Control in Clubs…heart interest | ||
| 4♦ | Control in Diamonds…heart interest | ||
| 4♥ | No Slam Interest | ||
| 4♠ | Natural or ace of spades? Two aces? a void? | ||
| 4NT | RKCB for Hearts |
As you can tell by this…I’m making this up as I go! Again the most important aspect of bridge is that you and your partner should have a comprehensive understanding of what the bids mean after you’ve opened 4♣.
This is the great thing about bridge…if you love the game these are the precise topics that people will talk for hours about 🙂