Shangai hands

Shangai hands (9) - A slight mystery

The French Ladies, i.e. the reigning champions of the Venice Cup, made a slow-ish start in Shangai, but they seem to get going. At Round 9 they trounced USA II, one of the main contenders, 25 to 0. One of their gains, Board 8, is a slight mystery to me.

--------
Brd 8    6
South    AKQ8
None     J84
         QJT84
         Cronier
KQ8542             T9
75                J96432
QT6             952
32             96
Eythorsdot       Pollack
         AJ73
         T
         AK73
         AK75
         Willard
 W   N   E   S
================
             1D
 1S  X   P   2S
 P   3C  P   4C
 P   4NT P   5D
 P   5NT P   6D
 P   7C  P   P
 P       
--------

Efficient bidding led to the laydown slam. Nothing to remark here. The mystery was at the other table, where the Americans took 500... from 2S doubled! Unfortunately, gremlins were at work in Shangai, for the connection was lost during this board so the auction was not preserved. But when we peruse the scorecards from the other table, the mystery thickens, for we find the 2S contract quite often: in the Venice Cup, eight of the 22 N-S pairs let their opponents play 2S doubled for a meager 500!
How could this happen? South opens 1C and West makes a 2S weak jump overcall, and North offers a negative double and South... passes? This seems to be the only explanation but somehow I cannot believe it.

Nikos Sarantakos

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