P_Marlowe, on Jan 22 2007, 07:03 AM, said:
I just want to add one add. remark:
There exist another class of hand without
a 4 card spade suit, with which will make
a neg. X, which promises a 4 card spade suit.
I speak about hands in the 10-12 bal. range
without a heart stopper.
You can tell me that you pass, really (?! partner
reopens and you bid the cue, forcing your side
to the 3 level?),
You can tell me that you fake the heart stopper
(which is just another lie),
You can tell me that you bid 2H, asking for a
stopper, unfortunatly one standard meaning of
the cue in this sitaution is, that it is fit showing.
Depending on your general agreements,
(neg. free bids, weak jump shifts, fit jumps, strength
of the suit shown direct ...).
you have several hand type, which go through the
neg. X, because you cant show them direct,
... and one of those hand types is the hand holding
a 4 card spade suit, but there are other.
With kind regards
Marlowe
Your argument that there is a class of hand that has no good bid, and that you would like to include in the negative double, has a certain attraction, but it is very, very far from standard... if you sit in a pickup game with an expert opponent, he will not understand your bidding if you double without 4
♠s.
You CANNOT undo a double. Once you have announced 4
♠, all other calls merely add detail to the hand... bidding
♦s next would be a game try or a slam try if partner has bid
♠s... NOT a denial of
♠s. KQxx xx AKxx Kxx
1
♣ [1
♥] x [3
♥] 3
♠ [p]? You are in the slam zone, so you'd probably cue 4
♦ in the hopes of hearing a 4
♥ cue.
I made that example up very quickly to demonstrate an example of a family of hands on which you need double followed by
♦s as agreeing
♠s.
Plus, of course, partner is going to value his hand, and choose his calls, and, should the opps buy the hand, his defence, based on your announcement that you own 4
♠.
Does this mean that the hand you are concerned about (10-12 no
♥ stop, no 4card
♠ suit) is doomed?
In fairness, there will be times when that hand type will cause enormous problems. That is why a significant minority of players use the negative double of 1
♥ to DENY 4
♠s. They bid 1
♠ with 4 or more and double to show fewer. That is a very playable method.. I know, because I play it in one partnership.
But I think that playing that the double either shows or denies
♠s is unplayable..... partner will go wrong far, far too often, and the later rounds of the auction, when you actually hold
♠s, will be very difficult, if bidding a new suit denies
♠s.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari