[sceptic]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 4♠    4NT   Dbl   5♦
 Pass  5♥    Dbl   Pass
 Pass  Pass  

[whereagles]

South should bid 6♦ over 5♥. The rest is pretty normal (i.e. preempts work).

[MickyB]

If South just bids 5♣, he can then pull 5♣ X to 5♦, which should now be to play.

[pclayton]

Since 4N was doubled (note this gave NS extra room to scramble), 5♦ says: This is my suit. You can pass if you want. It doesn't promise 8, but I'd say it promises at least 6 good ones. North should be pleased to play in ♦'s.

5♥ shows a deaf ear to the auction. South probably should have pulled to 6♦, but he does have a ruffing value in 5♥, and maybe its cheaper than 6♦. Its hard to analyze hands like this at the table, especially when partner has made an apparent blunder.

[sceptic]

I thought even with the x I should still show my two suits

I am still a bit unsure how 5!D says this is my suit, that is probably naievety as I have not really actually used this bid more than a few times

[MickyB]

Oops, missed that one.

South can pass over 4NT X if he just wants to play in one of partner's suits. Maybe redouble should just ask overcaller to bid his longest suit? Is there a standard here?

[skjaeran]

After east doubled 4NT 5♦ say I know you've got ♣s and ♥s, but I still wanna play 5♦. North has an obvious pass then.

The same principle applies when Michaels cuebid (1M-2M) gets doubled, 3m by cuebidder's partner is a good suit of his own, doesn't want to know about partner's minor (unless it happens to be the same suit, and that 'never' happens).

[han]

Indeed.

[rbforster]

MickyB, on Sep 21 2007, 01:38 PM, said:

If South just bids 5♣, he can then pull 5♣ X to 5♦, which should now be to play.

True, but this only works when your long suit is higher than partner's cheapest one. What if North held red suits and South had long clubs? Then 5♣ is pass/correct and South will have to play 6♣ without better methods.

Since it seems unlikely you would ever want to play 4N (X or XX), you could have an agreement to help in these situations, taking advantage of both pass and XX. For example -

(4♠)-4N-(X)-?

pass - no length preference, please bid your longest suit (my shortest 2 suits are equal)
XX - "rescue" - I have a long suit of my own, please bid 5♣ so I can pass or correct
5♣ - length preference for clubs over the worse of (hearts or diamonds), pass or correct as usual
5♦ - length preference for hearts and diamonds over clubs, pass or correct as usual
5♥ - my long suit is hearts, please pass

I'm sure you could do better, but this preserves most of the original meanings of the 5 level bids, and just gives useful specific meanings to the (forcing) pass and XX.

[Fluffy]

I agree with Rob, althou the had that wants to bid 5♦ as pass or correct is kinda unusual.