[AL78]

This hand came up recently when partnering my inexperienced partner:

MPs, we were playing Acol, weak NT, 3 weak twos.

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You'll have to excuse North's bidding, she has a habit of bidding four card suits in situations where it must show at least five if not six and I intend to go through some bidding concepts in competitive auctions. You'll have to excuse my bidding as well. I took the 3♥ bid as natural and forcing to game holding at least five of them and a good chance of six. I thought about 3NT but was concerned with the diamond bid on my left and visualised the possibility of a spade lead to the ace followed by a diamond through my king and going off horribly. I decided that 4♥ would have better chances although I didn't realise the diamond ace was onside or that partner would hold three spades.

4♥ went down but I am curious what agreenments others have in this situation. Do you play double here by North as takeout or penalty?

[mikeh]

AL78, on 2023-August-04, 16:01, said:

This hand came up recently when partnering my inexperienced partner:

MPs, we were playing Acol, weak NT, 3 weak twos.

---

You'll have to excuse North's bidding, she has a habit of bidding four card suits in situations where it must show at least five if not six and I intend to go through some bidding concepts in competitive auctions. You'll have to excuse my bidding as well. I took the 3♥ bid as natural and forcing to game holding at least five of them and a good chance of six. I thought about 3NT but was concerned with the diamond bid on my left and visualised the possibility of a spade lead to the ace followed by a diamond through my king and going off horribly. I decided that 4♥ would have better chances although I didn't realise the diamond ace was onside or that partner would hold three spades.

4♥ went down but I am curious what agreenments others have in this situation. Do you play double here by North as takeout or penalty?

Good topic😀

I don’t have any explicit agreements here, in the sense of having discussed this specific sequence

In both my serious partnerships, we do play negative doubles at the 2 and 3 level, and (assuming partner was on the same page, thinking it applies here) north has an easy double. However, this is exactly the kind of situation in which it’s dangerous to assume that partner will ‘work it out’ at the table, so I’m going to ask both of them what they think double means

Given how dangerous double is, I think I’d choose 3S. This ‘should’ logically ask for a diamond stopper…3S can’t be asking for a spade stopper since partner already promised 1+.

However, also play ‘switch’ after 1N (3D) in that 3H is spades, invitational or better, and 3S is gf with 5+ hearts….but (again) we’ve not discussed this sequence


So I’m not much help…sorry!

As for fearing a spade to the ace and a diamond back, it’s a legitimate concern but you have to bid 3N. Firstly, RHO is far more likely to hold the ace than is LHO. Secondly, partner may have a stopper. Thirdly, bidding 4H doesn’t exactly avoid the diamond issue…in fact it puts in front and centre in that RHO is on opening lead.