[toosons]

This is the first time I'm posting so not sure what I am doing or where I'm supposed to post this but here goes.

Playing 2/1
When the bidding goes - 1♦, 1♥ overcall, 1♠ - does your partner promise 5♠? I play that it does, with 4♠ I would make a negative x. Is it style or....?

[rogerclee]

Welcome to the forums.

To answer, yes, this is a very standard agreement, and definitely the default agreement. Whether this is a good agreement is up to debate, and I would say that it is not, especially if you are playing precision.

[han]

Yes, that is the standard meaning of 1S.

[the hog]

From which country are you? It appears to be standard in the US. It is not standard in Europe nor in Asia. There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles; my personal view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

[mikestar]

My own preference for this sequence is for 1♠ to show "4 1/2 spades": if I have a four good spades where I welcome playing in a 4-3 fit, I bid 1♠, with four poor spades I double.

[whereagles]

I like this:

1♠ = 4+ cards, opener is free to raise on 3 cards and an unbalanced hand
dbl = denies 4 spades, unfit for 1NT
1NT = 7-10 or thereabouts, usually with stopper

[Gerben42]

What you describe is certainly standard in SEF and many European countries too, i.e.

Dbl = 4♠
1♠ = 5+♠

Quote

I like this:

1♠ = 4+ cards, opener is free to raise on 3 cards and an unbalanced hand
dbl = denies 4 spades, unfit for 1NT
1NT = 7-10 or thereabouts, usually with stopper

If you try this you should really go for the "Italian expert trick":

Dbl = 4 / 5 ♠
1♠ = Less than 4♠, either no stopper or too strong to bid 1NT
1NT = Constructive NF
2♥ = 6+♠, weak or strong
2♠ = 6+♠, invitational (8 - 11)

[FrancesHinden]

As others have said, what you describe is a common agreement although not necessarily standard-without-discussion. Another one of those things where a regular partnership has an advantage!

[Apollo81]

toosons, on Jan 29 2008, 10:46 PM, said:

This is the first time I'm posting so not sure what I am doing or where I'm supposed to post this but here goes.

Playing 2/1
When the bidding goes - 1♦, 1♥ overcall, 1♠ - does your partner promise 5♠?    I play that it does, with 4♠ I would make a negative x.  Is it style or....?

Welcome to the forums

One convenient way to format auctions is to put the opponents' bids in parentheses. Thus the auction you posed would be written:

1♦-(1♥)-1♠

Typically at most four calls would go on a line, for example

1♦-(1♥)-1♠-(p)
2♦-(p)-2♥-(p)
2NT-(p)-3NT-all pass

This is commonly used and makes it clear who bid what in a competitive auction.

You could write a similar non-competitive auction like

1♦-1♠
2♦-2♥
2NT-3NT
pass

[han]

FrancesHinden, on Jan 30 2008, 05:31 AM, said:

As others have said, what you describe is a common agreement although not necessarily standard-without-discussion. Another one of those things where a regular partnership has an advantage!

Really? I would assume this standard without discussion.

[pclayton]

5 is standard in the US.

[blackshoe]

The_Hog, on Jan 30 2008, 02:13 AM, said:

There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles; my personal view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

The disadvantages of both styles?

[the hog]

blackshoe, on Jan 30 2008, 11:49 PM, said:

The_Hog, on Jan 30 2008, 02:13 AM, said:

There are advantages and disadvantages to both styles; my personal view is that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

The disadvantages of both styles?

Ok Ok I posted this late at night.

[blackshoe]

The_Hog, on Jan 30 2008, 08:04 PM, said:

Ok Ok I posted this late at night.

Fair enough.

[P_Marlowe]

toosons, on Jan 29 2008, 10:46 PM, said:

This is the first time I'm posting so not sure what I am doing or where I'm supposed to post this but here goes.

Playing 2/1
When the bidding goes - 1♦, 1♥ overcall, 1♠ - does your partner promise 5♠? I play that it does, with 4♠ I would make a negative x. Is it style or....?

... a matter of partnership agreement,
and it is a fairly common agreement.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[gwnn]

I've never seen the Hog use that smiley before!

[the hog]

gwnn, on Jan 31 2008, 04:21 PM, said:

I've never seen the Hog use that smiley before!

Maybe I'm mellowing in my old age.

[skjaeran]

Gerben42, on Jan 30 2008, 11:03 AM, said:

What you describe is certainly standard in SEF and many European countries too, i.e.

Dbl = 4♠
1♠ = 5+♠

Quote

I like this:

1♠ = 4+ cards, opener is free to raise on 3 cards and an unbalanced hand
dbl = denies 4 spades, unfit for 1NT
1NT = 7-10 or thereabouts, usually with stopper

If you try this you should really go for the "Italian expert trick":

Dbl = 4 / 5 ♠
1♠ = Less than 4♠, either no stopper or too strong to bid 1NT
1NT = Constructive NF
2♥ = 6+♠, weak or strong
2♠ = 6+♠, invitational (8 - 11)

Agree with Gerben on all counts.

1♠=5 used to be standard in Norway (probably is still).
Many have changed to X denies, 1♠=4+.
And some are moving to what Gerben describes above.