[Liversidge]

RHO opened 1NT and LHO bid 2D (transfer to hearts). My partner doubled. I didn't know what she meant by it because we had not discussed it, though with my other partner I would have taken it to be lead directing.
RHO transferred to hearts and I passed (I had 6 points). Turned out she had 18 points and wanted me to bid my best suit.
A good way to make a takeout in this situation would be to cue bid 2H, the suit LHO was showing, but suppose we have an understanding that this double is for takeout with a shortage in hearts - is the double alertable under EBU regulations?

[ahydra]

Yes (Blue Book 4B2 (d))

ahydra

[helene_t]

The non-alertable meaning of a double of an artificial bid is that it shows the suit bid, i.e. diamonds in this case. This is more or less the same as lead-directing, so lead-directing is not alertable.

The t/o double shows the three suits other than the suit transfered to (spades, diamonds and clubs), so it also shows diamonds. However, it is not particularly about diamonds and it also shows spades and clubs. So it's alertable.

[Liversidge]

helene_t, on 2017-March-15, 03:45, said:

The non-alertable meaning of a double of an artificial bid is that it shows the suit bid, i.e. diamonds in this case. This is more or less the same as lead-directing, so lead-directing is not alertable.

The t/o double shows the three suits other than the suit transfered to (spades, diamonds and clubs), so it also shows diamonds. However, it is not particularly about diamonds and it also shows spades and clubs. So it's alertable.

Thanks Helene. I have just found an article by Jeremy Dhondy in the October 2009 issue of English Bridge, which confirms what you say.

At any level:
C. If you double an artificial bid and the double calls for that suit, then no alert is needed, but if it calls for another
suit, your partner must alert.

[gordontd]

Liversidge, on 2017-March-15, 02:24, said:

A good way to make a takeout in this situation would be to cue bid 2H, the suit LHO was showing, but suppose we have an understanding that this double is for takeout with a shortage in hearts - is the double alertable under EBU regulations?

The other way to make a takeout double in this situation is to pass and double 2H when/if it comes back to you. For this reason, the usual way to play the double of 2D, if not showing diamonds, is to show a strong hand that would have doubled 1NT. With that agreement, you can play that subsequent doubles are for penalties.

[1eyedjack]

Also a potential disadvantage of an immediate cue as takeout is that it denies you the opportunity of penalising 2H when partner is ready to convert a t/o X of Hearts for penalties. But presumably you would want 2H to mean something (transfer?). Anyway, drifting rather from the "laws" purpose of the thread. Sorry. Will stop now