[Adam1105]

My hand (East): ♠AK973 ♥A3 ♦62 ♣J962

The bidding started:

North: Pass
East: 1♠
South: Pass
West: 2♥
North: 3♣
East: ?

My question this: If I bid "dbl" am I specifically saying that for a 3NT contract I have at least a club stopper and that I don't have a stopper in diamonds?

Thank you.

[Quantumcat]

If playing Standard:
If ever partner still gets a bid when you pass, you can pass saying you have nothing to add, which you don't. You don't have any extra points (you may not have game values), you don't have a primary fit for partner, you don't have a suit that needs showing. If pard also has nothing much to say (a balanced 11-count with five hearts for example) he may also pass. +200 will be better than a partscore. If he is better, and short in clubs (very likely), he can make a descriptive rebid (e.g. 3♦/♥/♠, X for takeout) and you will get to a sensible spot.

If I were your partner and you doubled, I would expect a balancedish 15 or 16+ HCP without three hearts or five diamonds or six good spades, and probably short in clubs. Others may have different ideas.

If playing 2/1:
When someone interrupts a gameforce auction, it is usual to have the agreement that a double OVER the interferer is penalty, and pass is takeout; and UNDER the interferer, a double is a hand without a clear bid (usually balanced) and partner passes if he also has nothing particular to say, probably with 2-4 cards in their suit (this avoids penalising them when you have a good fit). With a regular partner it is best to discuss what you will do over interference, so when it happens the both of you are on the same page.

[MrAce]

Whats the vulnerability ? I would like to DBL for business, however i am not sure what your methods are here. If DBL is penalty oriented or showing a hand that promise a stopper and willing to bid 3nt, then i would DBL. If DBL is take out then i would just pass and convert DBL to penalty. Pd will almost a;ways bid spades if he started 2♥ with spade support, but if he doesnt have spade support i dont see why we want to play anything but doubled 3♣ unless we are red and they are white, even then it is close imo.

[helene_t]

What quantumcat said, expect that I am not quite sure what pass and double mean in "standard". Here in England, most tournament players would define pass as non-forcing and dbl as t/o, as quantumcat says. But in SAYC, dbl is penalty and pass probably nonforcing. In the Netherlands I think it is quite common to play pass as forcing even if 2♥ is not a GF.

When opps bid a suit, the way to show a stopper in that suit is to bid 3NT. Don't worry about unbid suits. If partner's 2♥ bid shows the values for 3NT then he will have a diamond stopper.

This hand is better for defending than for 3NT, though. So you should either pass or double, depending on what those calls mean in your system. If partner now bids 3♦ you can try 3NT, but hopefully you will be defending 3♣ or 3♣X.