[Hanoi5]

Scoring: IMP

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In a butler tournament with screens the bidding goes:

2♥ 3♣ 3♦ Pa
3♥ Pa 4♦ Pa
4♥ Pa Pa X
Pa Pa Pa

On one side of the screen 2♥ was alerted by North as Flannery (5+♥'s and 4♠, 11-15) and on the other as Muidenbergh (spl?, 5♥'s, 4x's or more in a minor). East complained later that he doubled on misinformation. The system card says they play Muidenberg so East was misinformed but not West (who doubled).

What shall the Director do?

[bluejak]

Tell West to stop wasting his time?

As far as West is concerned there is no MI. He made a dreadful double and is calling the TD out of panic to try and make East forget who really got them the bad board.

East was misinformed. But since the hand matches the description, and his action is normal and unaffected by the alternative explanations, there is no damage.

It might be interesting to hear why West thinks any adjustment should happen.

Note that if North had a small club more and a spade fewer his hand would fit what West was told and 4♥ would still be cold.

[jdonn]

Yes, the double is so bad that there was no damage no matter what happened. And since there was no misinformation anyway, I wonder what we are doing here.

[Hanoi5]

East-West argue that their direct actions over a weak bid (i.e. what 3♣ was to West) are VERY strong while they have no agreement (west says it should be weak, east says it should be shapy).

Could this change the ruling? I mean, west was expecting some kind of powerhouse (14+?) in east's hand...

[bluejak]

It might make one think a little, I suppose, but he has not got his double. North is clearly short in diamonds, so West has no tricks in defence. Not a penalty double.

Ok, if E/W can convince me that East has shown more values I might adjust for N/S only: but E/W are getting what West deserves!

[Fluffy]

Oh come on, how can south bid only 3♦ if he is sure that 2♥ is muiderberg?

[Jeroen71]

Fluffy, on Oct 30 2009, 03:03 AM, said:

Oh come on, how can south bid only 3♦ if he is sure that 2♥ is muiderberg?

Because he cannot be sure his partner doesn't have clubs

[OleBerg]

Another thing the double has going for it, is that it is unlikely to volunteer any usefull information for declarer, quite the contrary.

If partners hearts are Q or Qx, the double might persuade declarer to take a first or second round finesse, where he might have chosen to play for the drop otherwise.

[bluejak]

Oh, I agree. Anytime you make a penalty double with no defensive tricks, you will confuse declarer who will think you might have some.

I really must double more often with no defensive tricks so as to confuse declarer.