New Minor Forcing

Partner opens 1♦, you respond 1♠ with 11 points and five spades. Partner rebids 1NT. Now what? You’re strong enough for game, but should it be 4♠ or 3NT? If partner has three spades, 4♠ is likely better. If not, 3NT.

You need to ask the question.

That’s New Minor Forcing. Bid 2♣ (the unbid minor), forcing partner to tell you whether they have three-card spade support.

What Is New Minor Forcing?

New Minor Forcing (NMF) is a convention that applies after this sequence:

Opener   Responder
1♣/1♦    1♥/1♠
1NT      2♣/2♦ (the unbid minor)

When responder bids the unbid minor at the two level, it’s artificial and forcing. You’re asking: “Do you have three-card support for my major? Four cards in the other major?”

The name comes from bidding the “new” minor (the one opener didn’t bid). If opener bid 1♦, clubs is new. If opener bid 1♣, diamonds is new.

Why You Need It

After 1m-1M-1NT, you’re often stuck. You have invitational or better values, a five-card major, and no clear action. Should you:

Bid 2NT? But maybe there’s a 5-3 major fit.
Jump to 3NT? Again, missing a possible major fit.
Rebid your major? That might not be forcing, depending on your system.

Without NMF, you’re guessing. With it, you get the information you need.

When to Use NMF

You need:

Invitational or better values (11+ HCP)
A five-card major you responded with (usually)
Interest in finding a major fit
No six-card suit (with six, just jump to game in your major)

Hands That Use NMF

After 1♦ - 1♠ - 1NT:

♠ K J 10 7 5
♥ A 8 4
♦ K 6
♣ 10 9 3

11 HCP, five spades. Bid 2♣ (NMF). If partner shows three spades, jump to 4♠. Otherwise, settle in 3NT.

♠ A Q 9 7
♥ K J 8 6
♦ 7 4
♣ K 10 5

12 HCP, four spades and four hearts. Bid 2♣ (NMF). You’re checking if opener has four hearts (4-4 fit) or three spades (5-3 fit).

♠ K Q 8 7 5
♥ A 7
♦ Q J 9
♣ K 10 4

14 HCP, five spades. Bid 2♣ (NMF). With game-forcing values, you still want to check for a fit before committing to 3NT.

Hands That Don’t Use NMF

After 1♦ - 1♠ - 1NT:

♠ K 10 8 6 5
♥ 7 4
♦ Q 9 3
♣ A 8 6

9 HCP. Not strong enough. Pass 1NT or bid 2♠ if that’s invitational in your system.

♠ A Q J 9 7 3
♥ K 8
♦ 7 4
♣ K 10 5

13 HCP, six spades. Don’t bother with NMF. Jump to 4♠. You already have an eight-card fit.

How Opener Responds to NMF

When responder bids NMF, opener describes their hand using priorities:

1. Show Three-Card Major Support

If you have three cards in responder’s major, show it immediately. That’s the most important message.

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2♠       (three spades)

Some pairs bid 2♠ with minimums and 3♠ with maximums (14 HCP). Others always bid at the two level. Discuss with your partner.

2. Show Four Cards in the Other Major

No three-card support? Show four cards in the other major.

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2♥       (four hearts, not three spades)

This finds 4-4 fits when responder has both majors.

3. Bid 2NT Without Either

If you lack three-card support and don’t have four in the other major, rebid 2NT.

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2NT      (no three spades, no four hearts)

This shows a balanced minimum without help in the majors.

4. Rebid a Six-Card Minor

With a six-card minor, you can rebid it instead of 2NT.

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
3♦       (six diamonds)

Less common, but it shows a distributional hand.

After Opener’s Response

Once opener answers, responder places the contract.

Partner Shows Three-Card Support

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2♠       ?

You found a 5-3 fit. With invitational values (11-12), invite with 3♠. With game values (13+), bid 4♠. Or if notrump looks better, bid 2NT or 3NT.

Partner Shows Four in the Other Major

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2♥       ?

If you have four hearts, raise to 3♥ or 4♥ depending on strength. No four hearts? Bid notrump or rebid your spades.

Partner Bids 2NT

Opener   Responder
1♦       1♠
1NT      2♣ (NMF)
2NT      ?

No major fit. Bid 3NT with game values or pass with invitational strength.

Complete Auction Examples

Finding the 5-3 Major Fit

Opener:
♠ K 9 4
♥ A 10 7
♦ K Q 8 6
♣ J 9 5

Responder:
♠ A Q J 8 3
♥ K 6
♦ 7 4
♣ A 10 6 3

Auction:
1♦   1♠
1NT  2♣ (NMF)
2♠   4♠
All Pass

Opener shows three spades. Responder bids the spade game. 4♠ makes comfortably. 3NT might fail if the opponents attack hearts effectively.

Finding the 4-4 Heart Fit

Opener:
♠ A 8
♥ K J 9 4
♦ K Q 10 5
♣ Q 8 6

Responder:
♠ K J 7 4
♥ A Q 8 3
♦ 7 4
♣ K 10 5

Auction:
1♦   1♠
1NT  2♣ (NMF)
2♥   4♥
All Pass

Responder checks for three spades or four hearts. Opener shows four hearts. Responder jumps to 4♥. The 4-4 heart fit plays better than 3NT here.

No Major Fit - Play Notrump

Opener:
♠ Q 8
♥ K 10 6
♦ A Q 9 5
♣ K J 8 4

Responder:
♠ A K J 9 4
♥ Q 7 3
♦ 8 2
♣ A 10 5

Auction:
1♣   1♠
1NT  2♦ (NMF)
2NT  3NT
All Pass

Opener denies three spades or four hearts with 2NT. Responder settles in 3NT. No major fit exists, so notrump is correct.

Game-Forcing Hand

Opener:
♠ K 8 3
♥ Q 10 6
♦ A K 10 5
♣ J 9 4

Responder:
♠ A Q J 7 5
♥ A K 8
♦ 8 3
♣ K 10 6

Auction:
1♦   1♠
1NT  2♣ (NMF)
2♠   4♠
All Pass

Responder has 15 HCP and still uses NMF to check for a fit. Finding the 5-3 spade fit, responder bids the game. This is much better than playing 3NT.

Two-Way New Minor Forcing

Some partnerships play a variation called Two-Way NMF. In this treatment:

2♣ (the lower minor) = Game-forcing, checking for major fits
2♦ (the higher minor) = Invitational, checking for major fits

After 1♣ opening:

2♣ doesn’t exist (opener bid clubs)
2♦ = invitational NMF
2NT = game-forcing, balanced, no major fit interest

After 1♦ opening:

2♣ = game-forcing NMF
2♦ doesn’t exist (opener bid diamonds)
2NT = invitational, balanced

This lets you distinguish invitational from game-forcing hands immediately. The downside is it’s more complex and requires partnership agreement on all the follow-ups.

Most intermediate players stick with standard NMF where either minor can be invitational or game-forcing, and responder clarifies strength later in the auction.

NMF vs. Checkback Stayman

Checkback Stayman is an older convention that serves a similar purpose. The key differences:

New Minor Forcing:

Applies after 1m-1M-1NT
Uses the unbid minor (artificial)
Standard among modern players

Checkback Stayman:

Usually applies after 1m-1M-1NT
Uses 2♣ specifically (always clubs, even if clubs were opened)
When 1♣ was opened, 2♣ shows club support plus checking for major fits
Less common today

NMF is cleaner because it always uses an unbid suit, making it clearly artificial. Checkback Stayman can create confusion when clubs is the opened suit.

Most modern pairs play NMF. If you encounter Checkback Stayman, the basic idea is the same: you’re checking for major fits after a 1NT rebid. The mechanics differ slightly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using NMF Without Invitational Values

NMF promises at least 11 HCP. Don’t use it with 8-10 points just to check for a fit.

With 9 HCP after 1♦-1♠-1NT, pass or bid 2♠ (if that shows five and is invitational in your system). Don’t bid 2♣ NMF.

Wrong Priority as Opener

Show three-card support for partner’s major first. Don’t bid 2♥ showing four hearts if you also have three spades.

After 1♦-1♠-1NT-2♣ with three spades and four hearts, bid 2♠, not 2♥.

Thinking the Minor Is Natural

The unbid minor after 1NT is artificial. Partner isn’t showing that suit. They’re asking about major fits.

Using NMF With Six Cards

With six cards in your major, just bid your game. You already have an eight-card fit (opener has at least two in every suit after rebidding 1NT).

Forgetting It’s Forcing

After responder uses NMF, opener must bid again. Some partnerships play responder can pass certain rebids (like 2NT), while others play it’s forcing to game or three-level. Discuss this.

Partnership Agreements

Discuss these with your partner:

Forcing level: Is NMF forcing for one round only, or to game? Most play one round.
Jump rebids: After NMF, what do opener’s jumps mean? Maximum hands? Specific holdings?
After 2NT: Can responder pass opener’s 2NT rebid (one-round forcing), or must they bid again (game-forcing)?
Two-Way: Are you playing standard NMF or Two-Way NMF?
With 4-4 majors: If responder has both majors, do they always respond in spades first, or does it matter?

When to Skip NMF

Sometimes you have better options:

With a balanced game-forcing hand and no major fit interest: Jump directly to 3NT instead of checking for major fits.

With six cards in your major: Jump to 4M with game values, or bid 3M invitational.

With a weak hand (fewer than 11 HCP): Pass 1NT or make a non-forcing bid if available.

When you already have a clear bid: If you know where you want to play, don’t use NMF just to use it.

The Bottom Line

New Minor Forcing is essential for finding major fits after a 1NT rebid. When you have invitational or better values and need to know if opener has three-card support for your major or four cards in the other major, use the unbid minor to ask.

As opener, answer honestly: three-card support first, then four in the other major, then 2NT without either.

Get comfortable with NMF and you’ll reach better contracts. You’ll play major suit games with 5-3 fits instead of struggling in notrump. You’ll find those hidden 4-4 major fits. And you’ll know when to settle in 3NT because no major fit exists.

It’s not complicated. The unbid minor asks about major support. Opener answers. Responder places the contract. Use it regularly and it becomes automatic.