Bridge in Oz

I picked up this hand today. IMPs, everyone vulnerable.

♠ 107
♥ AQ4
♦ AQ106
♣ KJ32

RHO opens 1♠.

A double seems the least of evils. Ideally you'd have four hearts but they weren't dealt to you. It's best if partner picks a suit, and at worst a 4-3 fit should be playable.

Let's say you double and partner bids 3♥, opponents passing. Now what?

The question becomes, what does 3♠ mean here? You haven't discussed it with your partner. What should it mean?

My general philosophy is that bids should mean whatever is most helpful on balance for the given bidding sequence, while not being weird. In this sequence you will probably want to end in 3NT, 4H or a slam. With 4 hearts you can bid 4♥. With a spade stopper you can bid 3NT.

So 3♠ must mean either you have game values and are unsure of the strain, or you have slam interest. I think it's the right call here.

Partner's first priority is to put you in the right game. Normally they should bid 3NT with a spade stop and only 4 hearts, otherwise 4♥.

Alternatively I think 4 of a minor by partner would show values there with slam interest (because the 4-3 heart fit is likely to be as good as 5 of a minor), and the bidding may at some point reach 5NT as "pick a slam".

This is my thinking based on a few decades of experience, and watching how experts bid. Do you agree?

In my case partner bid 4♥ with this hand:

♠ J62
♥ KJ752
♦ K82
♣ 74

Agreed, takeout double is the right choice. And then over partner's 3H, you bid 3S, to leave 3NT as an option. Not sure about 4-minor by partner now showing slam interest - don't you want partner's 4H to show extra length so you know whether to leave it there? Anyhow, the auction was right on your actual hands.

My thinking is that 4-3 fits are playable, and without a spade stop 4♥ on a 4-3 could easily be the only making game.

But yes, it's asking a lot to think partner will play 4 of a minor as a slam try without prior agreement!

Perhaps it is not even a 4-3 fit. This time partner had:
J62
KJ752
K82
74
Now say you had:
543
A9
AQJ9
AK52
You double their 1S. Partner bids 3H. You cue 3S. Now if partner bids 4H, you pass, and opposite partner's hand you at least have prospects, but if partner has only four hearts (especially if they are shaky ones) you would like partner to be able to bid 4-minor as a natural offer of a suit!

OK I'll agree that partner's 4-minor over 3♠ should be natural. But just for fun let's run with your example where you hold:

♠ 543
♥ A9
♦ AQJ9
♣ AK52

Suppose partner has:

♠ 876
♥ KQJ10
♦ K432
♣ 43

Now 4♥ on the 4-2 fit is the only game that has a chance.