CONTRACT BRIDGE

Cue (NZERS), Issue 28, 31 July 1945, Page 36

CONTRACT BRIDGE

Requirements for Penalty » Doubles, Double a vulnerable overcall of 1 No Trump or two of a 1 minor suit O'S ei a; partner’s opening one bid in a suit holding:

(1) About 2| HT. (2) (Preferably a doubleton or. fewer in partner’s suit. (Three is an absolute maximum.) - ' . y (3) Qxx or better or lOxxx or bettor in opponent’s suit. • This is a. good policy even though you yourself hold a biddable suit. supposing' partner opens One Spade and it .is. overcalled with two diamonds, double holding S.xx H. AKxxx D. Qxx C. QlOx. But if opponents are not vulnerable bid the suit, or-on a. hand without a biddable suit, two No Trumps. It is clear from the bidding •that your opponent’s partner must have practically, a blank hand. The double of two is Still more devastating

when the opponent overcalls your partner’s opening One No Trump. And x you hold about . li HT, no long suit, and three or four of the opponent’s suit. ; As ‘ partner holds 3|-4 HT, and no long suit 3 No Trumps is unlikely, but with 5 HT and six or seven of the opponent’s suit in the two hands he can hardly fail to come crashing down from a great height. , ’; 1 In valuing your hand for a penalty double count: (a) Honour tricks outside the trump suit'.-' ;■ . (b) Guarded honours in the trump suit. ’. • ' ■ - (c) “Certain ruffing tricks. '- z (d) Minimum HT in (partner’s hand

as shown by. the bidding. But under certain circumstances this valuation may lead you astray. In doubling a No Trump bid it must be remembered that ' the bid may be based on one long .suit and stoppers in all the others. To take an extreme case you might hold S. KQJH. IKQJ D.xxx C.KQJIO, but it would not stop a grand slam in No Trumps if your opponent had the other ten diamonds ' and the Aces of the other three suits. In other words if your opponent has time to make his contract before you get in, Honour .Tricks •will be a snare and a delusion. Again, against a suit bid Honour Tricks may prove useless owing to shortages and consequent ruffing. So be wary of putting much faith infilT’s heading a very long suit. 7 _

■. A penalty -doable except at a very high contract should not be ■ ma^s merely on account of a good holding in the opponent’s suit. It must W based on HT strength.. ‘lt is a bid, and should give definite information to tne partner. If it may indicate 21 HT an on the other hand may merely mfßj five or six of opponent’s suit, to T . •honour your. partner has no information on which . to decide Wiethe?. ■ take out or leave the double, - Hi . way the result is apt. to be disas r j Redouble&r-the answer is don’t, liedouble only on a in&t iron don’t. Redouble only on a ta> - certainty where the opponents . no escape suit, unless your is one of those unteachable -idiots, double on principle. - /