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