[Cascade]

After

1♣ (1♥) 1♠ where 1♠ shows four or more spades (double would deny four spades) how do you develop the auction with two suited hands (♠s and ♦s) to resolve the ambiguity between longer spades and longer diamonds.

Does anyone play that double can be a strong hand with five or more diamonds and four spades?

[Free]

if you're strong, just bid 2♦ and reverse to 2♠ (unless that's negative freebid). When weak, what's the problem with negative Dbl and later bidding ♦? I've seen that lately people play this situation differently, but I wonder what makes it so much better?

[helene_t]

The problem is that dbl denies spades.

First double (showing a weak hand with diamonds or both minors) and then spades (surprise, I had spades anyway!) could show an 8-11 hand with 4 spades and longer diamonds. Sometimes you would prefer to double some numer of hearts as your second bid, and it becomes unclear if you have a 4-card spades.

Maybe canapé is better. With 5 spades and 4 diamonds you don't have to show your diamonds. What about 5-5? 2NT or cuebid as second bid?

[Chamaco]

a ) weak and invitational hands: use XYZ convention also in competition. You bid spades, then over 1Nt (only problematic rebid):
2♣ = artificial relay forcing opener to bid 2 diamonds, which may be passed by weak hand with long diamonds; if responder bids again after the opener'2 2D, he has an invitational hand.
So with an invitational hand with 5+ spades, just bid 2C then spade rebid.


b ) GF hands:
natural bids, 2 diamonds natural, forcing 1 round, then reverse to spades.
If using negativ free bids and 1 spade promising 4+, you may wish to use xyz in competition also here over a 1NT rebid (you may use 2D as game force with 5+ spades, and hearts cuebid as a GF hand with 4 spades).

[Cascade]

Whoops I omitted one key piece of information.

I am interested in how these hands are handled when 2♦ is a negative free bid.

1♣ (1♥) ?

a/

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b/

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How do you handle these hands differently?

1♠ promises four or more spades.

Dbl denies four spades.

2♦ is non-forcing.

Does anyone play a method where Double can be the first call on a strong hand with a longer minor (diamonds here) and four spades?

TIA