Jacoby Transfer Continuations: What to Bid After Partner Accepts

Updated March 2026, reviewed for accuracy with current ACBL standards and modern bidding trends.

The transfer itself is the easy part. You bid 2♦, partner bids 2♥. Done.

But the auction isn’t over. What you bid next tells partner whether you have 0 points or 18, whether you have five hearts or seven, and whether game is possible or certain. These rebids carry the real information in a transfer auction, and getting them wrong costs more tricks than botching the transfer in the first place.

The Framework: Strength Determines Your Rebid

After partner opens 1NT (15-17) and accepts your transfer, your rebid falls into one of four categories:

Weak (0-7 HCP): Pass. You transferred to play. The auction is over.

Invitational (8-9 HCP): Bid 2NT with a 5-card suit. Raise to 3 of your major with 6 cards. Either way, partner decides.

Game-forcing (10-15 HCP): Bid 3NT with exactly 5 cards (offering a choice of games). Bid 4 of your major with 6+ cards.

Slam interest (16+ HCP): More complex auctions. Start with a new suit or quantitative bids. Don’t just blast slam.

That’s the skeleton. Here’s where it gets interesting.

Weak Hands: Just Pass (But Resist the Urge to “Improve”)

You hold: ♠73 ♥Q8642 ♦J83 ♣952

Partner opens 1NT. You bid 2♦ (transfer), partner bids 2♥. Pass.

This feels uncomfortable when you look at your garbage hand sitting in 2♥ opposite a strong notrump. But remember: you’re already in a better spot than 1NT. Your five hearts opposite partner’s likely 2-3 hearts means at least 7-8 trumps. That singleton or doubleton in your hand gets ruffing value.

The biggest mistake intermediate players make with weak transfer hands is “correcting” to 2NT or trying to improve the contract. Stop. Partner has 15-17 HCP. You have fewer than 8. Combined you hold fewer than 25 points. Game is not happening. Accept 2♥ and move on.

Invitational Hands: The Fork in the Road

This is where it gets tricky. With 8-9 HCP, you have enough that game is possible if partner is maximum (16-17) but not if partner is minimum (15).

Five-Card Suit: Bid 2NT

You hold: ♠A4 ♥KJ863 ♦Q95 ♣872

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, bid 2NT. This tells partner: “I have five hearts and 8-9 points. Pick between 3♥, 3NT, or 4♥.”

Partner’s options:

• Pass 2NT with a minimum and only 2 hearts
• Bid 3♥ with a minimum and 3+ hearts (you pass)
• Bid 3NT with a maximum and only 2 hearts
• Bid 4♥ with a maximum and 3+ hearts

Notice partner gets to decide both the level (part-score vs game) and the strain (hearts vs notrump). You’ve given them everything they need.

Six-Card Suit: Raise to 3 of Your Major

You hold: ♠J4 ♥KJ8632 ♦Q95 ♣87

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, bid 3♥. Six hearts and invitational values. Partner passes with a minimum, bids 4♥ with a maximum. Simple.

Why not bid 2NT with this hand? Because you have six hearts. Any time you have a known 6-2 or 6-3 fit, that suit contract plays better than notrump. Remove 3NT as an option and let partner focus on whether to pass or bid game in hearts.

Game-Forcing Hands: 3NT or 4 of Your Major

Five Cards: Offer the Choice with 3NT

You hold: ♠K5 ♥AQ974 ♦J83 ♣K72

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, bid 3NT. This says: “I have exactly five hearts and game-going values. If you have 3+ hearts, correct to 4♥. If you only have two, leave it in 3NT.”

This is a choice-of-games bid. You’re not asking partner to pass or bid. You’re asking them to pick which game.

Six+ Cards: Bid Game in Your Major

You hold: ♠K5 ♥AQ9742 ♦J8 ♣K72

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, bid 4♥. Six hearts, game values, done. You know there’s at least an 8-card fit (probably 9). No reason to offer 3NT.

New Suit Bids: Showing a Second Suit

You hold: ♠AQ74 ♥KJ863 ♦92 ♣K5

After 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥, bid 3♠. A new suit at the 3-level after a transfer is natural and game-forcing. It says: “I have five hearts, four spades, and enough for game. Let’s find the right spot.”

This is useful because it might uncover a 4-4 spade fit that plays better than 5-3 hearts. Partner can bid 3NT, 4♥, 4♠, or start cue-bidding for slam.

One caution: don’t bid a new minor (3♣ or 3♦) unless you have a real suit and slam interest. A three-level minor bid after a transfer is slam-going in most partnerships, not just game-forcing.

Super-Accepts: When Opener Breaks the Transfer

Normally, opener accepts the transfer automatically. Bid 2♦, partner bids 2♥. Mechanical.

But some hands are too good for a routine acceptance. If opener has 4-card support for responder’s major and a maximum 1NT (16-17), they can “super-accept” by jumping to 3 of the major instead of 2.

After 1NT - 2♦:

2♥ = Normal acceptance. 2 or 3 hearts, any strength within range.

3♥ = Super-accept. 4 hearts, maximum values. “I love your suit and I’m at the top of my range.”

What does responder do with a super-accept?

• Weak hand: Bid 4♥ (you were planning to pass 2♥, but partner just said they’re maximum with 4-card support, so game is on).
• Invitational hand: Bid 4♥ (partner already answered your question. They’re maximum).
• Game-going hand: Consider slam. Partner has 16-17 with 4-card support. If you have 12+, that’s a combined 28+ HCP with at least a 9-card fit.

Super-accepts are one of those conventions where the benefit is real but the risk is miscommunication. Make sure your partner agrees on what constitutes a super-accept before using it in competition.

The Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Bidding 2NT after a transfer with a 6-card suit. With six of your major, raise to 3 of the major. Don’t give partner the option of playing 3NT when you have a long suit.

Mistake 2: Passing a super-accept with invitational values. If partner super-accepts (jumps to 3♥/3♠), they’re maximum with 4-card support. Bidding game is almost always right.

Mistake 3: Jumping to 4 of your major with exactly 5 cards and game values. That’s what 3NT is for. Give partner the choice.

Mistake 4: Transferring and then bidding 2 of the other major. In most standard methods, 2♠ after 1NT - 2♦ - 2♥ is not natural. Know your agreements.

After Interference

What if the opponents double or overcall your transfer bid?

If 2♦ gets doubled:

• Opener with 3+ hearts: Redouble or bid 2♥ normally. You still have a fit.
• Opener with only 2 hearts: Pass. Responder can redouble to reinstate the transfer or bid something else.

If 2♦ gets overcalled:

• The transfer is off. You’re in a competitive auction now. Opener should bid naturally.

Interference over transfers is a partnership discussion topic. The key principle: if the opponent bids your transfer suit’s level, opener passes with a doubleton and bids with 3+ support.

Related reading

For the base transfer structure, read the encyclopedia guides to Jacoby Transfers, Transfers over 1NT, and Stayman. If your partnership also uses game-forcing raises after major openings, Jacoby 2NT fits neatly into the same “describe strength after the forcing bid” mindset.

Build This Into Your Bidding Automatically

Transfer continuations are one of those areas where practice makes the logic automatic. You shouldn’t be calculating at the table; you should recognize the hand pattern and know your rebid instantly.

Brian deals you hands after transfers and checks whether your rebid matches your strength and shape. Get the reps in before your next game.

Practice transfer continuations with Brian →

---

Ready to practice these concepts? Try our Bidding Practice tool to test your skills against realistic hands.