[marwk]

I'd like to fill a convention card but don't know what either sayc or 2/1 mean. Can someone help?

[Trinidad]

SAYC stands for Standard American Yellow Card. As the name says, it is a bidding system that is standard in Northern America. The "Yellow Card" is added since a long time ago, the ACBL (American Contract Bridge League) printed standard convention cards for one particular variation of the Standard American system on yellow paper.

The SAYC system is based on five card major openings where 1♦ and 1♣ openings can be bid on three card suits. The 1NT opening is 15-17 or 16-18. A response at the two level (or a "two over one", in short 2/1, such as 1♠-2♣) shows at least about 10/11 points.

The 2/1 system ("Two over one") is a more modern variation. The actual name of this system is "Two over one game forcing", or "2/1 GF", but many people will just write "2/1". This "2/1 GF" system is very similar to the SAYC system. There are two big differences. A two over one bid is now game forcing and shows at least about 12/13 points. The second difference is a consequence of the first: Hands with 10/11 points cannot respond at the two level. That means that the 1NT response can be quite strong and has a range of 6-12 points. Therefore, the 1NT response is forcing for one round. Responder can clarify with his next bid whether he had a "standard" 6-9 1NT response or whether he had a 10-12 hand.

BTW, the way most 2/1 players play is that a 2/1 is only GF after an opening of 1♥ or 1♠. The sequence 1♦-2♣ would not be GF yet.

Rik