[blml] Fwd: Announce or alert?

[Jerry Fusselman]

[Collins Williams]
Wouldn't the announcing of doubles help the doubling side get them
right more often? Perhaps it is just me (or my parochialism) but I
find myself in auctions where the meaning of a double is in doubt far
more often than the bidding of a red suit after partner's NT is ambiguous.

[Jerry Fusselman]
Agreed.  As a rule of thumb, a regulation for announcing should only
be in effect if the announcement will almost never give surprise UI to
partner.  Doubles are certainly not anywhere near routine enough for
this condition to be met. Announcements are best for very well-defined
and limited situations.

[Nige1]
When LHO alerts RHO's call, I assume that Collins and Jerry opt for
strategy [A] below ...
[A] *Sometimes* ask.
[B] *Always* ask now.
[C] *Never* ask until the end of the auction.

[Jerry]

You assume wrong.  My partner and ask about almost every alert that is
not covered by the convention card.  But for doubles in the ACBL, the
convention card usually covers it.  This covers most doubles.  When
the convention card is no help, we ask every time.  We like to
understand their auctions, regardless of our own hands.  Every time,
that is, except for when the director is overly passive and confusion
on their part is manifest.  Anyway, our agreements only rarely depend
on the meaning of their doubles.  Not asking when the convention card
does not cover it is so rare for us that I cannot recall a recent
case.

Alerted doubles in the ACBL are rather rare, because the unalertable
meanings are usually considered best.  And the alerted doubles usually
have a meaning that is sufficiently clear from the convention card.

Jerry Fusselman