[blml] My Dallas comments posted [SEC=UNOFFICIAL]

[Eric Landau]

At 12:09 AM 9/15/06, richard.hills wrote:

>Imps, knockout teams
>Dlr: North
>Vul: variable (see below)
>
>A82
>2
>Q743
>AQJ92
>
>Auction 1
>
>WEST      NORTH     EAST      SOUTH
>---       Pass      Pass      1D(1)
>1S        Dble(2)   2C(3)     ?
>
>(1) Could be short
>(2) Negative double
>(3) Artificial, a good raise to 2S
>
>What call do you make?

3C.

>What other calls do you consider making?

Pass.

>Would any vulnerability affect your call?

No.

>Auction 2
>
>WEST      NORTH     EAST      SOUTH
>---       Pass      Pass      1D(1)
>1S        Dble(2)   2C(3)     ?
>
>(1) Could be short
>(2) Negative double
>(3) Artificial, a transfer promising five
>or more diamonds
>
>What call do you make?

Double.

>What other calls do you consider making?

3C, pass (in that order).

>Would any vulnerability affect your call?

Opponents NV would make doubling less attractive, but I would still double.

In either case, I might well pass if my table feel told me that the 
opponents were likely to be having a bidding misunderstanding.

That, however, assumes that I have a sensible agreement about my 
negative doubles -- I expect partner to have either hearts and clubs or 
hearts and diamonds.  But some folks play that the double merely shows 
length in hearts, with no guarantee of a second potentially playable 
strain.  Forced to play that way, I have no idea what I would 
do.  These situations provide compelling examples of the weakness of 
that method.


Eric Landau                     ehaa at starpower.net
1107 Dale Drive                 (301) 608-0347
Silver Spring MD 20910-1607