A delicate competitive situation

[Poky]

IMP. They vul.

 

Suppose you play 1♦ as unbalanced so 12-14 balanced hands are opened with 1♣.

 

1♣ 1♠ Dbl! 2♠

pa pa Dbl* pa

?? 3♠ Dbl* pa

??

 

♠Jx

♥A7x

♦A7xx

♣KJ8x

 

! 4+♥ (no 11 HCP if 5+♥)

* Negative

 

What do you bid after the 2nd double?

What do you bid after the 3rd double, and why?

[Guest Jlall]

2nd X is value showing and takeout oriented. 2N over that is natural and shows a stopper.

 

X of 3S would be penalty if you've bid 2N. Partner will likely have some balanced hand that isn't guaranteed to make 3N but can beat 3S X a couple and is taking the cash.

 

If you had not bid 2N and bid like 3C, his X would be card showing, but with the expectation that you will pass with a balanced hand (again probably based on a balanced hand himself).

[jdonn]

Agree with all Justin's answers. On the actual hand, 3♦ over the second double, pass over the third.

[Guest Jlall]

On the actual hand open 1D!!! There are hands I will open 1C with 4-4 in the minors (sorry mikeh), but a hand with a stopperless major is not a good one. It will get you into all sorts of troubles when they overcall the suit and partner makes a negative X, as here.

[mikeh]

On the actual hand open 1D!!! There are hands I will open 1C with 4-4 in the minors (sorry mikeh),

You are still young.... so I forgive you :P

 

Actually, despite my near-rabid stance on the issue, I can understand 1♣ on some 4-4 minor hands... especially if 3rd or 4th chair where the likelihood of going to a minor suit game or any slam is immaterial and we can handle all forseeable auctions: then we may well be better off opening 1♣ on AKxx than 1♦ on Jxxx.... see, I am not totally irrational B)

[Codo]

youa re not allow to open 1 ♦, because this had shown another hand, 1 Club was the only opening for 12-14 balanced..

[Finch]

I would play 2NT as "non-forcing scrambling" over the double of 2S, so I would bid that. Partner can pass with a stop if he wants.

 

Whatever I bid the second time, partner's double of 3S is penalties. No, he can't have a trump stack but it's a pretty firm indication that that's where we should play. I would only consider pulling on a wildly distributional but weak hand .

[Guest Jlall]

youa re not allow to open 1 ♦, because this had shown another hand, 1 Club was the only opening for 12-14 balanced..

missed that sorry!

[pclayton]

Good, bad or indifferent, I play 2N as scrambling in response to a double of a 2 bid in the dead seat.

 

I don't play a 5542 system so I have no idea if this is best, or if I should actually show my "clubs" at this point. If anything, a scrambling 2N would be nice with this, since my minor suit holdings haven't been clarified.

 

Playing standard, I'd bid 3♦. Scrambling would invite a 5-3 club fit.

[moysian]

Call me stupid, but I see no need to "scramble" with 2n - I have a perfect bid at 3d, and am content to let partner bid his own 3n. If I was 2-3-3-5, I would have tried 3h (partner should know I don't have 4).

 

After the first double, partner must have good stuff, but I don't know if it's based on values, shape, or both.

 

After the 3s bid (and subsequent double), I am more apt to go for the penalty (Partner has values & opps are vul). 3N is clearly wrong, and if partner was truly fired up to play game or slam in the minors - he needed to do something else besides double.