1. Jacoby Transfers
2. Leeway Minor Slam Relay (MSR)
3. Minor Suit Stayman (MSS)
4. Stayman
5. Smolen
6. Two Pesky Hands
7. Texas Transfers
8. Three of a minor invitational
9. Two-Way Two-No (2W2N)
10. What's Not Here (Puppet)

1. Jacoby Transfers. Use this with any hand containing a 5-card or longer major as long as the hand does not also contain a 4-card major. Can be used as either a "drop-dead" bid, a game invite or a slam invite; but see Texas Transfer for the one-suited major "game-only" hand.

   Example 1: ♠ KQ9873 ♥ 743 ♦ 32 ♣ 43. Bid 2♥ and pass partner's spade call.
   Example 2: ♠ KQJ873 ♥ K43 ♦ 82 ♣ K3. Bid 2♥. When partner bids 2♠, you bid 4♠. Since you didn't choose Texas Transfer in the first place, partner understands by inference that your hand will make slam as long as partner's aces and kings are in the right places.

2. Leeway Minor Slam Relay (MSR). This tool fills an important gap that exists in standard bidding⁽¹⁾. Use it to describe a hand that is single-suited in a minor and is slam oriented. It must not contain any other four-card or longer suit.
   1. A 3♥ bid shows clubs; a 3♠ bid shows diamonds.
   2. Holding a small doubleton in your suit, the 1NTer refuses the transfer with a 3NT call. This must end the auction unless the responding hand is strong enough to demand a slam facing most NT openers.
   3. With a better holding in the transferred minor, partner accepts the transfer. After acceptance, most slam methods are available: Kickback and cue bidding particularly recommended.

   Example A: ♠ K9 ♥ 3 ♦ AQJ9632 ♣ K43. Bid 3♠. If partner answers with 3NT, this hand is not so hot for a diamond slam. If he bids 4♦, you are off to the races.

   Consider that the 1NTer might hold any of the following hands facing Example A above.

   1. ♠ QJ873 ♥ K4 ♦ K84 ♣ AQJ. (Yes, a mangy 5-card major.) He accepts the transfer by bidding 4♦. Holding no Blackwood No-Nos⁽²⁾ responder uses Kickback (4♥) and the auction screeches to a halt in 5 when we discover that two key cards are missing. And a bonus: if the Kickback reply happens to be 4NT, one can pass for the extra score (at matchpoints).
   2. ♠ AQ73 ♥ KQJ3 ♦ 74 ♣ A92. With a puny doubleton in diamonds, but excellent slam controls in all other suits, opener can go directly to Kickback on his own with a notrump slam in the crosshairs.
   3. ♠ A7 ♥ Q874 ♦ K74 ♣ AQJ2. No matter where partner's shortness may be, this 1NT opener fits well enough to at least investigate for slam. This hand accepts the transfer and mentally prepares for a cue bidding sequence since the hand does contain a Blackwood No-No [the heart suit, Patricia]. With the actual partner hand, responder's second call is Kickback, and you sail into 6♦. Others will struggle to diagnose both the heart shortness and the excellent diamond fit.
      
      
3. Minor Suit Stayman. This convention is well documented elsewhere and is not detailed here. Basically, MSS allows us to explore for minor suit slams in hands where we hold nine or more cards in the minors (a two-suited hand). It also does double duty as the drop dead for diamonds in the following sequences.
   1NT - 2♠ - 2NT - 3♦ - pass
   1NT - 2♠ - 3♣ - 3♦ - pass
   1NT - 2♠ - 3♦ - pass
   
   
4. Stayman. Most hands containing a four-card major need to begin with Stayman⁽³⁾. But we also use this route to handle the flat notrump invite. For example, when holding  ♠ A83 ♥ J98 ♦ QJ94 ♣ J93. Since the 1NT - 2NT sequence is taken for something else, one must invite the notrump game via Stayman. This hand is revealed when responder's second call is 2NT. One may have to alert the 2♣ call with "Does not promise a 4-card major."
   
   
5. Smolen (modified). This Stayman add-on contributes an important feature for tournament players: In addition to giving the 4-card major a chance, one can also reveal an additional longer major while still making the 1NTer be the declarer (like a transfer). However, the common version of Smolen contains a serious flaw: There is no passable invitational sequence with the 5-4 and 6-4 hand patterns. With this modified version, there is. (BTW the original Smolen is covered in excellent detail elsewhere and is not repeated here.) Try BridgeGuys.
   
   The changes:
   1. The drop dead bid. We accomplish this via Jacoby transfer in one bid.
   2. Leap to 3♥ or ♠. These bids are unused.
   3. Bid the other major (forcing). Rather than leaping to 3♥ or 3♠ bid just 2 in the shorter major.
      Opener rebids 2NT having a doubleton in the other major and a minimum NT;
      Opener rebids 3NT having a doubleton in the other major and a maximum NT;
      Opener rebids 3 of the other major with three pieces and a minimum;
      and yes, 4 of the other major with three pieces and a better NT hand.
      
      Even if the 1NTer turns down the transfer the first time, the responder can repeat the transfer to insist when holding six or seven of them. As in the following sequence:
      
      

      Opener	Responder
      1N	2♣
      2♦	2♥*1
      3NT*2	4♥*3
      4♠*4

      *1: Please bid spades (5+ of them)
      *2: Max NT, but doubleton spades
      *3: Pretty please bid spades (6+ of them)
      *4: Oh, all right [grumble, grumble]
      
      
6. Two Pesky Hands. There are two other hands that bug bridge players the world over: Your hand pattern is five-five in the majors and your hand value is either invitational or game forcing. How do you handle both of these without disturbing your other systemic bells and whistles? Here is my solution.
   
   
   1. Invitational. Transfer, then rebid the hearts. 1N - 2♥ - 2♠ - 3♥. Opener will pass holding a minimum and three hearts. This is the only combination where the notrumper will not be the declarer. If he calls 3 spades, preferring that suit, that ends the auction. And he is of course free to accept your invitation and go directly to game in either major.
      
      IMPORTANT: If your style allows you to be two-two in the majors and still open 1NT, not to worry - the hand will play better in a suit contract despite the 7-card fit. Just don't pull this on partner when you are staring at two bad doubletons. Such as:
      
      You: ♠ 83    ♥ 92    ♦ AQJ9 ♣ AKJ93.
      Me: ♠ Q9763 ♥ AQ854 ♦ 65 ♣ 2.
      
      On this combination, it's far more important to use bids that reveal the misfit so that you don't go beyond the two level; so let the hand proceed via suit calls. It will also help keep peace in the family if you avoid giving your unsuspecting partner the impression that either of his majors will do as a mighty fine resting spot.
      
      
   2. Game Force. Start with Stayman. If partner has no four-card major, leap to 4 diamonds.
      1N - 2♣ - 2♦ - 4♦. For most players, this is an unused sequence.
      
      Me: ♠ KJ    ♥ AQ    ♦ A632 ♣ J9873.
      You: ♠ Q9763 ♥ KJ543 ♦ 95 ♣ A.
      
      This time, despite the two doubletons and the seven-card fit, the notrumper's extra firepower in the majors renders the major-suit contract clearly better. Imagine how very much better it will be when the notrumper is more balanced.
      
      
7. Texas Transfer. We use this gateway for two hand types; both types start with a 4-level transfer bid:
   4♦ when holding six or more hearts,
   4♥ when holding six or more spades.
   Also, the hand must not contain four cards in the other major; for that hand, try Section V - Smolen.
   
   
   1. Type One is this: ♠ 3 ♥ KJ9876 ♦ QJ43 ♣ Q93. It contains a six-card or longer major, no 4-card major, sufficient strength for game, and no designs on slam (a "game and only game hand").
      
      
   2. Type Two is this: ♠ void ♥ AQJ9764 ♦ KJ3 ♣ K93. This hand is a slam goer of the first magnitude and needs little more help than to know how many slam controls partner owns outside the spade suit. Enter "Exclusion Blackwood."
      
      After the 1NTer's forced 4♥ call, a new suit bid shows a void and requires the 1NTer to reveal in step order how many key cards he owns outside the void suit (0,1,2,3). And yes, 4NT is one of the allowed steps.
   
   
8. Three of a minor invitational. This tool handles one specific hand that can be described no other way: ♠ 3 ♥ 876 ♦ AQJ943 ♣ 1093.
   No, it is not a 7-point hand; it's a five-trick hand that is just four tricks shy of game, 3NT, when the hand facing it has the one missing diamond honor and three other tricks (not a great challenge to put on the 1NT opener).
   So, over 1NT, bid 3♦ with this collection. Stated as rule: You need a six- or seven-card minor suit containing three of the suit's four face cards. The 1NTer can bravely bid 3NT when he holds the missing honor and nothing disastrous in the other suits. He must pass when he does not hold the one missing honor.
   The running suit makes all the difference between a game bonus and a drop dead bid. For example, the 1NT bidder can hold any of these hands.
   1. ♠ QJ9 ♥ KJ94 ♦ K8 ♣ KQ72. No help in three suits informs opener that 3NT is a rather high risk contract. He may choose to bid it anyway, but at least he knows.
   2. ♠ QJ9 ♥ AK54 ♦ K6 ♣ A762. Partner can almost claim 3NT (or 4) before the auction ends.
   3. ♠ J64 ♥ KQJ4 ♦ K6 ♣ AK62. You may be the only partner in the room who gets the disaster alert for spades. Others who hold this maximum will be unstoppable.
   
   
9. Two-Way Two-No (2W2N). The 1NT - 2NT sequence is our gateway for two very different kinds of hands. For both types, the 1NTer is required to say "Three Clubs" (no exceptions unless your RHO preempts).
   
   Then the fun begins.
   1. Type 1 is the well known drop dead in clubs where you hold ♠ 432 ♥ 75 ♦ 86 ♣ J87543.
   2. Type 2 is a lesser known problem hand: the 4-4-4-1 slammish hand ⁽⁴⁾. Let's say  ♠ KJ32 ♥ AQ75 ♦ 8 ♣ K943. This hand has four important attributes, and the 1NTer needs to know all of them:
      1. It's slammish if the 1NTer holds little if any diamond duplication;
      2. There are three suits eligible to become our slam trumps, not just two;
      3. He must hold at least four cards (not 3) to have a suit fit;
      4. And unlike the other multi-suited bids in the other sections of this document, you hold just four cards in these suits; in other words, no five-carder.

         The significance of the four-carder versus the five-carder cannot be overstated. A nine-card fit (rather than eight) increases the playing value of a hand by about a trick and a half. Using 2W2N with this hand allows you, by inference, to inform partner about a five card auxiliary suit when you use one of the other Leeway conventions: for example, starting with Stayman and following up with a diamond bid.

         When responder does not pass the opener's mandatory 3♣ call, he reveals this strong three-suiter by bidding his singleton (3NT reveals the club singleton, so listen carefully).
         
         The 1NTer has two choices on his next call:
         1) pass holding duplication in partner's singleton; or
         2) bid 4 of a suit in which he has four (can be five) pieces opposite one of the 2W2N-bidder's suits.
         And don't get cute about it, simple suit agreement at this point paves the way (This gadget is fancy enough already). After announcing suit agreement, your partnership is off to the races again with cue bidding or Kickback.
         
         
10. What's Not Here (Puppet). Many players try to fold Puppet Stayman into the 1NT mix, where responder employs a bid that asks the 1NTer whether he holds a 5-card major.
    
    Example: If the 1NTer can hold a hand like this:
    ♠ KQJ85  ♥ J5  ♦ AJ6  ♣ KJ3
    
    Opposite a responder who holds:
    ♠ A92  ♥ K2  ♦ K32  ♣ Q9754.
    
    Such a combination is much safer in the major suit fit. I considered this valuable gadget during the construction of Leeway and found a better solution. The overriding driver: There are so many meaningfully different hands that need a bid and so few notches on the bidding wheel, something's gotta give.
    
    Solution: To decide between opening 1NT and one of a major, do the latter on a high-quality suit; do the former holding a mangy major.
    
    A really mangy major is obvious: ♥ Q9754; and equally obvious is a really strong one such as the Puppet example above. The key then is to decide where to draw the line. This decision is, in turn, decided by what second bid the opener might make.
    • With a strong suit, open the major and jump next time if the sequence calls for it, such as: 1♥ - 1♠ - 3♥ ...
    • With a mangy 5-card major, choose the 1NT opener.
    • A suit containing three face cards is "strong"; anything less is "mangy."

In conclusion, using the Leeway amalgamation, one is very hard pressed to suggest any combination of cards that is difficult to bid optimally over partner's standard 15-17 one notrump opening.

Footnotes

1. One word about another popular method: Four-Suit Transfers (4ST). For the MSR examples here, 4ST will probably work equally well. Unfortunately, 4ST's leap to three clubs precludes us from showing the one-suited game-invitational hand (See Section VIII). Also, 4ST disables us from revealing the 2W2N hand shown in Section IX.
   
   
2. A Blackwood No-No is either a void, or any non-trump suit where the defenders can take two off the top. One must use another method such as Exclusion or cue bidding when holding a Blackwood No-No.
   
   
3. The big exception being the 4-4-4-1 slammish hand covered in Section IX.
   
   
4. Advanced Bridge Bidding for the 21^st Century. Max Hardy. P 98. ISBN 1-58776-125-6.