Is this the best sequence?

[1eyedjack]

"I guess I am alone in fearing a singleton Spade opposite."

 

After a 2NT rebid?

 

Peter

Indeed. Anything strange about that?

 

As Mikeh says in

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?sho...ndpost&p=178835

Any reverse absolutely, without any room for exception whatsoever, promises more length in the first suit than the second.

So, if you hold

[hv=s=sxhaqjxdkqxxcakxx]133|100|[/hv]

You open 1♦ and partner responds 1♠ what is your rebid?

I know that some of you will rebid 2♣ and claim that this is fine and dandy because it is forcing. Well, in some partnerships it is not forcing. And in those partnerships where it is forcing I am unconvinced that you are better placed than those who rebid 2NT with a singleton Spade on such hands.

[whereagles]

Well... after 1♦-1♠ you have a couple choices:

 

2♣, hoping to auto-force to game if pard doesn't pass. Despite being NF, this is ok because odds for pard passing are like 3%.

 

2♥ reverse. Just make sure to chill out pard if he tries to support diams :)

 

2NT. Practical bid which will work fine most of the time.

[the hog]

Are you sure that opener cannot rebid 2N with 1-4-4-4 shape?  Then I would want to be in Hearts, not least because of the poor quality of my own spades.  I would be happy to treat responder's hand as if 5-4 shape.

 

Agree with this, partner can certainly be 1444. Look at the hand oej posted above. 2NT is the most practical rebid.

[pbleighton]

"Indeed. Anything strange about that?"

 

Not impossible, but certainly unusual.

 

Balanced hands are 47% of hands, 4441s are 3%, and frequently the 4441s have good rebids.

 

Peter

[HeartA]

Hearts first and then spades? That doesn't sound like standard bidding to me. Not sure how you will show partner that the spades are longer.

1♣-1♥

1NT-2♠

 

Spades must be longer than hearts- if you play some form of checkback, you'd use it with only 4 spades, if you don't, partner would never bypass spades to bid NT.

 

That's really only to show 5-4, not 6-4, so maybe it is better to start with spades and then bid hearts with this.

longer suit first, that's most players play. The more you bid second suit, the longer the first (and the second) suit is.

 

As Chuck said, 1H and then 2S/3S, shows 6H-5S, or could be 6-4 in some occasions.

[1eyedjack]

"Indeed. Anything strange about that?"

 

Not impossible, but certainly unusual.

 

Balanced hands are 47% of hands, 4441s are 3%, and frequently the 4441s have good rebids.

 

Peter

I accept your statistics at face value. That does not mean that it is necessarily wrong to cater for the odd 3% if that possibility is available. Perhaps you have to factor in the amount of information disclosed to the defence in pursuit of the elusive 3%

 

Incidentally, what would you rebid (after uncontested 1♦-1♠) with:

 

[hv=s=sxhaqjdakxxxckxxx]133|100|[/hv]

 

Perhaps a bit more contentious. I think that a 2♣ rebid this time has more to recommend it ("If I can just get past this round ..."). Even so I think that a 2N rebid is not outrageous here. That said, staying out of 4♠ may be problematic if you hold this hand opposite the responder in the OP.

[paulg]

I guess I am alone in fearing a singleton Spade opposite.

Beginners and intermediates tend to have balanced hands for a 2NT rebid. I would not like them to change that view.

 

I'm not that keen on anyone else doing it either, although there will be times when it is necessary :)

 

Paul

[pbleighton]

"Perhaps a bit more contentious. I think that a 2♣ rebid this time has more to recommend it ("If I can just get past this round ..."). Even so I think that a 2N rebid is not outrageous here. That said, staying out of 4♠ may be problematic if you hold this hand opposite the responder in the OP."

 

Exactly. I'm not afraid of pd having a stiff for his 2NT rebid. Bidding 2NT with a stiff scares me (though I did it a couple of weeks ago), because my pd will NOT play me for a stiff. I think the responses in this thread indicate most players don't, you go with the odds. I'd rather play an occasional 6-1 fit in 4M than be in 3NT a lot with a major suit fit.

 

In your example, I would rebid 2D most days. If I was feeling my aging oats, and couldn't bring myself to bid 2D, I would bid 3C rather than 2NT.

 

Peter

[Fluffy]

2NT is forcing for some

 

6-2 fit (normally) plays better than 4-4 in part scores, worse in slams, and games it depends

 

 

4♠ its a good and correct bid.

[han]

Incidentally, what would you rebid (after uncontested 1♦-1♠) with:

 

[hv=s=sxhaqjdakxxxckxxx]133|100|[/hv]

 

Perhaps a bit more contentious. I think that a 2♣ rebid this time has more to recommend it ("If I can just get past this round ..."). Even so I think that a 2N rebid is not outrageous here. That said, staying out of 4♠ may be problematic if you hold this hand opposite the responder in the OP.

This is a clear and perfectly normal 2C bid. I do think that the 2NT bid is outrageous here.

 

I agree with you that it is possible to have some hand where a 2NT rebid with a stiff spade is best. I don't recall ever doing it, and to worry about it as responder seems paranoid.

 

The actual 4S rebid seems fine. As others have said, if you decide not to try for slam then 4S is practical and will sometimes be better than 4H even if you do have a 4-4 heart fit.