jillybean, on 2025-May-19, 22:27, said:
So it's 3N or pass, and passing seems to be very pessimistic.
To be honest, I didn't consider 3N or pass. DSIP X - am I masterminding?
You are not masterminding if you reopen with a double. Masterminding is taking a distorted action in the expectation that you are controlling the auction, unilaterally.
Doubling as opener isn’t controlling the auction. It is a distortion, but it’s far from controlling the auction. It’s a grotesque distortion that will usually result in a very bad board. That’s not masterminding…it’s simply bidding extremely badly.
Responder’s pass over 3H was incredibly poor, and it denied the ability to raise spades. Responder will often have a long minor or perhaps both minors. In either case, he could have a pretty good hand but not enough to either bid his suit over 3H (which forces to game) or to double (which doesn’t force to game but still shows values).
The reopening double is not a DSIP double. It’s a reopening double…it’s takeout, although of course such doubles are sometimes converted to penalty. A DSIP double arises in auctions such as 1D (p) 2C (2H) P (p) x. Since your heart holding tells you that partner isn’t converting your takeout double for penalties, he’s going to take it out. Even if he has 3 spades, you’re almost certainly much better off defending 3H than playing 3S. Just think about how the cards rate to lie, assuming a normal 3H bid.
As opener, having made your takeout double with 5422, explain your plan if partner now bids 4m or 5m or 4H.
As for what 4H means….if partner did that to me, I’d be struggling to work it out. It logically cannot ever be a slam try in spades. ExplIn to me how, in any rational bidding method, responder can be slamming in spades opposite a takeout double yet be unable to bid even 3S the round before? Maybe I’m lucky but in my partnerships we do not assume that partner made a beginner’s mistake on round one, so we do not design our bidding methods to cater to such.
I think I’d take 4H as showing a very distributional minor two suiter, borderline for a negative double. Say x x Axxxx Qxxxxx or even 0=1=6=6. It’s a very unusual bid so assigning it a very unusual meaning seems rational. Taking it as a good hand in support of spades is completely irrational.
As for what I’d do as opener, once 3S was passed back to me? Pass is automatic. No other bid makes even the tiniest bit of sense. Partner didn’t need much to bid 3S…..that would show a decent constructive raise (I think Mike777 has it right). So partner passed. My spades are short and (assuming the 3H bidder had his bid, which I know now he didn’t) RHO rates to have long spades and short hearts so what am I doing with my heart losers when playing in spades? And what am I doing with my minor suit cards when dummy hits with his 2=1=5=5 5 count?
I’ve long noticed that non experts tend to fall in love with strong hands and think that it’s almost a sin to defend. This hand held promise when we picked it up, but when 3H came around to us, we should be thinking…..this promising offensive hand just went way down in offensive potential. I have many losers, no fit, short trump…and great defence. Thanks, LHO, I’m now going plus. Pass.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari
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