AUCTION BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 45, 22 February 1929, Page 6

AUCTION BRIDGE.

TAKING OUT A DOUBLE.

(By A. E. MANNING FOSTER.)

"I never take my partner out of a busincs> double," said a player with an air of conscious rectitude. "I take it that lie knows what lie is about, and I am not going to shift the call."

Now this sounds very well, hut it will not really bear analysis. Kven supposing all j'our partners know what they are about—an enormous supposition!—almost all doubles are based upon probability, not upon certainty. The finest double may come "unstuck"' through a freakish lie of the cards. How often does one hear, after un unsuccessful double, the remark, "I should have gone on with my suit, partner, if you had not doubled." Can anything be more illogical? The player would have continued calling his suit, but because his partner doubles, thereby proclaiming that he holds some extra-concealed tricks, he is put off going on calling. Yes, you may say, he may prefer penalties to game. That may be right if lie' can see substantial penalties, and it is not rubber game, but the point I am making is that it is ridiculous to bo put off continuing your call because your partner has doubled the opponents, if you see that from your hand it is desirable that the game should be played in your declaration. How often does one see a game hand and big honour score sacrificed for a paltry penalty of 100 or even 200! lhe take-out of a double, while involving a certain amount of judgment, is not really difficult. Suppose you hold a hand containing Ace. King, Queen, Jack to six or seven Spades, and "vour partner has supported you to "three," and* the opponents bid "Four Hearts," whicli your partner doubles. You should take him out of the double and call "Four Spades." Why ? Because your hand is not likelv to bo of much good against a Heart call. It is obvious that you ami your partner hold most of the Spades. One of the opponents i» likelv to be short or bare of the suit. You may make one Spade trick and one trick outside, but your hand may be worth only one trick against Hearts. In any ease, your good Spade hand is going to prove worthless, and, even if you get them down one or two tricks, it is not going to be much good to you, and you lose your honour score. That is the idea. But the take-out becomes more necessary still when you have made a secondary or later call on a long suit headed bv Queen, .Tack. Here, if your partner has supported you and then doubled your opponents, it is incumbent on you to take out the double, as you mav not be, and probably are not, worth a single trick in defence. Sometimes, even though you know you cannot make your contract, it is advisable to take your partner out of what appears on vour hand a risky double. Here is a case. A anil B between thctn had called "Four Hearts," Y and V. "Four Spades," which B doubled. A held eight Hearts to the King, .lack, 10 and nothing else of value. He should have called five Hearts, as it was very unlikely lie could make a single trick in the doubled Spades. In the rubber game, especiallv if the score is game all, take your partner out of a double if you can see game and rubber yourself. however tempting the double may be. I know some players and authorities do not agree with this, and advocate always taking a substantial double. But experience has taught me the contrary. My advice is: Alwavs take the rubber when you can get it.