Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Remember that.
This comes up a lot:
LHO opens 2D (natural).
Partner makes a takeout double.
RHO passes.
You hold:
Kxxx
Qx
Jxx
KQxx
What do you bid?
This is a no-brainer — of course you bid 4S. Okay, maybe you’ll go down one, but is there really any intelligent alternative?
Partner tables:
xx
AKxx
Kxx
Axxx
After you go down 3, partner laments: “I was afraid you might bid spades, but I couldn’t pass with 14 points…”
Really? Why not?
The hard part to swallow is that maybe 1 in 10 times an off-shape double will produce a superior result (especially when it’s the opponents making the off-shape double).
But I promise you that 10 out of 10 times you will be destroying partnership confidence — you might as well be playing solitaire.
One final note — if you absolutely cannot bring yourself to pass with partner’s hand, at least try bidding 2N instead of doubling.
