[Hanoi5]

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Is the last double for take-out? Is it for penalty?

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Is the double for penalty? (What would 2♥ mean instead of double?)

What if you play that after a NT bid all doubles are for penalties (ugly isn't it?)

And what are DSI doubles? Where can I find info about them? What about 'look at your hand and decide' doubles?

[Quartic]

I don't know what the double on the first hand should be.

On the second hand, with some partners I have the agreement that double of a natural overcall of our 1NT is takeout; with other partners it is penalties. It shouldn't matter whether it was 2nd or 4th seat who overcalled. I don't know what a 2♥ bid should mean in either case - I would always have transferred with a 5 card ♥ suit (or bid garbage stayman with a 5-4 hand). I would not want to introduce a 4 card suit now, except perhaps via a takeout double.

[bigbenvic]

All based on what agreements you have.

1st one t/o makes no sense (to me), you've bid 2 suits between you and you passed a NT bid to play.

I would like to play it as penalty based not on a trump stack but probably 3 card suit and values just below an invite to game. - If he had 4♥ he'd bid 1♥ instead of 1♠ (if 4/4) or bid 2♥ (non forcing) over the 1nt!

2nd hand I play for t/o - opener could have a penalty pass waiting here! With no shortage and not many points I pass and if partner wanted a piece of it tough (if I'm not short and he has a trump stack they probably won't play in 2cX anyway!)

[Codo]

1. This double is very penalty orientated in the context of the bidding. To me this could be a good 3 card heart holding with a good overall strength. On a lucky day, this is 54xx and partner refused to bid hearts for a reason.

2. This is take out, because the default meaning of X is take out.

[Yu18772]

1. Penalty, probably more or less balanced with maximal hand (not necessarily ♥ tricks).
2. Partnership agrement - I prefer t/o at 2 level and penalty at 3, but play either way with different people .
Yu

[Elianna]

Hanoi5, on 2012-March-15, 20:30, said:

And what are DSI doubles? Where can I find info about them? What about 'look at your hand and decide' doubles?

DSI doubles are "Do something intelligent" doubles. Another name for them is "Blame transfers". Basically, they say "pick something to do, and I'm going to blame you if you're wrong". I think it would be better to have strong, general principles than to make your partner guess and be ready to pick him/her apart when he/she guesses wrong.

I don't know if much bridge literature has been written about how to use them constructively.

[quiddity]

I would certainly play the first double as takeout - probably 2 small hearts and 9-10 points or whatever. Playing this as penalty seems bizarre to me.

[bluecalm]

I have no opinion on 1st one, other than it shows extras.
On 2nd one I think t/o is better. 2♥ would be 4 hearts and a hand unwilling to leave opponents in 2H doubled, probably shapish minimum, something like xxxx KJxx Jxxx x.
Imo to make those reopening doubles in such sequences you need a hand which is happy to play there if 1NT bidder has 4 decent trumps and pass.

[nigel_k]

I much prefer playing all of these low level doubles for takeout. You don't get many situations where maybe a penalty double would be a more useful agreement and it is just so much less prone to misunderstanding.

[kgr]

Hanoi5, on 2012-March-15, 20:30, said:

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Is the last double for take-out? Is it for penalty?

Takeout: f.i. 5143

Hanoi5, on 2012-March-15, 20:30, said:

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Is the double for penalty? (What would 2♥ mean instead of double?)

Takeout
2♥=4c♥ and 5c♦; f.i:3451

Hanoi5, on 2012-March-15, 20:30, said:

What if you play that after a NT bid all doubles are for penalties (ugly isn't it?)

then it is penalty, but ugly yes...and then you should still agree that it is TO here.

[FrancesHinden]

Well, clearly they are whatever you have agreed them to be, but for me

- the first shows a balanced maximum, it obviously doesn't have four hearts. I would expect opener to pass most of the time but he can bid with a low doubleton heart and otherwise a good hand
- the second is the same as whatever you've agreed to play in the direct seat. I would assume take-out is normal, but if you've agreed to play penalty doubles after they overcall 1NT, then it's penalties.