[Cyberyeti]

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Your opening 1 bid is in the style of the partnership and initially only guarantees 4, but if it is only 4, will be 15+ so partner knows from your pass over 3♦ that you have at least 5 and are unbalanced, our negative doubles tend to show both missing suits more often than they would in the US.

[helene_t]

P could have bid 3♠ directly with spades only and a weak hand, I suppose? In that case he must have a flexible hand, 4+ clubs and likely also two hearts.

[Fluffy]

my doubles also show more both suits than just one like US, but they also include one place to play with this place is solid.

So for me 3♠ is a 6-9 hand with very good suit and I fold. If partner had 2 suits he could double again.

[gordontd]

helene_t, on 2013-August-06, 06:16, said:

P could have bid 3♠ directly with spades only and a weak hand, I suppose?

I don't think that's a style that's very popular in England - I think it's more common for that sequence to be a fit bid.

[billw55]

Is that hand actually west?

[Cyberyeti]

billw55, on 2013-August-06, 06:45, said:

Is that hand actually west?

Sort of, it was actually N with the auction missing W's initial pass, but it might as well be W.

And Gordon is correct, 3♠ initially would be fit. 4♠ would ask aces so for single suited spade hands the choices are pass then 3♠, or to start with a forcing 2♠ aware that the values required can be shaded a bit. I don't think a single suited hand exists where we would double then bid ♠, but this hasn't fully been discussed.

[wanoff]

To play

[FrancesHinden]

Shows a negative free bid in spades i.e. a long suit, not strong enough to bid 2S on the first round. I've had this auction and scored up my +140 quite recently.

[Cyberyeti]

FrancesHinden, on 2013-August-06, 12:53, said:

Shows a negative free bid in spades i.e. a long suit, not strong enough to bid 2S on the first round. I've had this auction and scored up my +140 quite recently.

So how do you handle KQJ98, x, x, Qxxxxx. I hate having to double twice as this would seem to be cruising for -670 or -500 when partner rebids hearts a bit too often.

[JLOGIC]

Cyberyeti, on 2013-August-06, 13:11, said:

So how do you handle KQJ98, x, x, Qxxxxx. I hate having to double twice as this would seem to be cruising for -670 or -500 when partner rebids hearts a bit too often.

I wouldn't even risk Xing once with that heh. I would just take my chances with 2S, there's no really good way to bid it but I'm not making a negative X. I agree with you I definitely wouldn't double twice, if you double first you have a lot of problems and have to guess what to do, that is pretty standard when you make a negative X with 6-5-1-1. Of course, if you start with 2S you just risk getting lolhigh on a misfit.

[Cyberyeti]

JLOGIC, on 2013-August-06, 14:11, said:

I wouldn't even risk Xing once with that heh. I would just take my chances with 2S, there's no really good way to bid it but I'm not making a negative X. I agree with you I definitely wouldn't double twice, if you double first you have a lot of problems and have to guess what to do, that is pretty standard when you make a negative X with 6-5-1-1. Of course, if you start with 2S you just risk getting lolhigh on a misfit.

Our thoughts were that single suited with spades, you can upgrade to an immediate 2♠ or pass then bid ♠ without losing too often if there's no in-between action, so X then 3♠ showed a lot of cards in both blacks.