Yes, because it gives your side more bidding space. It is, however, difficult, particularly if partner is 4-4-4-1.
No, it is not true. Your method is correct.
Would you care to elaborate? As that’s not what I’ve been taught. Opener bids same-length suits down; responder bids the same-length suits up.
Imagine opener is 4-5 in Hearts and Clubs so opens 1C. You are 5-5 in the majors and so you bid 1S where I bid 1H. In my case I respond 1H and the heart fit is found and opener can bid 2H (or more) agreeing the heart suit safely as he knows there are 8+ trumps but in your case you bid 1S the opener has to decide if bidding his 4 card Heart suit at the 2 level is worthwhile. After all, you might only have a singleton or doubleton and to revert to clubs afterwards requires bidding at the 3 level.
There’s another maxim taught hereabouts: always try to give your partner the opportunity to bid 1S.
If your hand is only worth one bid, then you may bid your stronger 5-card major; giving up on finding a 5-3 fit in the other major. But if you plan on bidding both suits, bid the higher of touching suits first — this makes your rebidd lower. (Otherwise you’ve “reversed” — forced partner to give preference to your first suit at the 3-level.)
To be honest, I’ve never heard of the idea of responder bidding same-length suits up, other than when 4-4.
Opener will only bid 2H over my 1S with reversing values. If, instead, opener bids 1NT, I can bid 2H, non-forcing, thereby showing at least 5-4. Or if I have an invitational hand or better, I can use new minor forcing/checkback/XYZ (whatever you play) to find a heart fit or a 5-3 spade fit, or can bid 3H to show 5-5.
More frequently than you being 4-5 in Hearts/Clubs, you will be 3-5 or 3-4 in spades/clubs. After a 1C opening, if you respond 1H with 5-5, partner is not going to bid 1S on a 3-card suit, so will likely bid 1NT. Now what? Unless you have at least invitational values you cannot bid 2S and you have missed a spade fit.
That’s a big if. With an unbalanced hand, opener might feel forced to rebid 2C.
And now you know that partner does not have 4 Hearts and does not have 4 Spades but does have a balanced hand (but perhaps only a single honour in your suit - the least lie). so you raise NTs or use Checkback Stayman as appropriate.
Sorry, but a response of 1H to 1C allows the opener to bid 1S. Failure to do so indicates 3 or fewer cards. Therefore you probably do not have a Spade fit. You’re also depending upon opener rebidding in NTs. What if opener rebids 2C?
Useful cites, BTW. They run contrary to what I’ve been taught, but that’s nothing new. 
In which case you can still bid 2H, thereby showing at oeast 5-4 and opener can bid 2S with 3 or raise hearts with 4.
We are talking about how to respond with 55 in the majors. Bidding hearts then raising NT means we will miss a 5-3 spade fit and probably a 5-3 heart fit. Bidding Checkback will allow us to find a 5-3 heart fit, but we still miss a 5-3 spade fit. And Checkback is normally only used with hands that are invitational or better, so if you have a weak 5-5, you will be forced to pass partner’s 1NT rebid (or possibly rebid 2H), thereby missing all 5-3 major suit fits.
again, we are talking about responding with 5-5 in the majors. We may very well have a spade fit.
No I am not - already covered in earlier answers in this post.
I know you have takend lessons from some very good players. I suggest you ask them again about this because I would be very surprised if they recommend you respond 1H with 5-5 in the majors.
Just for fun, I tried to guess how responder should bid with 5-5 or 5-6-shaped hands of increasing strength. How did I do? (Jump shift may not be an option with the big hands — many pairs play that the immediate jump-shift is permitted with a two-suiter only when one of the suit’s is partner’s.)
Jxxxx 9xxxx - xxx 1D Pass
KTxxx 9xxxx - xxx 1D 1H 2D Pass -OR- 1D 1H 1S 2S
QTxxx 9xxxxx - Qx 1D 1S 2D 2H 3S Pass
KTxxx 9xxxxx - Kx 1D 1S 2D 2H 2S Pass
KTxxx Q9xxxx - Kx 1D 1S 2D 2H 2S 3S
KJTxx K9xxxx - Kx 1D 1S 2D 2H 2S 3H? is 3H forcing?
KQTxx KJ9xxx - Kx 1D 1H 2D 2S 3D 3S
KQTxx KQ9xxx - Ax 1D 1H 2D 2S 3D 4H
AQ9xx KQ9xxx - AJ 1D 1H 2D 3S
What I think you are getting into here, amongst other things, is when to lie about your shape because you are too weak to be able to show what you have without getting too high. So the 2nd you treat as a 4-4 and the next 3 as a 5-4/5. Having said that, I think I would bid 1S on the 2nd. That is what I want led (if partner does not lead diamonds) if we end up defending. I certainly do not want a heart lead.
On the 5th I would bid 1H and repeat them over 2D.
On the 6th, I think 3H is non-forcing. You can bid 3C, fourth suit forcing, to establish a force. However, I would respond 1H then bid 2S over 2D. As partner does not have 4 spades, this should strongly suggest a 5-6 hand. This is the same approach as you take with the next two hands, so our differences are just in how strong a hand you need to bid 1H then 2S.
A side note on a convention a lot of US experts play: Reverse Flannery. A response of 2H to partner’s 1C/D opening shows 5-4 or 5-5, and less than an invitational hand. You could bid this on your 2nd, 3rd and 4th hands, despite the 6th heart. You might even do it on the 5th. A response of 2S to 1C/D shows the same distribution, but an invitational hand.
What would you open the 7th and 8th hands? With one partner I have started playing that opening 1S and rebidding 4H shows a minimum-ish hand (i.e. one not strong enough to reverse, which the last hand is) and 5-6. I have not played this long enough to know whether it is useful or not.
Mea culpa. My list was just in the unchecked “proof of concept” stage and that hand is plenty strong enough to reverse (which is not a game-force). Especially since, on the hands where you do make game opposite minimalish partner, you want to get to the 6-2 rather than the 5-2.
I always try to bid 4 card suits up the line and touching 5 card suits down the line. Anything else is a distortion and will confuse partner.
It’s true the really weak 5-5 is only going to get one bid, and by responding 1S you might miss a heart fit. In the modern world of bridge, openings are light and the opponents are very reluctant to let you play at the one level so they might stick their noses into the auction. If so, partner will make some kind of competitive bid and you can show your hearts.
We used to play the auction below as non-forcing and no interest in game:
1D 1S
1NT 2H
Here’s an odd hand from the other night. I held
S:ATxxx H:K D:- C:AJTxxxx
What would you open? What is your plan for the bidding?
Partner held S:Qxx H:Axxx D:KQx C:Qxx and I ended up in 5C going 1 down, losing the Ace of Diamonds, the King of Clubs, and the King of Spades. I couldn’t discard on the diamonds because one opponent had a singleton and the other had 9! The lead was the Diamond Ace and then another diamond.
I’m surprised the auction didn’t start 1C, 5D
Didn’t you have a void in Diamonds? Why didn’t you ruff the opening lead?
I may be missing something, but how did you lose AD when opponents led it into your void?
With the horrible diamond break I can see it losing two spades or a spade and a diamond ruff to go with the KC. Even so, 5C is a decent contract, though 4S is probably better.
Playing Acol, I’d open 1C, planning to rebid 1S and then 2S (or 2S and 3S). Some people would treat it as a 5-5 and open 1S, planning to rebid 3C and 4C.
Of course, in this case, the planned rebid becomes rather moot when LHO whacks in with some large number of diamonds.
You’re not missing anything. I’ve mis-remembered the hand. There must be another loser, probably a spade.
The lead was definitely the Diamond Ace, which I ruffed. I remember the diamond King being ruffed and I had to over-ruff instead of discarding a losing spade. I was severely short of entries into dummy.
I open 1C, planning to bid 1S next. If partner bids 1NT over my 1C, I bid 2C.
Ruff the lead. Then Ace of clubs, King of hearts, force entry to dummy by playing second round of trumps. Then you can discard three spades on the heart and diamond winners.
The only way this fails is if RHO has three trumps and holds up denying you the dummy entry. You will now need some luck in spades.
K364 - if you’re not worried abut overtricks, a better line is to ruff DA, unblock HK and then play the Jack of clubs instead of the Ace. If clubs are 3-0 and a defender holds up the King, you follow with the Ten and now he must choose between letting you into dummy or watching his King go under the Ace. Now you throw 3 Spades on DKQ and HA and lose only CK and SK.
However in this case, it sounds like LHO won the singleton KC, then played a diamond for his partner to ruff the K. Now there are only 2 spade discards and you need to guess.
Since LHO must be short in Spades (he’s shown up with 9 diamonds, KC and presumably followed to HK), the odds favour playing low to the Ten, but that loses to Jx or singleton J on your left. Seriously unlucky!
amarone Is that a SAYC convention that 1C may be 3 but the 2C rebid promises 6?
In Acol, 2C would be asking to be passed. (Not that I’d expect an uncontested 1C - P - 1NT - P very often. If partner has only enough points for 1NT and no suit for 1D or 1H, then opponents have about half the pack and length in at least one red suit.)
Merrick, I didn’t realize that in my line of play, if LHO holds up til the third round, he’ll be semi-endplayed having to put you back in the dummy with a red suit, or lead spades which would greatly enhance your chances of playing that suit for one loser.