Alerting doubles
Consider the competitive auction 1s - (2h) - 2s - (3h) - X.
Many players would consider X here to be a game try in spades. Others might more naturally play it as penalties.
Under the latest laws of only alerting such doubles if they have "an unexpected specific message, e.g. relating to another suit, or number of controls, weakness in bid suit" would either of the above cases require the double to be alerted?
I suspect maybe the former, but not the latter.
How reasonable would it be of oppos to claim damage if not alerted?
Comments
I think this falls under a bid you wouldn't expect to be alerted in most cases and, if you're aware of the regulations, you should be asking about the meaning. Although given the restrictions of the auction so far, there's only so much difference between the hands opener have, they've got some kind of 1S opener with extras and no obvious bid. For many, I think that would be the meaning.
Maybe the game try in spades would be argued to be specific, but it seems quite general to me. And hardly unexpected when they've found a fit in spades. I think if it said something specific about the heart holding, or maybe if it was specifically choice of games, that sort of detail might be an alert.
I think the game try meaning would be alertable under the "unexpected specific message" rule – although maximal doubles are somewhat commonly played, I'd expect most club players to have never heard of them, and the meaning isn't related to the suit being doubled at all.
For what it's worth, I think the takeout meaning here is "I'm not sure we want to play in spades", which is certainly possible (opener is playing Acol and had a strong notrump with four spades, and responder could plausibly have three), although I don't think it's the meaning that most pairs choose.
Here in the sequence of the bidding given as above, I would consider the double by a player to show extra values as they found a fit in spades. A direct raise to 3S would be showing no extra values and just competitive. In neither cases, this will be alertable. It will be open to the opponents to ask a question at his/her as to the nature of their partnership agreement and/or understandings.