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  • Double or overcall?

    From James Dow Allen@user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid to rec.games.bridge on Tue Dec 2 10:56:12 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.bridge


    Is this group completely defunct? :-(


    RHO opens 1 Club and you hold
    AQJ KTx K8xxx xx
    Do you call 1 Diamond or make a Takeout Double?

    I like to have at least one 4-card major when I double, but would do it
    here anyway.
    My Diamond suit is horrible, and I'd be delighted to hear partner show a major. If partner has xx Qxxxx Txx AQx and hears me bid 1 Diamond I expect him to raise and NOT introduce Hearts. No?

    But the consensus at BrudgeBase seemed to be that overcalling in the 5-card suit
    -- even a lousy suit like this one -- is almost automatic.

    Cheers,
    James
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  • From John Hall@john@jhall.co.uk to rec.games.bridge on Tue Dec 2 16:46:23 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.games.bridge

    On 02/12/2025 10:56, James Dow Allen wrote:

    Is this group completely defunct? :-(


    It only gets a post once in a blue moon nowadays.


    RHO opens 1 Club and you hold
    AQJ KTx K8xxx xx
    Do you call 1 Diamond or make a Takeout Double?

    I like to have at least one 4-card major when I double, but would do it
    here anyway.
    My Diamond suit is horrible, and I'd be delighted to hear partner show a major.
    If partner has xx Qxxxx Txx AQx and hears me bid 1 Diamond I expect him to raise and NOT introduce Hearts. No?

    That does seems likely, but even so I'd sooner bid 1D than double. Alter partner's hand slightly and give them
    xx Qxxx 10xxx AQx
    and now they are likely to respond to a double by bidding hearts, which
    is unlikely to end well.


    But the consensus at BrudgeBase seemed to be that overcalling in the 5-card suit
    -- even a lousy suit like this one -- is almost automatic.
    It would be interesting to put it to a bidding panel of experts and see
    what they came up with.
    --
    John Hall

    You can divide people into two categories:
    those who divide people into two categories and those who don't
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