[VM1973]

---

Well, if you don't bid 1NT what do you bid?

[Hanoi5]

Double

[aguahombre]

probably double, but 1NT should have worked out fine, thanks to East.

When the second diamond bid came around to North he was right to reopen with 2hearts, not 2S. This pretty much guarantees 4-4 in the majors in our world, since he didn't try for a heart partial right away. But that doesn't matter; East came in with a third same-suit bid, and it was time for North to double, turning their small loss into a nice gain.

[menggq]

Double no doubt!

[the hog]

Double for me. Not 1NT without a stopper.

[sfi]

Had North-South doubled at any opportunity on the hand, they would have come close to having their bid (assuming the doubles of 2♦ would be takeout).

[whereagles]

1NT is technically correct and impeccable. Certainly it wasn't the problem here. North could have dbled 2♦ for take out, though.

[the hog]

"1NT is technically correct and impeccable."
Nuno....1NT is really silly. Sorry!

[Free]

whereagles, on 2011-September-16, 03:58, said:

1NT is technically correct and impeccable.

Dbl instead of 1NT is canonical.

[manudude03]

whereagles, on 2011-September-16, 03:58, said:

1NT is technically correct and impeccable. Certainly it wasn't the problem here. North could have dbled 2♦ for take out, though.

I hope you alert your 1NT overcalls if it is literally any balanced 15-17 hand. Anyway, double WTP here.

[helene_t]

South obviously doubles first round.

As North I would have doubled 2♦ regardless of what it means.

North certainly has to double 3♦.

The X card is the most underused bidding card by beginners and intermediates.

[whereagles]

manudude03, on 2011-September-16, 05:29, said:

I hope you alert your 1NT overcalls if it is literally any balanced 15-17 hand.

Strange land, that where you alert natural bids.

[phil_20686]

If one diamond could be a balanced hand with only 4 or 3 diamonds, I think 1N is fine. These hands with extras are really tough to show if you start with a dble and lho doesn't have the good grace to be silent. If I bid 1NT now I will still normally find my major suit fit if I have one, and they might not have a proper diamond suit anyway. I have extras to make up for the flaw in missing a stopper.

If LHO bids 3D over dble and 1NT, you are much happier if you started with 1NT.

That said, dble is also fine.

North should dble 2D for t/o. He has a decent hand to defend 2dx if his partner wants to pass it, and is playable in both majors.

[phil_20686]

manudude03, on 2011-September-16, 05:29, said:

I hope you alert your 1NT overcalls if it is literally any balanced 15-17 hand. Anyway, double WTP here.

You are allowed to overcall 1NT on hands with flaws, that is not alterable.

[helene_t]

whereagles, on 2011-September-16, 06:16, said:

Strange land, that where you alert natural bids.

There is a case for alerting highly unusual treatments, natural or not. Online I would certainly alert 1NT if I have the partnership understanding that it does not promise a stopper.

Anyway, I dunno which jurisdiction OP plays in so I have no opinion about whether he must alert it or not.

[MickyB]

whereagles, on 2011-September-16, 06:16, said:

Strange land, that where you alert natural bids.

I believe that, in most jurisdictions, you have to alert some natural bids - e.g. 1N-P-2C if natural, or 1C-P-1S if natural NF.

[MickyB]

phil_20686, on 2011-September-16, 06:48, said:

You are allowed to overcall 1NT on hands with flaws, that is not alterable.

Alerting regulations differ by location. Also, there is a difference between occasionally deciding to overcall 1NT with a "flaw", and your 1NT overcall being made without regard to your honour distribution. I strongly feel that this should be alertable, as it is very unusual and will greatly affect oppo's actions, and most oppo will never think to ask. Indeed, most of its successes will come from not having told oppo that you might hold this hand.

[gnasher]

phil_20686, on 2011-September-16, 06:45, said:

These hands with extras are really tough to show if you start with a dble and lho doesn't have the good grace to be silent.

Or even if he does. There's no obvious way to show this hand after either
   1♦-dbl-pass-1♠
or
   1♦-dbl-pass-2♣

Even
  1♦-dbl-pass-1♥
  pass-2♥
isn't a great description, because it understates the high cards and overstates the shape.

[mich-b]

gnasher, on 2011-September-16, 09:11, said:

Or even if he does. There's no obvious way to show this hand after either
   1♦-dbl-pass-1♠
or
   1♦-dbl-pass-2♣

Even
  1♦-dbl-pass-1♥
  pass-2♥
isn't a great description, because it understates the high cards and overstates the shape.

If pd responds 1♠ or 2♣ to the double , I think the best course of action is Pass.
If however the hand was stronger (♥A instead of ♥Q) the standard way to proceed is 2♦ which shows a strong hand with only 3 card support (or any GF hand to be clarified later).

[ArtK78]

mich-b, on 2011-September-16, 10:34, said:

If however the hand was stronger (♥A instead of ♥Q) the standard way to proceed is 2♦ which shows a strong hand with only 3 card support (or any GF hand to be clarified later).

Is anyone else familiar with this 2 way cue bid? I have only been playing for 39 years, and I never heard that double followed by a cue bid showed a strong hand with 3 card support for partner's suit (or a GF hand).