SAYC 1 Opening Bid

In the SAYC bidding system, a 1 opening shows 13-22 points and 3+ diamonds. Examples of 1 openers:

62 AJ42 AJ52 KT9	This hand has 13 HCP and a 4-card diamond suit. SAYC does not permit opening 4-card majors, so you must open 1, not 1.
KJ83 AK62 K87 95	This hand is one point shy of a 1NT opening bid. 4-4-3-2 (with a doubleton club) is the only hand pattern that opens 1 with a 3-card suit.
8 AJT64 AKT532 J	Holding 6+ diamonds and a 5-card major, open 1, not 1. You can "reverse" the bidding and bid hearts twice at your next two turns.

Examples of hands that should not open 1:

J53 AK4 AJT32 K7	Open 1NT with a balanced 15-17 HCP.
KQJ A873 T87 KJ5	With 3-3 in the minors, open 1 instead.
AT873 A62 AJ876 —	With 5-5 (or 6-6!) in diamonds and a major suit, open the major. With this particular hand, open 1 and rebid diamonds at your next turn.

Response	Meaning
Pass	0-5 points.
1	4+ hearts and 6+ points. Forcing. AJ92 KT43 765 T2 With 4-4 in the majors, respond 1, not 1.
1	4+ spades and 6+ points. Forcing. KQ832 J9754 643 — With 5-5 (or 5-4) in the majors, respond 1, not 1.
1NT	6-9 points. May be unbalanced with 5+ clubs. Denies a 4-card major, and tends to deny 4+ diamonds. Non-forcing. K52 QT2 763 KT54 A textbook 1NT response with 8 HCP and flat shape. K52 QT2 6 QJ6542 This hand must also bid 1NT because it's too weak to reply 2.
2	4+ clubs and 10+ points. Forcing.
2	A single raise shows 6-9 points and at least 4-card support. Denies a 4-card major. Non-forcing.
2/	A Strong Jump Shift, showing a 5+ card suit and 17-19 points. Forcing to game.
2NT	In SAYC, 2NT shows a balanced 13-15 HCP. Responder normally denies a 4-card major unless holding 4-3-3-3 shape. This bid is forcing to game. However, many players use it as a balanced 10-12 HCP instead.
3	A Strong Jump Shift, showing 5+ clubs and 17-19 points. Forcing to game.
3	A limit raise, showing 4+ diamonds and 10-12 points. Denies a 4-card major. Non-forcing.
3NT	In SAYC, this shows a balanced 15-17 HCP. Responder normally denies a 4-card major unless holding 4-3-3-3 shape. However, many players use it as a balanced 13-15 HCP instead.
4NT	Blackwood, asking for aces.

Raises

Opener's priority is to raise a major suit with 4-card support.

Raise	Meaning
Single raise	4+ card support for partner's suit and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
Double raise	4+ card support and 16-18 points. Not forcing.
Raise to game	4+ card support and 19-22 points. Not forcing.

Rebidding no-trumps

Rebid	Meaning
1NT	A balanced 12-14 HCP. Not forcing.
2NT	18-19 HCP. Not forcing.

Rebidding diamonds

Rebid	Meaning
2	6+ diamonds and 13-15 points. Opener may occasionally have 5 diamonds, if holding a minimum 1-4-5-3 hand and hearing partner reply 1. Not forcing.
3	6+ diamonds and 16-18 points. Not forcing.

Bidding a new suit

Rebid	Meaning
A new suit at the cheapest level	A 4+ card suit, 13-18 points. Not forcing.
A jump shift in a new suit	A 4+ card suit, 19+ points. Game-forcing.
A "reverse"	The bid of a new suit that bypasses 2. For example, after the auction begins 1 : 1, a 2 bid is a reverse. This shows a 4+ card suit and 16+ points.

Rebid	Meaning
2NT	A balanced 18-19 HCP. Not forcing.
2	6+ diamonds and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
2	A 4+ card suit and 13-18 points. Not forcing.
2/	A reverse, showing a 4+ card suit and 16+ points. Forcing.
3	A 4+ card suit and 19+ points. This may occasionally be only a 3-card suit if opener lacks a good alternative bid. Game-forcing.
3	6+ diamonds and 16-18 points. Forcing.

Rebid	Meaning
2	13-15 points and 6+ diamonds. Opener may have only 5 diamonds if also holding a 4-card major and insufficient strength to reverse. Not forcing.
2/	A reverse, showing a 4+ card suit and 16+ points. Note that some players lower the point requirement when partner responds at the 2-level instead of the 1-level. Forcing.
2NT	A balanced 12-14 HCP. Not forcing.
3	3+ card support and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
3	6+ diamonds and 16-18 points. Not forcing.
3NT	A balanced 18-19 HCP. Not forcing.
4	4+ card support and 16-18 points. Not forcing.

When the opposition makes a takeout double over 1:

• A redouble shows 10+ points and no other suitable call.
• A 2NT response is the Jordan 2NT convention, showing a limit raise or better in diamonds.
• A jump raise of 3 response becomes a weak 4-card raise, showing 0-6 points.

If the opposition makes an overcall:

• A double of an overcall through 2 is a Negative Double.
• A cue bid of the overcaller's suit shows a Limit Raise or better in diamonds. 4+ diamonds, 10+ points.
• A jump raise of 3 is a weak 4-card raise, showing 0-6 points.

		Opener			Responder
		K952			AJ83
		AKJ3			62
		J987			Q53
		5			9632
		Opener 1 2 (1)			Responder 1 Pass

1. Shows 13-15 points and 4-card support.

		Opener			Responder
		97			KQ83
		QJT2			543
		AT983			J5
		KQ			J987
		Opener 1 1NT (1)			Responder 1 Pass

1. Shows a balanced 12-14 HCP and denies 4-card spade support. Note that opener cannot rebid 2, which would be a reverse showing 16+ points.

		Opener			Responder
		J72			AT83
		AQJ2			T93
		AKQ93			T2
		5			AT52
		Opener 1 2 (1) 3NT			Responder 1 2NT Pass

1. A reverse, showing 17-22 points and 4+ hearts

		Opener			Responder
		AJ52			K6
		AT3			KQ92
		K532			T76
		54			9872
		Opener 1 1 Pass			Responder 1 1NT (1)

1. Shows 6-9 points, and denies 4-card spade support

		Opener			Responder
		K73			A
		Q65			KT8
		A964			QT852
		AT6			9872
		Opener 1 3NT			Responder 3 (1) Pass

1. Limit raise, showing 4+ diamonds and 10-12 points

		Opener			Responder
		Q73			A5
		A65			KT8
		A964			QT
		KT6			AJ9872
		Opener 1 2NT (2)			Responder 2 (1) 3NT

1. Shows 4+ clubs and 10+ points
2. Shows 12-14 HCP, balanced