[Jstroke]

With everyone playing Standard American the bidding went:

-- pass pass 1H
1S 2H Dbl RDBL
3C ?

What should the Redouble show? And how would the meaning change if the 1 Heart opener were the dealer?

[Walddk]

First we need to know what the double is.

1. Penalty.
2. Responsive (values with the two unbid suits).

Since this is posted in the beginner/intermediate forum I have a feeling that it was meant as penalty. If it was, I recommend that you don't play it that way. You may have 4-5 hearts, but you are in the sandwich position, sitting under opener's 5-card suit.

You need the responsive double much more frequently. This is usually played as at least 4-4 in the unbid suits and some tolerance for partner's suit (doubleton).

Back to the main issue. By redoubling, opener is trying to tell responder that he has a strong hand (roughly 16-18), just not good enough for a leap to game opposite a single raise (however strong that may be in your method).

I suggest that you play the redouble as a general game try where you have different options regarding help suit game tries, none of which seems to fit in with the hand you are dealt (scattered values). 2♠, 3♣ and 3♦ would all have been game tries, asking for help in that suit.

If responder's RHO hadn't bid, 3♥ would have been the weakest bid available. If responder has values he likes to show with a hand that is interested in game opposite opener's good hand, he can bid that suit.

Now that RHO has bid over the redouble, you need to discuss with your partner whether pass or 3♥ is the weaker of the two. Once again, the world is divided into two camps.

Roland

[FrancesHinden]

It doesn't really matter what the double meant, the redouble shows a good hand.

It should show at least some desire to defend: if opener just has a good hand with long hearts he can bid game; by redoubling he is suggesting that the opponents might have made a mistake.

If responder's RHO passes the redouble, I would expect responder to pass as well, unless he has a very unusual hand (e.g. a 6-card minor). If responder has, say, a 2344 distribution his partner might have a 4522 19-count and a large number of zeros is coming their way.

Over the 3C, responder can do one of the following
- double for penalties
- pass if prepared to defend 3Cx
- bid 3H if not prepared to defend 3Cx (e.g. singleton club, or unexpectedly holding 4 hearts)
- bid 3D with diamond length as a game try
- bid game (this may depend on the vulnerability)

Opener's redouble should make the pass over 3C FORCING.

[helene_t]

I agree with Frances.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

XX shows power and a interest in getting
after their scalp, and it ask responder to
cooperate.
It probably creates a forcing pass seq.
upto 3H, although thats not 100% sure.

the position of the opener does not affect
the meaning.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[kenberg]

Looking at the flip side, I recently had a similar auction only instead of XX partner bid 3H. I had a pretty decent hand for my raise to 2H but bidding 4H never entered my mind. You need 3H to mean, let's play 3 but that's it. If that's what 3H means then when opener has good values he needs to do something other than 3H. Redouble is flexible and sets up a force. Often it shows an interest in defending, but mostly it just shows "this hand is our hand".

[inquiry]

helene_t, on Oct 7 2006, 08:21 AM, said:

I agree with Frances.

I agree with helene for agreeing with Frances