[Tramticket]

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What are your agreements for double if opponents interfere over your strong 2C opening.

A take-out double is not required because you are in a game forcing auction. So double is presumably penalties? Does the double also convey information about your strength? (positive values?)

Thanks

[P_Marlowe]

We play X as T/O, at least if the auction is at a low level.
A T/O enables you to differentiate between 4 card suits and 5 card suits.
Given that 2C openings including interference are rare, T/O sequences will
also be more familar than penalty X sequences.

Standard in a FP seq. is certainly X is penalty.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[wank]

there are several schemes. pass is forcing and double penalties is old-fashioned but perfectly playable.

[mike777]

common is:
Pass=gf
double=very weak hand,negative values, not takeout, not penalty, not gf.
anything else is gf.

so on this hand we could pass and pard would reopen with double/takeoutish.
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I should add I assume opening 2c is not 100%gf.

[FrancesHinden]

wank, on 2015-May-12, 06:43, said:

there are several schemes. pass is forcing and double penalties is old-fashioned but perfectly playable.

Indeed, there are several schemes.
We play pass as non-forcing, and opener's double to show a balanced hand

[FrancesHinden]

P_Marlowe, on 2015-May-12, 01:08, said:

Given that 2C openings including interference are rare,
With kind regards

Marlowe

Really? I find more 2C openings include interference than are uncontested.

[ArtK78]

Sorry if I am repeating what others have posted.

If responder is in direct seat, I play that a pass shows values (game forcing) and a double shows a bad hand. A suit bid is natural and forcing to game. Notrump bids are natural, but should be avoided for obvious reasons.

The double by responder serves as a warning to opener to tread lightly.

After interference in direct seat over the 2♣ opener and a pass by responder, a double tends to show a balanced hand with no clear action.

If opener is in direct seat over the interference bid (i.e., 2♣ - (P) - 2♦ - (2♥)), a pass tends to show a balanced or semi-balanced hand with no clear action. It is, obviously, forcing. Other actions are natural and forcing, and a double is for penalties.

On the hand shown, North would pass and South would have to decide whether to reopen with a double or with 2NT (forcing). If South reopens with a double, North could pass it out for penalties or bid 3NT, as he chooses.

[PhilKing]

Take these two auctions, which I think capture the pros and cons of the differing approaches in a nutshell.

2♣-4♦-x

and 2♣-p-2♦-4♦-x

In the first, the reason I think it is better to play double as values is not that this is better when responder does have values (it isn't) - it's better when responder has a bad hand. The point is, if responder's double merely shows, say, 0-4, that could be on any shape whatsoever. If you play pass as weak, you can then pass a reopening double when balanced, and bid with good shape, which is exactly how we are supposed to bid against high level preemption.

In the second auction, I think it's right for double by opener to show a balanced hand that is suitable for partner bidding on (eg 4M on a 5-card suit). Pass should force responder to double unless he has very good shape, and is consistent with an unsuitable strong balanced hand. The advantage here is that the 2♣ opener gets two bites at the cherry with distributional hands, so he can bid a direct 4♥ with a one suiter, and a delayed 4♥ with a more flexible hand.

[Tramticket]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I will discuss these with my partner to try and avoid Sunday's disaster.

I was sitting North and doubled - believing it to be for penalties...

My partner believed my double to show "general positive values". She then decided to try to get me to describe my hand further by cue-bidding the opponent's suit...

I thought the three heart bid was natural and "exposing the psych"! ... (West did in fact hold a six-card suit)

The auction didn't improve at all - we finished in 7NT. This was not a happy contract even though partner managed to drop West's singleton King of Spades!

Our team-mates were defending 3NT