[MickyB]

Oppo are vul at IMPs and bid

1D:1H
2D:2N [INV NF]
3H:3N

Should double ask for a diamond lead?

I believe it is standard for it to do so after 1D:1H, 2D:3N, but here they've rather staggered into game - especially as it's vul at IMPs and opener may have stretched to accept in case partner had five hearts. My instinct is that it will be right to double this frequently on stuff like KQx in diamonds, but only if this won't induce partner to lead one!

[gnasher]

I don't think the double asks for a diamond lead in either of these auctions. In both cases it simply says that they aren't going to make many diamond tricks, and you want partner to make a sensible lead given that knowledge. Often that will just be his natural lead.

[MickyB]

gnasher, on 2013-April-12, 04:01, said:

I don't think the double asks for a diamond lead in either of these auctions. In both cases it simply says that they aren't going to make many diamond tricks, and you want partner to make a sensible lead given that knowledge. Often that will just be his natural lead.

Ok, thanks. Is that because dummy has shown a 6+card suit?

[gnasher]

MickyB, on 2013-April-12, 04:14, said:

Ok, thanks. Is that because dummy has shown a 6+card suit?

Yes. When you have a stack in the opponents' intended source of tricks there's not usually a compelling reason to lead the suit, but there is good reason to believe that they're going down.

I think the double does say that it's safe to lead the suit, so KQx is taking things too far.

[han]

I was thinking exactly what gnasher wrote.

[JLOGIC]

Yeah seriously this is the most auto spec X auction ever. Most people don't do it but I would guess that this auction should be doubled at least something like 20 % of the time. Basically any time I have 2 diamond tricks behind dummy I would double.

[JLOGIC]

gnasher, on 2013-April-12, 05:35, said:

Yes. When you have a stack in the opponents' intended source of tricks there's not usually a compelling reason to lead the suit, but there is good reason to believe that they're going down.

I think the double does say that it's safe to lead the suit, so KQx is taking things too far.

Boo!!

Mickyb I think you are smart and are on the right track, I have spent my life doubling with KQx on this type of auction and am convinced it has been really good for me.

You are exactly right, they are often stretching to bid game when one hand has a 6 card suit, and they are often stretching with the 3H bid on the basis that their partner might have 5 hearts so they really need to show their 3 card heart suit. Basically, their range is extremely weak to begin with so if you know something is going unlucky/bad for them, that alone should make it a double (and this will frequently beat them multiple tricks).

This has the meta-game implications of people being (rationally) more conservative in bidding close games against you. It's cool to bid a 22 HCP 3N with a long suit and a possible second fit rather than play 2N, it's not so cool if you're often getting doubled when you're wrong. The long term gains of making doing stuff like go from +EV to -EV are very good in a long match. The same applies to invitational/weak range auctions when you know their trumps are 4-1. For instance, against me I am sure it is right to double the auction 1N 2C 2H 3H 4H 90 % of the time that trumps are 4-1. My range for the invite is very weak, and my range for the accept is also fairly weak (once you're in 3 might as well bid 4 and hope you fit well AMIRITE?!). This would change if people just always doubled me when trumps were 4-1 obviously but so far Peter Fredin is the only one I've played against who I felt like would do that.

[PhilKing]

Information leakage in this thread.

[steve2005]

never mind