morecharac, on 2021-February-28, 22:41, said:
The double was suboptimal, especially with only three ♠.
Does your system allow partner to use a negative double over 2♥? If yes, then 2♠ should promise five ♠.
I don't know whether your system would allow partner to have a weak ♠ stack for 2♠. If it does, she should be the one bidding 3♠, not you.
I'd say the blame is shared. Your system might even get a share, depending on what it is.
Would partner's double of 4♠ be definitely penalty or is a DSI double possible? If DSI isn't available then Pass is probably her best option.
You could double a second time in case she has some good ♠ or you could just take your lumps. This feels like a lump-taker to me after partner's pass; any way other than double dummy this looks like a self-sacrifice if you continue.
At the risk of being too pedantic, (1H) x (2H) x is not a negative double. In truth, in my view, terminology matters. Without an agreed terminology, discussions are difficult, because we would need to explain what our idiosyncratic usages are or risk misunderstandings.
Negative doubles are made only by responder: a similar, but not identical, double by advancer, as of 2H here, is a responsive double.
More importantly, a common practice is for such a double to imply both minors. This is based on the assumption, common amongst good players, that the double of 1H always delivers some spades (usually 4 but can be, as here, 3) unless very strong (thus with a 19 count notrump hand or a good 17+ with a 6+ suit).
Thus it is common, at least in expert circles (I am not saying this is universal, merely common) for 2S to be 4+ and double typically 4-4 or better in the minors.
This proves useful, since advancer is rarely three-suited with short hearts. If double promised 4 spades, advancer is stuck over 2H with, say, Qx xxx AJxx Kxxx
On the second hand, I don’t think any good player would even think pass of 4S was forgivable and the idea of a double makes me feel ill.
After all, it’s not as if the auction suggests they hold 13 spades, or even 12, and so often the ‘something intelligent’ that west may do is to pass! Obviously not on this hand, if west thinks the double is DSIP, as opposed to penalty. But on many typical doubles west should pass. After all, east has a takeout bid available with a purely offensive hand.
East has a simple 4N if she wants to be flexible, including Apollo’s 4N then 5H to hint at slam. Note that doubler, with 2=4=4=3, will bid 5D and now 5H has no slam connotations, since advancer might be, say, 2=4=3=4 or 1=5=2=5 etc, intending to pass 5C but to pull 5D to 5H
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari