Responding to a TO double with 4-4 majors

[Antrax]

(1m)-X-(p)-?

 

You're holding some 4-4-3-2 with 6 HCP or so. Do you bid 1♠ or 1♥?

On one hand I've heard you want to bid up the line for the same reason you would bid up the line if it were your partner who opened 1m.

On the other hand, if I respond 1♥ and the auction continues:

 

(1m)-X-(p)-1♥

(2m)-p-(p)-?

 

What is my bid supposed to be?

[1eyedjack]

For me, quality of suits may be relevant, particularly if I am committed to bidding only once (unless forced),

However, if (as here) I have values to compete again but not enough to make an initial limit jump, then I would start with 1S, for the precise reason that you have identified: it is safer then to compete again with 2H.

 

I think that the danger of starting with 1H may be overstated if doubler can be relied upon to support to 2H in a competitive auction with 4H and fewer than 4S. Then his failure to do so suggests that you have a Spade fit but no H fit.

[masse24]

Respond 1♠ (showing a weak hand)

Over 2m bid 2♥ completing the picture of your hand.

[Zelandakh]

With a weak hand you would normally start with 1S (higher suit) so as to bid hearts next if you need (or want) to bid again. With an invitational or better hand the standard method is to start with a cue of 2m which is forcing to suit agreement.

[Antrax]

Hmm. For us currently a cue after TO double is FG. Is this a bad treatment?

[Zelandakh]

No it is not, it just is not standard. At one time I played (1m) - X - (P) - 3m as invitational with both majors and the cue as any GF. As long as you have a way to show all the common/important hand types and you and partner both agree everything is good. There were a couple of threads not too long ago about this and there is certainly more than one method around which can be successful.

[Fluffy]

over take out double you do not bid up the line, you start with highest ranking suit to be able to compete with the lowest next and offer 2 places to play.

 

The difference with partner opening is that you now have an almost assured fit, it is more like if you were 5-5 over partner´s 1m opening, you wanna show both suits at all cost and let partner decide.

 

Also note that it doesn´t matter if you have 6 HCP or zero, partner might cuebid next over 1♠ and you can now bid hearts, but doing it the opposite way you get stuck.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

This is one of those situations where you do NOT bid up-the-line with a 4-4, weak hand .

 

If you advance 1♥, you may never find your 4-4 Sp fit if partner has made the modest strength, distributional T/O DBL... He will not bid 1♠ over your 1♥ because that would show a big hand with long Spades.

 

If the auction continues with a 2m bid, you can then introduce your Hearts at the 2-level.

 

[ I've been told that this concept has been around since the 50's in the Goren books ] .

 

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On the other hand, you would bid up-the-line when partner OPENs 1m, you respond 1H, partner rebids 1S and you find your fit that way.... ( Walsh folks might by-pass 1S, but that is another can-of-worms ] .

[P_Marlowe]

1S - Bidding spades allowes you to bid hearts the next round in a cheap way.

 

Sometimes opener bids again, and the T/O bidder passes. This happens, and bidding

1S is a move that nmakes sure, you can deal with this situation.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

Hmm. For us currently a cue after TO double is FG. Is this a bad treatment?

No - But Inv.+ are more common than GF hands, some even req. less than inv.

strength to make sure they play the correct suit.

 

Your response structure to a T/O double depends on the hand types, that you

regard as suitable for a T/O, if you always have classical shape, than you will

always have 4 cards in the unbid majors, if you go away from the classical shape,

you sometimes dont have 4 cards in an unbid major - the frequency matters.

 

With kind regrds

Marlowe