[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

BPO-005C
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
  1♠     DBL     2♠     DBL
   3♠     ? your bid

RHO opens 1♠, you dbl, LHO raises to 2♠ partner doubles, RHO bids 3♠ to you.

---

]

[pclayton]

Double looks straightforward enough with the extras.

Values look a little soft for 3N, and while pard ostensibly shows the minors (I hope this poll clarifies this point) the total tricks on the hand look slim.

I'm leading A♠, ♠.

[shoeless]

3NT taking tricks 1 and 7 thru 14. X for me

[han]

We are likely to have identical distribution and going any higher will not be a succes. Given that partner has basically described her strength I think that double should show something like this.

I voted for pass. I'm not proud of it, call me a chicken if you want to.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Sep 20 2005, 08:50 PM, said:

pclayton, on Sep 20 2005, 10:59 PM, said:

Double looks straightforward enough with the extras.

Values look a little soft for 3N, and while pard ostensibly shows the minors (I hope this poll clarifies this point) the total tricks on the hand look slim.

I'm leading A♠, ♠.

You mention your lead, what exactly do you mean X to mean (it seems you are implying penalty, but I'm not sure). Just curious.

Double ought to be cooperative. Very unlikely I have a stack here.

[HeartA]

I voted for DBL as well, denies ♥ and shows a balanced hand, with extra for the dbl.

[mike777]

3NT

X is a very close second choice. Excellent choice who like partner to make the last and losing choice where we can explain why x gave partner the only winning choice .

Pass for Math majors. .

[P_Marlowe]

Dbl, optional.

Marlowe

[Elianna]

DBL, blame transfer. I like those doubles when playing opp my usual pard. He's more likely to get decisions right than I am, plus he's bigger than me so more blame can stick to him.

(To be serious: I think that double is extras, and the likely result of these doubles is to be left in.)

[Gerben42]

Pass. My hand isn't that great and why should we be able to make anything? And vice versa, why should 3♠ go down? I'm worried about partner having a mirror hand to mine.

[nikos59]

Pass. I would double at matchpoints but at imps I
don't want to risk ulcers for 100 points

[luke warm]

i voted double also... with 4 hearts i'd bid 4H, so maybe partner will read me for 13(45) or 2344

[Blofeld]

I voted for 3NT, but I'm now regretting it, as it seems all too likely to exchange a plus for a negative. The presumed double-fit in the minors makes me unconvinced that double is the right action, but as the hand is otherwise perfect for it, I think that's what I'd prefer.

I'm too much of a coward to pass.

[hrothgar]

BPO-005C: Pass

I HATE the initial doubt. I strongly prefer a 1NT overcall. Yes my stopper is Ax, reducing my ability to hold up until the third round of Spades. Yes, I'm slightly light for the auction. Balanced against this, I only have 3 Hearts. More importantly, if the auction gets competitive, I'm going to be very poorly positioned to describe my hand.

Having decided to start with the imperfect double, I'm forced to pass. Any other action at this point in time, would be a gross distortion...

[MickyB]

Jlall, on Sep 21 2005, 06:05 AM, said:

pclayton, on Sep 21 2005, 12:03 AM, said:

Double ought to be cooperative. Very unlikely I have a stack here.

yes I would say impossible given your t/o X.

The Bridge World MSC recently had the auction

1♣-X-P-1♠, 2♣-X

which IIRC the majority took as penalty orientated (probably 19-21 bal). Surprised me.

[inquiry]

MickyB, on Sep 21 2005, 10:17 AM, said:

Jlall, on Sep 21 2005, 06:05 AM, said:

pclayton, on Sep 21 2005, 12:03 AM, said:

Double ought to be cooperative. Very unlikely I have a stack here.

yes I would say impossible given your t/o X.

The Bridge World MSC recently had the auction

1♣-X-P-1♠, 2♣-X

which IIRC the majority took as penalty orientated (probably 19-21 bal). Surprised me.

(1S)-X-(2S)-X
(3S)-X

versus

(1C)-X-(P)-1S
(2C)-X

These are quite different beast. Let's look at them quickly. In the first case, if you have 19-21 something is terribly wrong with the deck. Your partner has enough to encourage you to bid at the three level (let's guess 10), West has enough to open and to rebid and east has something to riase to 2S on (don't need many points however). I calculate this as around 48 to 50 hcp. This second double here can't be the strong hand, there isn't enough points in the normal deck. A double here has to show extras and be either "optional" or takeout. If optional, it leaves the door open for 3NT I think.

The second one, you ASKED your partner to bid a suit. After he bid that suit, you have "trump agreement" as far as I am concerned. True doubler mgiht have a GOSH hand (good-one-suited-hand) but then the second double would make no sense). So a second "takeout double" is not needed. After your partner has bid 1♠ if you hand a hand with bal 15=18 you would have overcalled 1NT, so the bigger balanced hand is the obvious hand for this double.