[jdonn]

My team has once doubled the 3♠ bid to earn a swing. That's the only time it has ever come up against me. I have been playing it but never had it come up.

[Free]

Most people play 2NT-p-3NT-Dbl as lead directing for ♠ or for your shortest Major. So you're not giving away that much when playing 3♠ as a puppet to 3NT...

[jdonn]

Free, on Mar 6 2008, 12:42 PM, said:

Most people play 2NT-p-3NT-Dbl as lead directing for ♠ or for your shortest Major. So you're not giving away that much when playing 3♠ as a puppet to 3NT...

That is not an accurate comparison. There is a huge difference between having to take the risk of them doubling your game to get the lead they want and essentially giving them a free double any time they have fair spades. You would double 3NT with KQTxx of spades and out?

On top of that they would probably play doubling 3NT after the 3♠ auction as asking for a heart (the next highest suit) so you give them many more options.

[mycroft]

2NT-3S puppet to 3NT, 3NT direct forcing (for whatever reason) may have benefits on the face that outweigh the double of 3S, but no matter what the benefits, they won't outweigh one 2NT-3NT "to play, it's the 500th board we've played this week, I forgot, sorry partner" or one 2NT-3NT-p "Oh sorry partner, it's the 500th board we've played this week, I forgot".

I don't play it. I will forget it. It's probably less efficient than playing 3NT forcing, but the benefit of 3S forcing 3NT is simply that it's a useful *and memorable* use of otherwise wasted space, with little or no downside, as double will have to be for a sacrifice, as double for a lead when I have a minor - or minors - slam try is not as useful as double for a lead vs the likely 3NT.

I don't play Kickback, either. Conventions that are easy to forget whose average cost per forget is 10+IMPs aren't worth it unless they come up continually.

[Free]

Sorry but I don't buy that "forgetting" argument. 2NT openings and rebids after 2♣ openings are a basic part of your system. It's like forgetting that 1NT-2♥ is transfer...

[mycroft]

1NT-2H is a transfer, it comes up once a night, and you play it with all your partners. You aren't going to forget it.

2NT-3NT is forcing, but it comes up once a month, if you play every day, and you only play it with this partner, not with any pickups or clients you may have, and your entire life 2NT-3NT has been "to play". This one you might just forget.

Michael.