[ahydra]

♠AKxx ♥9x ♦Axx ♣AQxx

I (North) held this at matchpoints, NS vulnerable. Opponents are of fairly weak standard.

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System is weak NT with 5cM, transfer Walsh. How greedy is my MP double here? My thinking was:

- what kind of hand can bid 3D but not 1D
- I'm holding 4 tricks, and partner showed some defensive strength
- I want to protect my 120; 100 isn't going to cut it

Spoiler

As you might have guessed by the fact I posted this, 3DX made - declarer had 3451 and dummy came down with a bucketload of running hearts and the SQ opposite declarer's 10, so we could only take 2S, 1D and 1C.

ahydra

[WesleyC]

Obviously you double. Give declarer a 4351 shape instead (with dummy the same) and you probably get 300/500.

[alok c]

You have described your hand adequately,17-18 pts generally provide around 4Q.T, let partner decide whether he can provide some.

[billw55]

Double is for sure a top-or-bottom action.

One thing I wonder, why are you so sure you had 120?

[akwoo]

billw55, on 2016-December-09, 07:39, said:

Double is for sure a top-or-bottom action.

One thing I wonder, why are you so sure you had 120?

If he doesn't have +120, then the -100 he would've gotten still loses to -110.

Here's what I really wanted to know and you didn't tell us. What was the MP difference between -110 and -470?

Double is a top-or-bottom action, but those are good things when the bidding has already put you at 30% without the double.

[billw55]

akwoo, on 2016-December-09, 08:30, said:

If he doesn't have +120, then the -100 he would've gotten still loses to -110.

Here's what I really wanted to know and you didn't tell us. What was the MP difference between -110 and -470?

Double is a top-or-bottom action, but those are good things when the bidding has already put you at 30% without the double.

Actually, I misread the vulnerability, thinking EW were vul and that -1 for +200 was possible.

As I general rule, I don't double nonvul ops for -1. At matchpoints, there is usually little difference between +50 and +100, so the upside is not very large.

In the OP, the hover description of 1♠ is "weak no 4 card major", but the text says "partner showed some defensive strength" - not sure how those go together. Expecting two tricks from partner seems like a lot. On the other hand, east's bidding is bollox and certainly deserves -500. Overall I lean toward pass but I have sympathy for double.

[wank]

P didn't smack it. It sounds like p has lots of clubs. You have more clubs than you promised.

[ahydra]

akwoo, on 2016-December-09, 08:30, said:

Here's what I really wanted to know and you didn't tell us. What was the MP difference between -110 and -470?

Actually quite a bit . There were three NS plus scores (2NT did make, as did 2S) and four of EW making 140 in hearts, so -110 would be better than average for NS. However, at the time I could hardly divine the opps had a lovely nine-card heart fit (though they do certainly have an eight-card fit).

billw55 said:

In the OP, the hover description of 1♠ is "weak no 4 card major", but the text says "partner showed some defensive strength" - not sure how those go together.

Partner will have a (5)6-9 hand without a 4cM, the type that would respond 1NT to 1M in SAYC for example. He won't have a long diamond suit, so is likely to hold a flattish hand. If he had a blizzard he would pass 1C.

ahydra

[billw55]

ahydra, on 2016-December-09, 12:00, said:

Partner will have a (5)6-9 hand without a 4cM, the type that would respond 1NT to 1M in SAYC for example. He won't have a long diamond suit, so is likely to hold a flattish hand. If he had a blizzard he would pass 1C.

OK thanks, I wasn't sure what the explanation "weak" meant in context.