IMP scoring; this is the South hand:



W/NS
♠ K Q J 10 2
♥ 7 4
♦ A 5
♣ K J 3 2

What is your bid?

A 3♠
B 4♠
C 5♠

A 3♠ (6 votes)
3♠ is a candidate for the 'underbid of the century' competition. After North's double South is obliged to bid. Therefore 3♠ shows nothing! He would bid 3♠ holding for example:

♠ 5 4 3 2
♥ 4 3 2
♦ 4 3 2
♣ 4 3 2

North will anticipate on such a South hand by passing, even if he has something in reserve for his double (say 16-17 points; his double showed at least good opening strength). NS will miss game this way, probably even a slam.

Practice shows many players go wrong after partner's take-out double. They tend to bid like after partner's opening bid. They don't realise the two bidding situations are completely different. 
After partner's 1♥ opening, our 1♠ reply is forcing, showing six points or more - possibly many more. Therefore partner will bid again. The bidding is being 'built up'.

After partner's double we must show our strength (or the lack of it) at once. Any bid in a suit without a jump shows 0-7 points. Holding less than 18 points partner will therefore pass that bid! There is no 'building up' of the bidding!

B 4♠ (38 votes)
4♠ is a lot better than 3♠. At least NS are in game now...

C 5♠ (38 votes)
5♠, inviting for slam, seems the best bid to us. Since partner has doubled for take-out while being vulnerable, he will certainly have these important honour cards: the ♠A, the ♦K and the ♣A. 
5♠ conveys this message: 'Please bid 6♠ if you have a control in hearts.' This is a rather commonly agreed meaning for such a jump to five in a major after the opponents have bid a suit. (There is another possible meaning of the bid: 'Please bid 6♠ if you have a good spade suit: I have lots of side suit controls but my spade suit is comparatively weak.' Partner can always see in his own hand which case applies.)

Finding out whether 7♠ is on, is difficult. Perhaps North can initiate a try for the 'grand' after South's 5♠ bid.


Did you consider other bids than the three above? 4♥ perhaps? Or 4NT?
- Many would bid 4♥, a cuebid. The term cuebid is not univocal. It is used for either 'bid in the opponent's suit' or 'control showing bid'.

The latter is used after the trump suit has been agreed on, which is not the case here.

So 4♥ would 'only' be a bid in the opponent's suit here (it would therefore neither confirm nor deny a heart control). But that does not make it a good bid! In most partnerships it means 'at least two place to play' (so South would show two or more possible trump suits or one possible trump suit plus a guard for no trumps). South would show doubt about the trump suit therefore. So 4♥ would deliver the wrong message here, South is not doubt at all: spades must be trumps!

Unless you have special agreements about the 4♥ cuebid (and the follow up bids!) our advice is: do not use it here!

- 4NT is wrong (using common methods). It is not Blackwood but shows the minor suits (by the way: even if it would be Blackwood it would be wrong since South would not know what to bid if North showed two aces).