Julian Pottage
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That would be quite tricky because intervention affects all sorts of things. Without intervention, you cannot double or redouble. Without intervention, you cannot pass if you are sure you want partner to have another chance to bid. You probably have not used a World Bridge Federation system card but if you do see one (while watching an international match perhaps) you will see that it has a separate column for actions after intervention.
If you could give a specific auction, I could tell you what actions mean.
Please could you give a bit more detail to your query, bearing in mind that I have not seen the seminar.
If you have an honour sequence, you normally lead top of a sequence. Fourth best leads apply when you have an honour in your long suit but not a sequence.
It sounds like the opponents are playing opener has to redouble and that responder might be planning a rescue or to leave in the redouble, though of course you can always ask. If you do not wish to defend then of course you can bid your spade suit. You are not showing anything extra by doing so, merely that you would rather declare than defend. Of course, if you have a good spade suit and some entries as well (which you are likely to have with 16 HCP), you might not wish to rule out defending 1NT redoubled. It would be wise to ask what hand types the opponents have shown.
The usual meaning of the double of an artificial bid is that it shows the suit doubled. I actually play the double as two way, either the suit or a hand that would have doubled 1NT, but most people play it as simply showing the suit doubled.
Assuming an opponent will have a long suit to jump to the 3 level, it is much more likely that you will have a hand suitable for a takeout double than you will for a penalty double. I would therefore recommend playing double as takeout.
A suit bid should not be forcing because otherwise you will be unable to compete. If you have a strong hand and do not want partner to pass, either you start with a double or, if you have a six-card major, you can simply bid game. If you are vulnerable, suit bids should be invitational but if you are non-vulnerable they are competitive (though partner could still raise with a really suitable hand, for example the type of hand that would have super accepted a transfer).
West has the ace and queen of clubs sitting over the strong hand so could hope to make two club tricks leaving the suit alone. It is unfortunate that the diamond lead allows declarer an extra entry to dummy for finessing in hearts but West could not possibly know that. A trump lead would not be unreasonable because South had shown such a strong hand and any trump honour in the Est hand would be likely to drop or be subject to finesse anyway.
South has somewhat overbid here but players often overbid good hands.
With the South hand I would have bid 2NT rather than 3C. The hand is too flat to bid 3C. I do not like doubling with only three hearts when there is a reasonable alternative. In the protective position, the 2NT can be a fraction weaker than it would be in second seat.
I do not understand North’s pass of 3C at all. Perhaps this was a misclick in an event that did not allow undos. While a slam would be possible if South had something like x KQx Ax Qxxxxxx it is far more likely that a slam is not on and North should simply bid 3NT over 3C.
If you are playing a weak 1NT opening, a double by opener after the fourth player has bid shows strong no-trump values or better.
I think I play the same as Bernard, at any rate I play redouble as showing a 5-card suit and immediate bids the lower of two 4-card suits. Partner cannot pass the redouble the way Bernard and I play it.
The bidding is often more difficult after an opponent makes a jump bid, which is why they make them! With my most regular I do not playing Leaping Michaels so I would start with a 3H cue bid on the North hand (it would be helpful if a diagram shows the North hand above the South hand rather than to the left of it). After North shows spades an an unspecified minor with the 3H cue bid, South has a tricky reply. South has 4-card support for whatever minor North has but also a strong doubleton spade. It would be tempting to bid 4S, which protects the HK from a lead through it at trick one. If South were to bid 4S, there would be no danger of missing slam but a real danger of playing in the wrong slam. If South bids 4C ‘pass or correct’ then North might jump to 5D and then South might find a raise to 6D.
I was going to say that if anyone wants to discuss whether a bid is legal you should ask this in David Stevenson’s forum – fortunately he has already seen the suggestion and commented
Charles, you ask a good question and I am not sure I know the answer. You might bid 3NT even when holding 5 diamonds but if you have an iffy stopper in one of the majors then it would be better to rebid 2NT.
David Stevenson deals with questions about what actions are legal. Please could you repost the question in his forum.
