[kgr]

MP's; weak field and good partner

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You play transfers over 1♣; so your initial options were only DBL or Pass (1♠ would have been a 4c♠ with longer ♦;; 1NT would have been ♦ + ♥)
Partner could have DBLed with a 4c♠ to expose a potential psyche.
What do you think partner has and what is your call?

[helene_t]

I am not sure what is standard but I would like to play this as optional, something like a 2434 shape and max values. I will try 3♦.

[whereagles]

Pard has some extras, and probably 4 hearts only. I pass.

[Bbradley62]

So, they agree on the answer to the title question, but disagree on the answer to the follow-up question... I'm with Helene.

This post has been edited by Bbradley62: 2014-November-08, 13:46

[wanoff]

Max, 4H, clubs - clear pass.

[akwoo]

I don't think partner has to have much in the way of extras. At MPs, this is just the "letting opps play in 2♠ is bad at MPs" balancing double.

I bid 3♦. Your opps might pass it out, in which case both +110 and -100 are likely to be good scores.

On second thought, if you have 2N as "2 places to play" here, that might be useful.

[helene_t]

I am not sure if we need 2NT as two places to play. Maybe we have to count clubs as a possible place to play so 2NT could show both minors? Koen plays a funny defense so presumably his doubles are more likely to be offshape than using standard methods.

[Fluffy]

Partner has 9-10 balanced, I would pass, but gambling 3NT on the grounds of spades splitting 4-4 could be a good alternative.

[kgr]

 helene_t, on 2014-November-08, 15:11, said:

I am not sure if we need 2NT as two places to play. Maybe we have to count clubs as a possible place to play so 2NT could show both minors? Koen plays a funny defense so presumably his doubles are more likely to be offshape than using standard methods.

Biggest difference for our DBLs is that they include the normal 1NT overcall (because 1NT overcall is used for H+D).
Therefore I think that 2NT after the DBL should be natural: 15HCP and stops, not enough to bid after 2H.

[kgr]

The DBL was optional. Seems like everyone agrees with that here.
But my partner told me that quick tricks are more important for this than points. He would never DBL with 9-10 pnts and no aces. He needs at least an ace and a trump honour for his DBL.
Therefor he said that I had a clear pass (because of 3c♥, ♠K, ♦AQ).
He had something like: Ax=Axxx=xx(?)=xx(?)
2♠X would have gone -2 or -3.

I did bid 3♦ because I only had 3c♠ (iso of the optimal 4c♠ for my initial DBL) and partner corrected this to 3♥. 3♥ did go -1.

At IMPs he would not have DBLed 2♠...should he also?

Remark: This occasional partner is a far better player than me. And I think playing 2♠ DBLed on hands like these is one of the (..many) things where I can approve.

[whereagles]

Good players sometimes have weird ideas. Common sense usually works though.

[SteveMoe]

Double = Optional penalty showing 3 card trumps (with an H) and confirming balance of power (23+ HCP combined). With shorter trumps partner bids to the 3-level and doubles 3♠ if necessary.