[FrancesHinden]

Thanks for all the replies. No-one has actually said it, but you may have guessed that this is a ruling question - the issue was if pass is a logical alternative to double.

Under current English regulations (the "70% rule") it clearly is not, as we have an 87% vote for doubling.

[han]

Could you tell us what exactly happened and what the ruling was?

I don't think that this poll necessarily shows that pass is not a logical alternative because many people vote after having read the posts. Also, the people who voted may not be similar to the player who had this decision.

[pigpenz]

jdonn, on Jul 6 2008, 11:24 PM, said:

I truly don't understand how you drew your conclusions from these results, or really how any conclusions can be drawn from them. What % of the time do we have something better than defending 3♣ (no matter what that is) that double will find for us? Including 3♣X going down.

I also don't see why partner can't be weak with a 6 card major.

You can draw whatever conclusions you want...but try a simulator and put in all the options that you want for your partner and then let the cards be dealt. Sometimes we have blind spots not saying you have one here, but from the hands i looked at the best results and most frequent were for 3♣ doubled.

SO I am saying that there might be more for the double to be point showing more than take out but not with game values. Ask your self what hands would partner have that he wouldnt bid on...modern simulators will let you add up to 20 either or specs per hand.

[FrancesHinden]

han, on Jul 7 2008, 11:07 PM, said:

Could you tell us what exactly happened and what the ruling was?

Also, the people who voted may not be similar to the player who had this decision.

Partner hesitated over 3C.

The player with this hand protected with a double, leading to a contract of 3S making, defending 3C would have been worse.

I can't remember the TD ruling, the AC ruled that pass is not a LA.

I (along with various others) am writing a commentary on this and other appeals. It is EBU policy not to name the players involved for this commentary.

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I don't think that this poll necessarily shows that pass is not a logical alternative because many people vote after having read the posts.

When I am doing a poll for the purpose of giving a ruling (rather than merely giving my opinion about a ruling that has already been given) I generally try to keep it 'confidential', so that my respondants do not know what other people's answers are. That takes rather more effort, however, as I also try to poll people outside my immediate circle - this is much quicker!

[gnasher]

If responder's double would have been takeout, don't you reopen on any hand with this shape and two small clubs? KJ32 AK9 A1075 82, for example?

[MickyB]

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I (along with various others) am writing a commentary on this and other appeals.

Ahh, that's why I recognise the hand!

Wasn't sure which way this would go at the time, looks like the AC got it right.