The above hand, from the Monday IMP game at the Royal Overseas League last night, seemed familiar, but I cannot quite put my finger on why. Perhaps I am just imagining it.
Nothing was alerted. Apparently, North-South were playing transfers over the takeout double, and 1S was a hand that would respond 1NT in simpler methods. Declarer was a very strong player, and T-shirts with his name on are much sought after, but he was in an occasional partnership. He took the restricted choice line in diamonds after getting to hand later with a heart and made his contract - an unsurprising +11 IMPs on these limited values. North had advised East before the opening lead of the failure to alert, but there was no defence.
North was asked why he did not raise to 4S, and he replied that this partnership did not play 3S as natural (2S would have been forcing after a "1NT" response) and he treated it as a fragment, and he was uncertain whether fragments should be alerted. He was asked why 3S could not be a self-splinter for diamonds, and he indicated that the pair did not play splinters in competition. South was asked why he did not correct to 4S and he said that he was worried there would be four top losers there, and the pair did not play serious or non-serious slam tries. In fact they were neither a serious nor a non-serious partnership. The CC was silent on the meaning of 3S. How do you rule?