19

December 2016 English Bridge

www.ebu.co.uk

After (1™)-2t-(2™)-P, (P)-Dbl, East can bid 3®,

a very pretty contract that cannot be defeated. After

the inferior (1™)-Dbl-(2™)-P, (P)-3t, there's not

going to be a happy ending for East-West.

Although the overcall-then-double (for take-out)

is generally preferable to the double-then-overcall,

sometimes your hand is simply too strong for a

mere overcall. Eighteen/nineteen points is the

approximate cut-off. Hand C is simply too strong to

overcall 2t - there is too great a risk of missing

game.

Let's have a look at a typical layout where you

hold West's Hand C.

Answers:

Hand A should Pass.

Hand B should bid 2t, planning to double for

take-out at his second turn.

Hand C should Double.

Footnote:

A few pairs in England, and most French pairs, play

Equal Level Conversion (ELC) where (1™)-Dbl-(P)-2®(P)-2t

shows little extra perhaps a 4-2-5-2 14-count.

Playing ELC, West is probably best bidding 2NT over 2®,

showing a 'balanced' 19-21.

´ 7 4 2

™ 7

t Q 10 8 7

® 9 7 6 5 4

´ A Q 8 ´ 6 5 3

™ A 9 6 2 ™ Q J 3

t A K J 6 2 t 5 3

® Q ® K J 10 3 2

´ K J 10 9

™ K 10 8 5 4

t 9 4

® A 8

N

W E

S

If you bid merely 2t over South's 1™ opener, the

bidding will end right there. You'll make it easily

enough, but you've missed the opportunity to win

game.

Andrew's Tip

Unless very strong, overcalling your suit then

doubling is normally a better route than

doubling then overcalling. r

PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2015-2016

CONGRATULATIONS to Alexander Allfrey and Andrew Robson, who have jointly won the 2015-16

Player of the Year Competition.

Players must gain points by finishing in the top places in the most prestigious events on the EBU

calendar. Alexander and Andrew won the Harold Poster Cup Swiss Pairs event at the Eastbourne

Summer Meeting, were part of the winning team in the Schapiro Spring

Foursomes, and were in teams which were runners-up in the Crockfords

Cup and Premier League.

1st= Alexander Allfrey 41 6th= David Bakhshi 29

1st= Andrew Robson 41 6th= Tony Forrester 29

3rd Jason Hackett 35 6th= David Mossop 29

4th=David Gold 30 6th= David Price 29

4th=Justin Hackett 30 6th= Colin Simpson 29

Over 140 players scored points this year. The full list can be seen at tinyurl.com/zfq2jbw

If you double, the bidding will go as follows:

(1™)-Dbl-(P)-2®, (P)-2t-(P)-3NT. West's doublethen-bid

shows a hand too strong to bid the suit

first time - around 19 points (see footnote), so East

can jump to 3NT. This contract will make. South

leads the jack of spades and East, declarer, finesses

dummy's queen, then leads the queen of clubs and

overtakes it with the king (play low and South can

duck). South wins the ace and continues with the

king of spades. Declarer wins dummy's ace and

leads a low heart to his queen. South wins the king,

cashes the ten-nine of spades (dummy throwing a

diamond and declarer a club) and exits safely with a

diamond. However declarer can win dummy's ace,

cross to the jack of hearts, cash the jack-ten of clubs

discarding diamonds, then lead a heart to the nine.

Dummy's ace of hearts and king of diamonds bring

the trick tally to nine. Game made.