18 English Bridge December 2016 www.ebu.co.uk
Y
ou are West after South opens 1™ with
neither side vulnerable.
South West North East
1™ ?
Here are three possible hands for you to hold and
my question is:
DOUBLE, BID OR PASS?
You'll have to play 2t doubled - and you will be
doubled: North will pass over 2t, South will reopen
with a take-out double, and North will (happily)
convert it to penalties by passing. North-South will
win their ace-kings plus three trump tricks: down
four. Against a mere part-score. Enough said.
On Hand B, the choice lies between doubling and
bidding 2t. Before you decide, let's compare the
likely auctions for the two actions, assuming North
is about to bid 2™ (the single likeliest development,
you'd have to think).
1. (1™)-Dbl-(2™)-P, (P)-3t
2. (1™)-2t-(2™)-P, (P)-Dbl
The second auction is clearly better. You have
imparted the main feature of your hand (the
diamonds), and your second-round double shows
the support for both black suits in a hand with extra
values. You have painted a virtual blueprint of your
hand at the two-level. If partner has flat rubbish, he
can go to 3t, but if he has five cards in a black suit,
he can bid that suit and you've found your fit.
Elegant.
Far more elegant than the first auction, where
you're already at the three-level, giving partner no
appetising option much of the time.
Let's have a look at a typical layout where you
hold West's Hand B.
The low level double by Andrew Robson
Double, Bid or Pass?
Double, Bid or Pass?
click
link
Hand A Hand B Hand C
´ J 2 ´ A Q 8 ´ A Q 8
™ Q 8 2 ™ 3 ™ A 9 4 2
t A K 6 3 2 t A Q 9 6 3 2 t A K J 6 2
® Q 9 2 ® K 10 5 ® Q
Hand A is clearly unsuited to a take-out double
(with just two spades), so the only decision is
whether to pass or overcall 2t. And in truth it's no
decision: you wouldn't get a single top player
bidding 2t with that defensive junk.
Think Tricks not Points. Your hand could take just
two or three tricks facing the wrong dummy.
Let's have a look at a typical layout where you
hold West's Hand A.
Dealer South.
´ 10 6 5 4
™ 7 4
t Q 10 8 7 5
® A 3
´ J 2 ´ Q 9 7 3
™ Q 8 2 ™ J 10 6
t A K 6 3 2 t 9 4
® Q 9 2 ® J 10 7 4
´ A K 8
™ A K 9 5 3
t J
® K 8 6 5
N
W E
S
´ K J 9 4
™ J 9 6 5
t 10 8 5 4
® Q
´ A Q 8 ´ 10 7
™ 3 ™ Q 7 4 2
t A Q 9 6 3 2 t 7
® K 10 5 ® J 8 7 4 3 2
´ 6 5 3 2
™ A K 10 8
t K J
® A 9 6
N
W E
S