19
December 2016 English Bridge
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.