[gwnn]

KTx
AT
AK8xxx
xx

You open, all vul at imps:

1♦-(1♥)-1♠-(2♥)

What do you bid now? What about future plans? 1♠ promises 5+ spades. 1♦ promises at least HHxx or 5+ cards but it can be a weak no trump.

[Zelandakh]

Whichever of 3♥ or 3♠ we agreed to show an invitational raise.

[mcphee]

A great hand for support double with the intention of advancing to 3D should partner bid only 2 spades. Lacking the support double tool I would just bid 2S, anything stronger is just hanging partner.

[Fluffy]

worth 3♠ at least

[blackshoe]

At my level, the correct word is "guess".

[mike777]

I will try 3s now to get the hand off my chest, pard might play me for a bit more here but I don't think 3s is an underbid.
give pard:
AQJxx...xxx...x....Jxxx

[mikeh]

mcphee, on 2014-February-14, 07:10, said:

A great hand for support double with the intention of advancing to 3D should partner bid only 2 spades. Lacking the support double tool I would just bid 2S, anything stronger is just hanging partner.

I don't think support doubles are really intended to 'solve' this sort of problem. I am not saying one couldn't decide to use them in this situation, but they were originally designed to prevent the doubler's side from playing in an inadequate fit.

I understand that Rodwell was playing with a player with a penchant for bidding 3 card majors (!) and found that raising in competition with 3 card support was not always very effective He invented the support double to provide flexibility. Even for those of us whose partners don't volunteer 3 card suits, it was still seen as a good idea because it is useful, in competition, to know if one has an 8 card or better fit or only a 7 card. So it is usually played only when partner has promised 4+ in a suit, rather than, as here, a 5+ suit.

On the hand, I would choose 3♠. I want partner to know I have spades, and not enough to force to game, but more than a minimum.

I really don't like the idea that 3♥ could include an invitational bid in spades. One will occasionally have a forcing hand without spades, and one has no other forcing call at this juncture. It isn't playable to have it as either an invitational hand with spades or any game force with or without spades. Partner has to be able to make a non-jump bid in order to allow you to clarify your hand type, so he needs, often, to be able to bid, say, 3♠ even with a good hand....now if you held only an invitational hand with spades, what do you do? Is he rejecting game or marking time?

It is far better to play 3♠ as natural and invitational and 3♥ as any game force, with doubt. Now partner can bid 3N with a heart stopper, which may be what you were looking for, or stall with 3♠, etc

[gwnn]

I admit that I bid 2♠ on this hand but in my own defence:
-I did raise my partner back to game when he competed over 3♥ (+680 on a friendly layout and defence).
-When I entered the hand on the forums I couldn't believe I bid only 2♠. Maybe I should write down the hands while I'm playing live and/or post less.

[HighLow21]

I'm guessing to shoot 4♠ and have my apologies ready if it fails. All 14 HCP are working, you have their suit controlled, you have a monster side suit, you have two doubletons, yadda yadda. Makes easily opposite quite a few 6-counts.