[Echognome]

Scoring: MP

(3♠) - Dbl - (4♠) - Pass
(Pass) - Dbl - (Pass) - ?

---

And you?

[Gerben42]

Bid 5♣. Partner has a great hand.

[helene_t]

Yes, 5♣.

[whereagles]

hum.. my first instinct was to pass, so I do that. 5♣ might make, though.

[jdonn]

Clear 5♣. I think even 6 will often make especially when partner is void of spades, but of course I'm not about to bid it.

[Raivis]

First double - typical t/o double.
For mee 2.double is typical defense double!

2.double - partner im have 2.5/3 tricks in spade game and good offside suit.
I'm ready for defense play, but worried about 4♠ contract down if you have one trick! Tell my!

With this hand - pass.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

Pass.

The first double is surely for takeout,
the second is not.

One possible holding for partner is
a strong bal. and without an spade
stopper.

And I would guess, that the 2nd double
just shows a strong hand with convertible
values, because partner may have bid 4NT
instead of X.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Apollo81]

Yes.

[Fluffy]

can't pass with 3 spades, so 5♣.

Funny that having less trumps would make it more likelly to pass the double.

[han]

Well, you it would be different if you had KQx Jxx xx xxxxx for example. Here your values are quite offensive and it is very likely that partner has short spades.

The second double is not more or less a takeout double than the first, it just shows extra values.

[FrancesHinden]

5C.
You can't make a take-out double on the first round and then a penalty double of the same suit on the second round. Partner is just even more keen for us to bid. I expect 5C to make. I expect 4S to be 1 or 2 off.

[Echognome]

FrancesHinden, on Dec 18 2007, 01:39 PM, said:

5C.
You can't make a take-out double on the first round and then a penalty double of the same suit on the second round. Partner is just even more keen for us to bid. I expect 5C to make. I expect 4S to be 1 or 2 off.

I agree. The full hand was:

Scoring: MP

3♠ - Dbl - 4♠ - P
P - Dbl - P - 5♣
All Pass

---

I can't control opponent's 4♠, but it worked.

[han]

I disagree that partner is "even more keen for us to bid".

[mikeh]

I tend to agree with han, even tho he doesn't agree with the poster with whom I most often agree

The first double is takeout.

The second double is extra values takeout. But it is not a mandatory takeout.

Partner knows you almost certainly won't have a trump holding that suggests defence based on trump strength: this is even less likely after 3♠ 4♠ than after an opening 4♠. Yet he is, by his second double, affording you the choice of passing. If he had an overwhelming desire to hear you bid, he'd bid 4N, not a second double.

Having said that, my instinct was to bid 5♣... and I can't bring myself to claim I wouldn't, just because I have seen the hands.

[jtfanclub]

mikeh, on Dec 18 2007, 05:15 PM, said:

Having said that, my instinct was to bid 5♣... and I can't bring myself to claim I wouldn't, just because I have seen the hands.

Given that you know that the spades are breaking exactly 7-2, you make 5♣ on any lead, do you not?

EDIT: OK, maybe not. One club short...

[whereagles]

I dislike RHO's 4♠. He doesn't mind to see opps playing 4 in a red suit and 4♣ isn't game. So 4♠ is going to be axed most of the time without even being a certainty opps have a game on.

[Codo]

whereagles, on Dec 19 2007, 09:21 PM, said:

I dislike RHO's 4♠. He doesn't mind to see opps playing 4 in a red suit and 4♣ isn't game. So 4♠ is going to be axed most of the time without even being a certainty opps have a game on.

He thought that many opponents will take the push to the 5. level in red/white. And right he was.

For the actual problem: I am a great supporter for the theory that you should leave the double in as long as you have a balanced hand. But there must be a borderline. And red/white, I normaly had bid 5 Club to gain the maximum profite. Not very successfull in this hand.