Announcing Negative Doubles: BB4G (2024)
We play that after an overcall, if there is exactly one unbid major, then a double guarantees exactly 4 cards in that unbid major (and nothing about other suits).
According to BB4G, I should announce:
1D - (1H) - X as Spades
1C - (1S) - X as Hearts
but not:
1H - (2C) - X, or
1S - (2D) - X
As they only guarantee 4, not 5.
I'm either misreading the last bullet point in BB4G1, or nobody is doing this.
Comments
One member of the Regulation Committee is doing this.
It is difficult to write a regulation which distinguishes
So the L&EC more-or-less gave up. They didn't mind if no body announced 'spades' or 'hearts' in your first sequences.
Thanks, Robin.
What is the regulation aiming at? I presume there are some players using a system that this would cover.
I do this. My partner (National TD) was surprised when I first did.
The proxy regulation for doubles is aimed to cover a set of a agreement where pairs who play transfer responses to a opening bid, also play transfer responses in competition, starting with the lowest available call (but keeping Pass to show nothing).
ion
So 1C (1H) X = spades, 1S = "transfer to NT", 1NT = clubs, 2C = diamonds. The negative/take-out doubles would perhaps be bidding 1S. X/1NT/2C would be announced as "spades", "clubs", "diamonds".
Make that Gordon and at least one other member of the Regulation Committee is doing this
Thanks, Robin
I admit I don't announce these even though I know what the regulation says. No-one seems to bother with it and I don't want to come across as a pedant.
It's definitely impossible to write a general regulation that does the right thing. For example, I like to play 1C (1D) X as showing exactly 4 spades (so 1S promises 5 but 1H can be 4). That's very unusual and certainly needs some kind of alert or announcement. But the exact same agreement over a 1H overcall is totally normal (even taught to beginners) and is widely regarded as being a variety of negative double, not a transfer/proxy.
My opinion is that 4B2 ought to contain an explicit exception for 1m (1H) X and 1m (1S) X, when played with their usual "negative double" meanings.
Confusion
Unnecessary complication
Unenforcability
Allegations of cheating (you announced that earlier but not this time...)
...
Would be rather amusing if someone makes a takeout double
e.g. 1H - X and partner announced it as "Spades, Clubs and diamonds" (assuming it guaranteed 4 spades and 3 of the minors and couldn't be the precursor of strong balanced/ unbalanced hands).