[mike777]

Is this alertable?
You have 4 spades.

Your agreement is:
With balanced hand rebid 1NT, bypass spades

1m-1H
1NT

With unbalanced hand rebid one spade
1m-1H
1S

[DavidKok]

Under ACBL rules these are not alertable. There was recent discussion on this at Bridgewinners.
The answer differs by regulating authority, though.

In the Netherlands you are allowed to alert if you think the opponents might be misled otherwise. For this reason I do alert these bids. However, this also has its own downsides.

[mycroft]

Depends (as always) on jurisdiction. I'll respond for the ACBL.

No, the 1NT rebid bypassing one (or two) majors is not Alertable. It's common enough that "if you need to know, you should ask." (the Alertable meaning for 1NT is "could have 16 or more HCP").

I do not believe that the 1♠ "almost guarantees an unbalanced hand" is Alertable. In fact, I'm almost certain there's no defined rule for it.

However (in a strong break from my nick), I do anyway. I have private communication (yeah, I know) that the line "However, do not Alert any call that this document says not to Alert." in the preamble is not written "do not Alert any call that this document does not say to Alert" (for example) explicitly because there are some (usually Natural by definition) agreements that would very much surprise players, would not come out during normal play, and where the Alert "can't" wake up partner because they happen often enough; and they wanted players to be able to Alert those. "I knew she was short somewhere, and it had to be hearts from the auction" "how?" "well, her 1♠ rebid 'promised' an unbalanced hand, so..." "and that wasn't something we should have known about?"

I have yet to be called on (or even questioned about) this decision. If it happens, and if I am told that, or ruled against because, it is not Alertable and the Alert damaged the opponents/helped our side, then I will absolutely take my rectification with good grace and stop Alerting it. And apologize (silently) to my opponents from then on who get caught by the - correct - non-Alert, just like the "top and bottom cuebid" people needed to do before that was cleared up (before the rewrite, "if it shows two suits, doesn't matter which two suits, do not Alert the cuebid" was the rule. There's a very good reason it no longer is).

[Huibertus]

mike777, on 2025-May-25, 07:43, said:

Is this alertable?
You have 4 spades.

Your agreement is:
With balanced hand rebid 1NT, bypass spades

1m-1H
1NT

With unbalanced hand rebid one spade
1m-1H
1S

When I still actively competed these were both alertable (EBU rules). I don't think it has changed.

As a matter of principal to fully disclose I'd always alert them unless opps asked to alert nothing. Explanation is quick and easy (1NT - Can contain 1-2 (after 1C-1D) Majors - 15-17 + 1H/1S = unbalanced)

[pescetom]

In Italy the legal situation is identical to that in the Netherlands, as described by Davidkok, but the national bridge style is such that this treatment would be highly unusual and thus strongly merits an alert. If the players failed to do so I (as Director) would point this out and be ready to penalize if they wilfully continued to not alert.

[mikl_plkcc]

pescetom, on 2025-May-25, 12:55, said:

In Italy the legal situation is identical to that in the Netherlands, as described by Davidkok, but the national bridge style is such that this treatment would be highly unusual and thus strongly merits an alert. If the players failed to do so I (as Director) would point this out and be ready to penalize if they wilfully continued to not alert.

What kinds of natural treatments are "highly unusual" and require an alert? I can't possibly know if the treatment I use is "highly unusual" unless it is listed explicitly in the regulation!

For example, bids such as
1♣ - 2♣ = forcing
1♥ - 3♥ = preemptive
1♣ - 2♠ = intermediate
1♠ - 2♣ = non-forcing
2♥ (weak) - 2NT = natural invite
opening 2♥ = guarantees only 5 and does not guarantee a second suit
etc.

[DavidKok]

You have misread what was written, but I'm sure it was not deliberate.

The treatments that require an alert are specified in the regulations.
Other treatments may be alerted, but you are not required by the regulations to do so. However, we believe that it matches full disclosure to do so anyway. This is the personal judgement of the players.
In addition to the above, a director can inform you that a particular agreement is sufficiently unusual to warrant an alert locally. If you willfully ignore that a penalty may follow. You will be informed by the director that your agreement is locally unusual. Again, all of this just facilitates full disclosure, and makes it easy for you to explain to your opponents what you are playing without needlessly oversharing.

[P_Marlowe]

We play this, we do alert, we also by pass two majors.

For us the seq.

1C -1?
1S ...

does not show an unbal., but the minor is now 4+


It is not req. to be alerted in Germany, but we do anyway.
I think it is how you few full disclosure, it is an unusual treatment,
and the alerting is fast.

[pescetom]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-May-27, 03:29, said:

What kinds of natural treatments are "highly unusual" and require an alert? I can't possibly know if the treatment I use is "highly unusual" unless it is listed explicitly in the regulation!

For example, bids such as
1♣ - 2♣ = forcing
1♥ - 3♥ = preemptive
1♣ - 2♠ = intermediate
1♠ - 2♣ = non-forcing
2♥ (weak) - 2NT = natural invite
opening 2♥ = guarantees only 5 and does not guarantee a second suit
etc.

You can if you know the Alert regulations and play enough, or simply ask a Director when in doubt.
In Italy for example the situation is clear cut on all your examples:
1♣ - 2♣ = forcing : usual but not natural, alert
1♥ - 3♥ = preemptive: usual but not natural, alert
1♣ - 2♠ = intermediate: unusual, alert
1♠ - 2♣ = non-forcing: unusual and not natural, alert
2♥ (weak) - 2NT = natural invite: natural, no alert
opening 2♥ = guarantees only 5 and does not guarantee a second suit: alert by specific regulation

[barmar]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-May-27, 03:29, said:

What kinds of natural treatments are "highly unusual" and require an alert? I can't possibly know if the treatment I use is "highly unusual" unless it is listed explicitly in the regulation!

Anyone who plays regularly in an area knows what agreements they have are highly unusual. You would have to be pretty clueless to honestly say you "can't possibly know".

If you're new to a jurisdiction it may take a little while to learn what's unusual there, like a few weeks.

[TMorris]

Playing in England I have never seen these (oringinal question) sequences alerted & have never done so. I am not aware that they need to be. Enough people play checkback after a 1nt rebid to suggest it is common practice to bypass a major when rebidding 1nt, in a weak nt environment, so I would have expected to see the alert a lot were it required.