[Tramticket]

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Pairs

2♦ is a multi showing either a weak-two in hearts or a weak-two in spades (no strong options). South's Double shows a balanced 12-15 or a strong (20+) hand.

What are your methods over the double? Our agreement is that we largely ignore the double and bids of a major are pass or correct as in an uninterrupted sequence - the only difference being that 2♥ promises at least tolerance for either major. Without tolerance we either pass (with long diamonds) or redouble (with long clubs). I am interested if others play different methods? And why?

Given that partner would redouble with a weak hand with long clubs, the 3♣ bid is strong.

What action would you take over North's 3♥ bid? Do you double, telling your opponents that they are trying to play in your suit? Or pass and hope that the bidding dies here?

[Cyberyeti]

When you say 3♣ is strong, how strong ? for us it denies the ability to bid 2N which is stronger. I would pass and hope partner reopens with a double.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-May-11, 04:11, said:

When you say 3♣ is strong, how strong ? for us it denies the ability to bid 2N which is stronger. I would pass and hope partner reopens with a double.

No, 2NT will tend to be looking for 4M / 3NT, so there isn't the inference that 3C is limited.

[Cyberyeti]

Tramticket, on 2023-May-11, 04:15, said:

No, 2NT will tend to be looking for 4M / 3NT, so there isn't the inference that 3C is limited.

OK, our 3♣ is strong but NF, 2N is forcing. We have the principle that any double by partner, you don't think hard, you pass if opps are in your suit and bid your suit at minimum level with the other one unless you have something exceptional with a big side suit.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-May-11, 04:21, said:

OK, our 3♣ is strong but NF, 2N is forcing. We have the principle that any double by partner, you don't think hard, you pass if opps are in your suit and bid your suit at minimum level with the other one unless you have something exceptional with a big side suit.

I also passed, hoping that partner would re-open with a double. She bid 3♠ instead. What now?

[Cyberyeti]

Tramticket, on 2023-May-11, 04:28, said:

I also passed, hoping that partner would re-open with a double. She bid 3♠ instead. What now?

4♠, she should have 5♠ 6-7♣, and have doubled with 4♠

[paulg]

Tramticket, on 2023-May-11, 03:56, said:

2♦ is a multi showing either a weak-two in hearts or a weak-two in spades (no strong options). South's Double shows a balanced 12-15 or a strong (20+) hand.

What are your methods over the double?

We play that 2M/3M are pass or correct.

Pass says that we want to play in 2♦ doubled if the opener has 3+ diamonds; this is Kit Woolsey's method. If the opener has 0-2 diamonds, then they bid 2♥ with hearts and redoubles with spades, in case responder wants to play in 2♥ rather than 2♠.

We play redouble shows that responder has their own suit, so opener just puppets to 2♥.

We play 2NT as a transfer to clubs, 3♣ is a transfer to diamonds and 3♦ in an invite in both majors. The transfers show suits that are less good than a redouble.

To be honest, the most important agreement is the pass that invites the opener to pass 2♦ with 3+ diamonds.

[LBengtsson]

I do not play the Multi but logic says to me that East should X North's bid, to tell partner immediately that you have a weak two in ♥s. Anything else just leaves the ambiguous door open. You gotta help partner in this game, and if you pass and partner bids 3♠, as happened in the actual auction, it just makes things uncomfortable for you. The opps. are at red/white also. +500 looks a lot easier than +420. If you pass and let partner - hopefully! - reopen with a X, the opps. are going to scramble anyway, I guess: I cannot see them leaving 3♥X in imo.

[DavidKok]

paulg, on 2023-May-11, 04:58, said:

We play that 2M/3M are pass or correct.

Pass says that we want to play in 2♦ doubled if the opener has 3+ diamonds; this is Kit Woolsey's method. If the opener has 0-2 diamonds, then they bid 2♥ with hearts and redoubles with spades, in case responder wants to play in 2♥ rather than 2♠.

We play redouble shows that responder has their own suit, so opener just puppets to 2♥.

We play 2NT as a transfer to clubs, 3♣ is a transfer to diamonds and 3♦ in an invite in both majors. The transfers show suits that are less good than a redouble.

To be honest, the most important agreement is the pass that invites the opener to pass 2♦ with 3+ diamonds.

We play mostly the same, but we don't have the agreement that responder with 0-2 diamonds and spades redoubles (they just bid 2♠). Also 2NT and up are system on, no transfers to minor suits (so 3♣ here would show inv(+) with 5(+) hearts, artificial). On the one hand we likely won't have a strong hand with a long major suit on this auction, on the other hand I don't want to run to 3♣ very often (plus I can still get there after a runout redouble, or from passing first. Initiating a transfer to 3♦ is really strange).

Since partner's 3♣ is strong it seems safe to double 3♥.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-May-11, 04:54, said:

4♠, she should have 5♠ 6-7♣, and have doubled with 4♠

Yes I bid 4♠, expecting a two suiter. Partner didn't even have a four-card suit - she just reasoned that the opponents had a heart fit, so I "must" hold spades.

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Maybe I would have been wiser to double 3♥. At least it gets partner on the same wavelength.

[DavidKok]

I don't think anybody had the hand they promised on the bidding.

[AL78]

DavidKok, on 2023-May-11, 07:20, said:

I don't think anybody had the hand they promised on the bidding.

South has 12-15HCP balanced and North has a heart suit.

Doubling with any old 12-15 balanced hand reminds me of the players at my club who make a TOX to show an opening hand, then either fluke a top by ending up in an otherwise unreachable makeable contract, or get in a mess when their partner bids their doubleton.

[Cyberyeti]

DavidKok, on 2023-May-11, 07:20, said:

I don't think anybody had the hand they promised on the bidding.

E had a routine multi the way most of us play it, S had a double if that's the way you play it, 3♣ is not silly, nor is 3♥, 2 passes can't be faulted, X would be fine, 3♠ is garbage, if you have spades, you will bid 3♠ over the double.