Ostensibly Stayman
N (dealer) opens 1NT, E passes
S bids 2C, announced as Stayman, W passes
N bids 2D, E passes
S passes (!), W passes
S has 6 diamonds (no 4 card major) and 3 points.
It's an old way of doing a weak takeout into a minor (if N bids a major, S rebids 3D).
E complains that he would have bid had he known that the 2D could have been passed.
Is announcing it correct if it can (very rarely) be used for this purpose?
Note that with 4-4-5-0 and few points S would do exactly the same.
Comments
It's fairly common these days to play "garbage stayman" intending to pass any response with some 5-4-3-1 hand or other. I don't think E should be that surprised 2D could've been passed, I guess some players might not have come across that treatment.
The blue book says stayman is announced whether or not it shows a 4 card major. We'd only alert if we thought this wasn't stayman. You are permitted to embellish announcements, and maybe in this case, "stayman, occasionally weak takeout into a minor" would be better.
The description of 2C as defined by the announcement of "Stayman" does not promise anything - it does not promise values, it does not promise a 4-card major, and it does not promise a rebid by responder. 2C "Stayman" as defined by the announcement is an asking bid, and even then the hand that bid 2C may not be interested in the responses to the asking bid.
With due respect to East, let this be a learning experience. "Stayman" is the correct announcement if the bid asks for 4-card majors and 2C "Stayman" does not promise a second bid by responder. More general lesson: opponents were not taught and do not play the same way that you were taught/play.
Something related I've been wondering about (because it's relevant to a system I'm considering): suppose it's systemic in a system to bid Stayman on game-forcing hands even if they don't have a major (because it's the first step in a shape-asking sequence – knowing whether or not partner has a 4-card major helps to narrow down the set of possible shapes). This is clearly allowed, but is it still announced as "Stayman", or alerted as "Stayman or shape ask"?
I assumed it would be an alert, but this discussion makes it sound like it's actually an announcement.
Based on the foregoing, it sounds like Stayman to me. It's asking for majors - hence announce.
Non standard Stayman responses (1NT - 2C - 3C) would surely be alerted as would any subsequent bids in the shape asking sequence.