[VixTD]

Scoring: IMP

1♥..P(H)..2♥..X
4♥...4♠...P....P
5♥...P....P....X
all P
[auction corrected]

---

Result: 5♥X (W)-1

This occured in a match played privately. There had been a short but significant and undisputed hesitation before North's first call. EW reserved their rights and asked my opinion (I was playing for NS's team in the other room) at the end of the stanza. I declined to give it, but encouraged them to phone a director for a ruling, which the captain declined to do.

If the call had come to you, what would you have said?

[blackshoe]

Did South pass 4♠? You have him bidding 5♥.

[lamford]

I would poll 10 players to see if they double 2H without the UI. If I was one of those polled I would pass, having only three spades.

Double is certainly demonstrably suggested. It says "tell me which suit you were thinking about making a weak-jump overcall in, pard".

Assuming Pass is deemed an LA, it would then be trivial to adjust to 4H =. The 5H by South in the auction you gave looks like a WoG action, but it was by the offenders, so that does not matter. The misdefence to 5H by E/W might qualify however ...

[campboy]

I would pass the south hand without much thought, though I can imagine it would be an automatic double for some people.

Presumably there is a pass missing from the auction, and West bid 5♥?

[VixTD]

Thank you, I've corrected the auction. My apologies.

[RMB1]

I think the only question is whether to deny redress for EW.
5♥ by West is at bit wild but not SWoG (for the purposes of Law 12C1b).

[greenender]

campboy, on Mar 25 2010, 10:27 AM, said:

... though I can imagine it would be an automatic double for some people.

I can't imagine why, not without the UI that partner seems to have a long suit to provide a measure of safety.

If E/W are about to bid game, why would you want to give them a free opportunity to score 1100 instead, and if they are about to pass out 2♥, partner (who is the one with relative ♥ shortage) will act.

This one is in PP territory.

[VixTD]

greenender, on Mar 26 2010, 09:19 AM, said:

campboy, on Mar 25 2010, 10:27 AM, said:

... though I can imagine it would be an automatic double for some people.

I can't imagine why, not without the UI that partner seems to have a long suit to provide a measure of safety.

Campboy is right. I asked South why she had doubled, and she looked at me as if I was mad and said: "Well, I had to do something, I've got fourteen points, what if it gets passed out?"

Like Greenender, though, I don't understand this. It's an automatic pass for me.

[lamford]

greenender, on Mar 26 2010, 09:19 AM, said:

This one is in PP territory.

Not for your average Mrs and Mrs Pointer. We need to establish the strength and style of North-South before polling their peers. I tried two players who scored less than 40% in my club's duplicate last week, and both doubled. That is why they got less than 40% no doubt, but that is irrelevant.