An Impossible Auction?
Playing a Regional IMP KO match against a strong team you hold this hand, white on red:
9 6 3 
Q T 5 
K Q 6 5 
K Q 6.
As dealer, you choose to pass. LHO opens 1, partner passes, and RHO bids 3 , a limit raise. LHO bids 4 and partner surprises you by introducing a double.
What do you make of this, and what action do you take?
Sounds like shape all around. Partner likely 3-0-5-5 and not many HCP (I have em) but the double is to allow for my hand to hold 5 or more spades if I want to bid them in this auction. Passing seems wrong – and one could try 4NT showing my fit for either minor – but if I am assuming the distribution above – I would just bid 5D. It seems impossible that partner could have both minor aces (or even two aces) but incase partner does and they lead a heart – I might get lucky.
November 1, 2008 Stan Katz
I talked to the two guys I walk with. One passed because he thought he had some defense and was going minus if he bid. The other was adamant that 5D was right. He didn’t know what partner had, but pard asked him to bid, so he did.
November 6, 2008 MOJO
The Bridge World’s Master Solvers’ Club had a similar problem a couple of years ago, but with reversed vulnerability and responder bidding 4H. The analysis I found persuasive (I believe it was by Jeff Rubens) was: partner can’t possibly have enough to ask you to take out 4H when he couldn’t act over 1H. He must have a penalty double. (Opening bidder psyched.)
That’s a lot less plausible in this case. Still, *somebody’s* bidding is crazy here. If you trust your partner, pass.
November 20, 2008 Philo
Are you playing in Boston? GL if you do.
November 24, 2008 MOJO
I bid 5D, unless the pair I am playing against are Reese and Shapiro. Whatever has just transpired is a very rare event, but I think it is much rarer that partner holds a penalty double and this happened than that partner is three suited with a heart void and nothing and now wants to sacrifice. The sacrifice motivation isn’t entirely implausible given the colors. For partner to have a penalty double here requires something seriously odd to be going on: Even if the opponents have psyched, they have hearts…RHO wouldn’t psyche a limit raise, and LHO, if he had psyched the heart suit to begin with would seem unlikely to reraise the suit to game at these colors (apart from the above-mentioned pair). It is plausible RHO forgot they were playing limit raises and bid 3H as a preempt. But that still leaves partner with a singleton or void heart, so if he has a penalty double now, he passed a takeout double or an overcall last time.
It’s also possible partner missed an ace and passed by accident over 1H. If that’s the case, then, yes, 4H and 5D could well both be down. But (A) that would be partner’s fault, not mine; and (B) that would require the opponents to be psyching or having a misunderstanding on the same auction that partner spaced out on, which seems like quite a parlay.
At both I would bid 5D and at unfavorable I would pass. I think the question is toughest at neither vul (them not being vul makes the psychic reraise somewhat plausible).
I should also note there are some partners with whom you should always bid 5D with this hand, regardless of colors…namely those who never double anything for penalty unless you have shown values.
December 21, 2008 Christopher Monsour
Happy holidays, Jeff.
December 27, 2008 dave MOJO
Partner has a twist hand. I wouldn’t pass because I might get them to bid one more. If partner has 6-5 in the minors she would bid NT so partner should have five spades. I bid 4S. Granted, I don’t relish a spade lead, but she could have a sequence in them or another natural lead, or we might push them to five hearts/
January 19, 2009 Mark
5D, if more people bid in response to partner’s takeout doubles, it would be good step toward world peace.
December 29, 2009 DaveMilw