[kenrexford]

1♠-P-2♣-P-
2♥-P-2NT-P-
3♠

1♠-P-2♣-P-
2♠-P-2NT-P-
3♥

Can anyone explain what each auction means in 2/1 (and possibly in differing schools of 2/1 if it matters) and in Standard American (and possibly differing schools thereof)?

[helene_t]

The first one is the normal way of showing 6-4. The second is 7-4 or maybe a 6-4 with extreme suit quality disparity, I suppose. I know that some play the first one as stronger than the second one. That makes some sense, whether 2♣ is GF or not.

[SoTired]

both show a 6-4. Traditionally, 646 is stronger than 664. There was a LONG discussion among many experts in a bridge magazine (Mid-Atlantic maybe?) of just this 6♠+4♥ rebid issue. Some experts followed the hand strength rule, some experts always did one way, and some experts bid based on suit strength. Although the narrator (Steve Robinson?) drew some conclusions, personally, I did not see any real concensus.

Sooooo... partnership agreement

[pbleighton]

Quote

both show a 6-4. Traditionally, 646 is stronger than 664.

This was true in Standard American.

Quote

Sooooo... partnership agreement.

True.

Since 646 is the more efficient way of bidding a 64, without discussion I would take 664 to be 64 or 74 with a self sufficient suit.

Peter

[Free]

I use the first one to show a 6-5, and the 2nd one for 6-4. I don't think this is standard however...

[kenrexford]

Thanks for the answers.

My wife came back from playing bridge and told me that she was corrected by a kibitzer when she bid 646 holding extras.

I told her that, whatever nuances people had, 646 with the stronger hand cannot be wrong but was dead-right. I was not certain whether, in standard bidding, 646 showed extras or whether 664 showed COV in spades or what the modern concensus was, but I knew that 646 with the max was surely right.

I also wondered myself whether the 664 was really a 663, as Justin pointed out.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Sep 3 2007, 08:46 AM, said:

for me the first way is the only way to bid with 6-4 and the second way will often be something like KQxxxx AQx xx xx where I have heart values, 6 spades, and want to get a 3S bid out of pard or avoid 3N when pard has no diamond stopper. For me 2S is a default bid often made on 5 and 2N would be bid routinely on most hands without a fit. All of this applies for a 3D bid as well to me.

Agree. Hearts aren't bypassed here, so the delayed 3♥ shows a fragment.

Don't get started with me about 7-4's

[han]

I'd generally bid 2H with 7-4 as well, no matter what strength.

So also for me 1S, 2S, 3H would tend to deny 4 hearts.