Posted 2014-December-29, 12:16
I like the idea of the negative double. It is useful to remember that while the double ostensibly shows both majors, it is permissible for it to be based on a single major provided that responder can handle partner getting excited in the other major.
Thus here, if West were strong with 4 spades, he might well bid 4♠ to advance the negative double, especially after S bid an obstructive 3♦ bid, depriving West of that cuebid.
East can stand this because if West has a hand that can bid 4♠, he must have a play for 5♣.
It isn't clear to me exactly what happens after the negative double. Assuming, as seems pretty standard these days, that West makes a strength showing, takeout oriented double, then East has a choice. I see Timo chooses 4♣ but att I suspect that 3♥ would be a popular decision, and after that call West has choices as well. He still hasn't shown the full power of his hand, even discounting the diamond K. Yet, he can't cuebid 4♦ without, in my view, promising 4 hearts. I don't think East has shown 5 hearts by this stage. 4♣ 'should' be forcing, after the double, and in any event will fetch 5♣ from East, and the question then is whether opener has enough to raise himself to slam. I think he does, since East has to have some values for the original negative double, and most of the time that won't include a diamond card. Qxxx QJxx xx Qxx is the worst construction I could come up with, but playing for that makes for frightened bridge. Even QJxx Qxxx xx Qxx gives us some, remote, play.
As for Timo's auction, he also has West essentially raising to slam all by himself. In fact I can't think of any auction, starting with a negative double, in which East really gets to convey the key features: the stiff spade, the solid 5 card hearts, and (for the ultimate contract of 6N) the diamond Q.
An immediate club raise would get the slam bid easier, in clubs, but I just don't like the idea of suppressing the hearts when partner could, for all we know, be 4=4=2=3. AJxx AKxx Jx AJx is not a hand on which I want to play any number of clubs and while I am sure a lot of players would say they could still get into hearts, I am not one of them. If West bids 3♥ over 3♦, I don't think he is showing this hand-type in standard methods, much as we'd like it to have that meaning, given what responder holds.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari