Did you double this one?

Board 15 from Wednesday 6/12/2017 Dealer S NS Vul

	72 KQT32 KJ62 63
JT96 AJ854 A4 J5		Q3 96 Q973 KT942
	AK854 7 T85 AQ87

If you were West, would you do anything when South opens 1S?

I suspect that nearly everyone would overcall 2H. What are the pros and cons for such an overcall? For the overcall: West has 11 HCP and not vulnerable vs vulnerable, seems harmless enough. The length in spades suggests that partner may have heart support. Against that, you have four spades and if partner does not have heart support, you will have spade losers. If opponents bid to a high level in spades, you have good defensive values, so you don't want partner getting carried away if she has heart support and opponents bid to 4S. All things considered it seems the best option is to overcall 2H.

Now turn your attention to North. If partner opens 1S and West overalls 2H, what would you do? You would no doubt like to penalise West for their temerity in overcalling a suit that you have such great cards in. But just how can you do that? Sixty years ago, all you had to do is say “Double” but today, if you double, it is a TAKEOUT double and partner will bid, either rebidding spades or a second suit, a minor. You can't play a double to mean two different things.

So, North passes,with no other bid available. When this comes back to South, North must hope that South has the understanding to make a takeout double, rather than rebid spades or another suit. South's takeout double should be easy to find: either North has nothing of interest, or North has passed because North is stacked in hearts. If the latter, West will be annihilated. This should be a very clear situation for South to read if North and East both pass.

I note that there was just one West in 2H doubled at the Hutt club, down four, with another West in 2H passed out down four, still a good result for NS, and others in 2S by South, no doubt after 1S-2H-PASS-PASS and a rebid of 2S by South. That suggests that NS in these cases did not have a proper understanding of the takeout double as it should be played by the most experienced pairs. Bidding like 1S- then a 2C, 2D, or 2H overcall and two passes should pretty well automatically elicit a double from opener, unless of course opener has good cards in the overcalled suit.