What’s your call?
| 2NT | ||||
| 3♣ | 3♦ | 3♥ | 3♠ | 3NT |
| 4♣ | 4♦ | 4♥ | 4♠ | 4NT |
| 5♣ | 5♦ | 5♥ | 5♠ | 5NT |
| 6♣ | 6♦ | 6♥ | 6♠ | 6NT |
| 7♣ | 7♦ | 7♥ | 7♠ | 7NT |
| Pass |
Cohen, who fell out of step there for a couple of hands, slides back into line with 3♣.“Presumably we play support doubles, meaning partner denied three hearts.It’s tempting to bid a natural 2NT, if partner would take it that way, but I’ll just support with support.”
3♣ by Hampson.“No support double by partner makes 4♥ a stretch. Hopefully, partner can move over this with enough to make 3NT.”
Lee: “3♣.I’m not going to pass, and while it is possible we can make 3NT,I think this hand is too soft to try for it.”
Meckstroth: 3♣.“Might be right to bid 2NT.”
Meyers takes the low road with 3♣. “I could bid 2NT, butI’m not sure, if I were raised, thatI could take nine tricks before letting them in.”
Lawrence, too, is a 3♣er.“2NT is a decent second choice – might even be the best choice. Forget the hearts. Partner denied three of them. The trouble is that 2NT requires that partner have an immediately useful hand. The trouble with 3♣ is that it sounds more competitive.”
Kennedy bids 3♣.“If partner has a good hand, hearts may still be in the picture.”
Robinson goes with 2NT.“We could belong in 3NT or 3♣.It would be hard to show hearts, also.”
Falk bids 2NT, despite the shortcomings: “I have only a single stopper and there is no guarantee that we can run clubs. Partner could have, say:
♠x x ♥A x ♦ A Q x ♣Q J 10 x x x
or
♠x x ♥A x ♦ A J x ♣A 10 9 x x x
and 3NT has no play. So I want to leave partner room to maneuver. Partner did not make a support double, so he has, at most, two hearts. Unless the hearts are two honors – ♥A Q or ♥K Q, we do not rate to have a heart game.”
Sanborn, by comparison, is a ray of sunshine.“2NT. We already know there was no support double, so hearts look iffy. The club king is wearing ‘fancy pants,’ and I can easily envision nine tricks.”
The Sutherlins double.“Low-level doubles are takeout when the opponents have a fit. Why guess whether to bid notrump, clubs or hearts? Let’s see if partner can raise hearts with a high doubleton, bid 2NT with a spade stopper or simply rebid clubs.”
“Double,” announces Weinstein. “Extra values, no good bid – isn’t that what double always means? (OK, how about when I want it to mean that?)”
Korbel also doubles to communicate extras without direction.“At least that’s whatI’ll explain to partner as we rack up minus 870!”
