[dickiegera]

2NT is jacoby and 3♦ shows shortnest


What is the best way to play a double by East?

I understand that it is probably best not to show ♦ but to show a lead in another suit.

Could someone give me more info on this double

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Would it be different in this bidding? Where 4 diamonds is a splinter in support of spades

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Thank you

[sfi]

I play one of two basic agreements:

• Asks for a lead in the higher (lower) side suit. I don't think there is any technical reason to pick either of the two.
  
• Suggesting a sacrifice (my current notes say something like KJxxx is acceptable).

The one thing you don't want to play is simply asking for the lead of the splinter suit - that's just a waste of a double. The other thing to consider is that lead directional is kind of pointless on the first one, since doubler will probably be on lead. Apart from those caveats, the hands where you want to act are pretty rare, so pick an agreement and run with it.

[dickiegera]

sfi, on 2018-May-13, 19:17, said:

I play one of two basic agreements:

• Asks for a lead in the higher (lower) side suit. I don't think there is any technical reason to pick either of the two.
  
• Suggesting a sacrifice (my current notes say something like KJxxx is acceptable).

The one thing you don't want to play is simply asking for the lead of the splinter suit - that's just a waste of a double. The other thing to consider is that lead directional is kind of pointless on the first one, since doubler will probably be on lead. Apart from those caveats, the hands where you want to act are pretty rare, so pick an agreement and run with it.

Am I correct that unless you have an obvious lead that the lead of a trump or the splinter suit is a good {SAFE} lead?

[sfi]

The splinter suit is often not a safe lead - declarer might have something like KQx and the lead loses a tempo and sets up discards. A trump lead may not be a safe lead for similar reasons. I try to look for one of the two side suits to lead unless I have a good reason to choose something else.

The problem is that one hand is unbalanced and the other hand is unknown, so there really is no easy safe lead. Even leading from AK in the splinter suit may just expose you to a ruffing finesse to set up tricks.