Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - February 22, 2021 - To Double or not to Double

 Question:  Should South double after East’s opening bid?

Vic:

In my opinion South should NOT double. 

If South does double, North should interpret it as Takeout. Takeout Doubles promises an opening hand & "tolerance" in the unbid suits. Spades & hearts are great, but the singleton club is a disaster waiting to happen. South must trust their partner to "balance" (keep the auction open), if West proves to have a weak hand (they do) & North has some points (they do). 

If south does Pass, NS might find game in hearts. The auction might go: 

1D - Pass - Pass - 2C - 2D - DBL (negative DBL - promises 4 hearts & 4 spades & at least 8 HCPS) - Pass - 3H - Pass - 4H - Pass - Pass - Pass 

From a casual observation, it looks to me like NS deserve to make 5H (or at least 4)