SAYC 1 Opening Bid

SAYC is a 5-card major bidding system. A 1 opener shows shows 13-22 points and 5+ hearts. Examples of 1 opening bids:

2 KJ963 AJ52 A54	This hand has 13 HCP and a 5-card heart suit.
KJ83 AK652 Q72 6	Hands with 4-5 in the majors can present bidding challenges. Open 1 unless playing the Flannery convention (not a part of SAYC).
KQ983 AJT864 52 —	Holding 6+ hearts and 5 spades, open 1, not 1. You can bid spades twice at your next two opportunities.

Examples of hands that should not open 1:

T AKQT872 A5 Q52	You'd hate to open 1 and hear partner pass with, say, KJx and nothing else. A 4 opening bid shows a 7+ card heart suit and 7 or 8 playing tricks. Vulnerable, 8 playing tricks are advisable.
KQT AT753 K7 KJ2	Opening 1NT instead of 1 seems more appropriate with balanced strength. However, see the 1NT (15-17) opening bid for details about opening 1NT with a 5-card major.
AT873 KQJT9 6 A4	With 5-5 or even 6-6 in the majors, always open 1 with the plan to rebid hearts at your next turn.

Response	Meaning
Pass	0-5 points.
1	4+ spades and 6+ points. Forcing. KQ83 J93 63 AT53 With 4 spades and 3 hearts, it's okay to respond 1 rather than 2. The purpose is to try finding a 4-4 spade fit. The 4-4- fit often fares better than the 5-3 suit, which can be used for discarding losers in the remaining side suits.
1NT	6-9 points. May be unbalanced, and may have a 5+ card minor. Denies 3-card heart support, and denies 4+ spades. Non-forcing. T65 5 AKJT2 8765 This hand is too weak to respond 2, so it must bid 1NT instead.
2/	A 4+ card suit and 10+ points. Forcing. KQ83 J9 63 AK543 With 4-5 in spades and clubs, in the majors, respond 2, not 1. This positions you for a 2 rebid, which is more economical than responding 1 immediately and then bidding clubs at the 3-level.
2	A single raise shows at least 3-card support and 6-9 points. Usually denies 4 spades unless responder is 4-4 in the majors. Non-forcing.
2	A Strong Jump Shift, showing 5+ spades and 17-19 points. Forcing to game.
2NT	The Jacoby 2NT convention, showing 4+ hearts and a game-forcing hand (13+ points).
3/	A Strong Jump Shift, showing a 5+ card suit and 17-19 points. Forcing to game.
3	A limit raise, showing 4 hearts and 10-12 points. Non-forcing.
3NT	In SAYC, this shows a balanced 15-17 HCP with two-card support. It normally denies as many as 4 spades. This bid is forcing to game. However, many players use it as a balanced 13-15 HCP with 4-3-3-3 shape (with the 4-card suit anywhere but hearts).
4	5 hearts and 0-10 points. Non-forcing.
4NT	Blackwood, asking for aces.

Rebid	Meaning
1NT	12-14 HCP. Not forcing.
2/	A 4+ card suit, 13-18 points. Non-forcing.
2	6+ hearts and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
2	4-card support for partner's suit and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
2NT	A balanced 18-19 HCP. Not forcing.
3/	A 4+ card suit with 19-22 points. However, it can also be made on a 3-card suit if opener has an awkward hand pattern, like 1-6-3-3. Forcing to game.
3	6+ hearts and 16-18 points. Not forcing.
3	4-card support and 15-18 points. Not forcing.
4	4-card support and 19-22 points. Not forcing.

Rebid	Meaning
2/	A 4+ card suit and 13-18 points. Not forcing.
2	6+ hearts and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
2	A reverse, showing a 4+ card suit and 16+ points. Forcing.
2NT	A balanced 18-19 HCP. Not forcing.
3/	A 4+ card suit with 19-22 points. Game-forcing.
3	6+ hearts and 16-18 points. Not forcing.

Raises

Raise	Meaning
Single raise	3+ card support and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
Double raise	4+ card support and 15-18 points. Not forcing.

Rebidding no-trumps

Rebid	Meaning
2NT	12-14 HCP. Not forcing.
3NT	18-19 HCP. Not forcing.

Rebidding hearts

Rebid	Meaning
2	6+ hearts and 13-15 points. Not forcing.
3	6+ hearts and 16-18 points. Forcing to game.

Bidding a new suit

Rebid	Meaning
2	After 1 : 2, a 2 rebid shows 4+ diamonds and 13-18 points. Forcing.
2	A reverse, showing a 4+ card suit at 16+ points. Note that some players lower the point requirement when partner responds at the 2-level instead of the 1-level. Forcing.

Rebid	Meaning
2NT	Natural, typically showing a good balanced hand with weak hearts.
A new suit at the 3-level	A game try in hearts. Responder should bid 3 or 4, depending on the strength of her hand and how well it fits with opener's second suit.
3	Natural and invitational to game.
4	To play.

When the opponents make 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 hearts.
• A jump raise of 3 response becomes a weak 4-card raise, showing 0-6 points.

If the opponents 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 hearts. This shows 4+ hearts and 10+ points.
• A jump raise of 3 is a weak 4-card raise, showing 0-6 points.

		Opener			Responder
		Q52			AJ9863
		AKT93			62
		AT87			53
		5			Q62
		Opener 1 2 Pass			Responder 1 2 (1)

1. Shows 6+ spades and 6-10 points

		Opener			Responder
		Q7			A82
		AQJT82			93
		AK5			T642
		T2			KQ53
		Opener 1 3 (1)			Responder 1NT 4 (2)

1. Shows 6+ hearts and 16-18 points
2. Responder bids game with a maximum 1NT response and doubleton support

		Opener			Responder
		T93			A8
		AQJT2			K854
		KQ3			9876
		32			AK6
		Opener 1 4 (2)			Responder 2NT (1) Pass

1. The Jacoby 2NT convention, showing 4+ hearts and game-forcing strength
2. Signing off with a minimum

		Opener			Responder
		QJT			K5
		AQJ93			K854
		KJ83			762
		2			QT87
		Opener 1 3 (1) Pass			Responder 2 3 (2)

1. Natural game try
2. Signing off with poor diamonds