An Important Partnership Understanding
With neither vulnerable at IMP’s, you hold 
A 6 5 4 3 
Q 
K T 6 5 4 
K 7.
Your RHO, the dealer, opens 1 . Your suit quality is poor, but partner will find it difficult to compete with length in the enemy suit. Since you play a wide-ranging Michaels treatment, you decide to show both suits with a call of 2. LHO says DBL, showing a penalty interest somewhere. Partner and RHO pass.
What is your call?
My bid depends on whether 2H showed four spades or five. If it showed four, then I bid 2S now to show the 5th spade. If it showed 5, then it is unlikely we belong in spades, and I bid 2NT. This could mean two things: (1) Diamonds with club tolerance; or (2) A hand that maybe should be played in NT if partner has a suitable hand. In this case, whether partner takes it as (1) or (2), I have it.
It would of course be nice to be able to redouble to show one minor and bid 2S to show the other, but without prior discussion, partner will not know which is which. (Note that either of these calls should promise a 5th spade, even if 2H only promised 4.) If you play this way, then you should also discuss whether 2NT at this turn should suggest a possible place to play, or show a really strong Michaels bid (but not quite good enough for 3H).
November 20, 2006 Christopher Monsour
I am disappointed that so few weighed in on this problem.
2H is the last contract that your side can make!! Partner has JTxxxx of hearts and some other non-fitting assets.
Knowing what passes of doubles and redoubles might mean is a high risk/reward situation at IMP’s. We need to nail down what the passes mean….
December 11, 2006 Jeff Miller