Stop Doubling Backwards!

A strange convention has come to my attention. I don't know where it came from but I'd like to send it back.

Consider this auction:

West	North	East	South
1♥	Pass	2♣*	2♦
?

*Natural but forcing to game (2/1 style).

If you don't play 2/1 then imagine another GF auction, say:

West	North	East	South
2♣	Pass	2♥	2♠
?

Do you do this?

Action	Meaning
Pass	Either penalties or doesn't fit double
Double	Takeout/Support
Bid	Lots of shape

This is what I call a backwards double. You have to pass when you want to double and double when you want to pass.

A takeout double asks partner to take action because you feel it is right but don't have a suitable bid yourself. Asking partner to bid in an auction that is already forcing makes little sense. I suggest the following system:

Action	Meaning
Pass	Nothing to say
Double	I want to penalise
Bid	Suits or shape worth bidding

The money or the slam

This exciting hand came up this week in a club session. I was North, playing teams, EW are vulnerable and I picked up this:

♠	A J 6 5 3
♥	A K Q 3
♦	-
♣	K 8 7 4

A nice hand no doubt and further improved when partner opens a strong club. I respond 1♥ showing a positive with 4⁺ spades and LHO bids 2♠! Doubled back to me:

South	West	North	East
1♣	Pass	1♥	2♠
X	Pass	?

I hate these decisions, you have no idea whether the player knows he's bid your suit. At first it looks clear to pass but if East has ♠KQTxxxx they may come to 6 tricks. Down two is a poor result compared to a round suit slam even at these colours.

South	West	North	East
1♣	Pass	1♥	2♠
X	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	Pass	4♣	Pass
5♣	Pass	?

Showing suits I finally locate our fit. Do I have a raise to 6? Given partners bidding he figures to be 1345 or 1354 with 15+ highs. Correct or not I raised and then sent back the double.

South	West	North	East
1♣	Pass	1♥	2♠
X	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	Pass	4♣	Pass
5♣	Pass	6♣	Pass
Pass	X	XX	End

The redouble is routine, if our opponents reach 6♣ undoubled it costs just 2 imps if we're down one and gains 5 if we make. How do you proceed on the ♠9 lead?

	♠ A J 6 5 3 ♥ A K Q 3 ♦ - ♣ K 8 7 4
	♠ K ♥ 7 6 2 ♦ A Q T 5 2 ♣ A Q T 9

What hand fits this auction?

I was sitting at the table preparing to play a contract when all of a sudden it was snatched away from me.

West	North	East	South
2♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
Pass	4♦?!

What hand type do you think the 4♦ bid shows?

I thought it might be a heart void. North having discovered that both their red suits are in fact diamonds suddenly has a bid.

What about this hand:

♠	Q 8
♥	A 3
♦	K T 9 7 5 4 3 2
♣	6

Would you come back in on the strength of an 8 card suit?

What about this shape:

♠	-
♥	T 4
♦	Q J T 9 8 3
♣	K Q J 8 2

Could you bid 3NT for takeout instead?

Or does this auction simply not exist?

Communicating

	♠ A T 6 ♥ T 5 2 ♦ A K J 9 ♣ 7 6 4
♦ Q		♠ J 8 ♥ 9 ♦ 7 6 5 4 3 2 ♣ K J T 9

North opened a weak no trump and South asked for a major. When North failed to deliver South bid 2♥ and played there.

My parter led the ♦Q.

Dummy hits and although the Queen would normally ask for reverse attitude it's pretty clear what I think of them. But I can give suit preference and since I like clubs more than spades I'll play small. Haha, like I have a choice holding six to the seven; I play the deuce.

Declarer starts with a heart to my nine, the Jack and partner takes the Queen. Some thought later a small club appears, I put up the ♣K and it holds the trick. Looks like partner was watching and has under led the Ace. I wonder if he would like two ruffs.

If partner started with ♣AQxx I can get in again with another club. I play the ♦3, declarer follows and partner trumps. More agonising from partner then a club to my Jack holds.

Declarer ruffs my next diamond with the ♥8. Bother, looks like it would have been better had partner held the nine.

	♠ A T 6 ♥ T 5 2 ♦ A K J 9 ♣ 7 6 4
♠ Q 5 4 2 ♥ A Q 7 4 ♦ Q ♣ A Q 8 3		♠ J 8 ♥ 9 ♦ 7 6 5 4 3 2 ♣ K J T 9
	♠ K 9 7 3 ♥ K J 8 6 3 ♦ T 8 ♣ 5 2

Still, declarer ruffing that diamond means it's no good for a second spade pitch. In the end declarer must lose a spade, three hearts and two clubs failing by one trick.

Communicating

110 to North/South ± 900

What is it that causes people to lose control? To wrath, to passion, to Gerber?

Boards like this next one do a fine job. All over the room seemingly controlled and disciplined players suddenly exploded into tangled auctions and aggressive doubles.

To get an average board North/South need to score +110:

Vul: All Dealer: East	♠ A K 8 4 ♥ K 7 3 2 ♦ K 5 4 ♣ A 4
♠ T 9 7 5 3 2 ♥ T 4 ♦ 9 8 6 ♣ 9 3		♠ Q J ♥ A Q 9 ♦ A J T 2 ♣ K Q 8 6
	♠ 6 ♥ J 8 6 5 ♦ Q 7 3 ♣ J T 7 5 2

+110 isn't unreasonable given 21 high card points and an 8 card major fit. But lets look at a smattering of real world scores:

Contract	Declarer	Result	Score
2NTx	E	=	-690
4♠xx	W	-2	+1000
3♥x	N	=	+730
3♣x	S	-1	-200
3♠x	W	=	-730
4NT	N	-3	-300
2NTx	N	-3	-800

On a board where, Deep Finesse will assure us, no contract above the two level can be made, where no-one has a wild shape and where the points are evenly split the scores vary from the median by 900 points in both directions.

What happened to me? Well I was West, holding the zero count, preparing to pass throughout when:

South	West	North	East
Pass	Pass	1♥	X
Pass	1♠	1N	X
2♥	?

My first and second opportunities to squeak were about as exciting as picking up zero points. Is any one tempted to compete now? I was.

South	West	North	East
Pass	Pass	1♥	X
Pass	1♠	1N	X
2♥	2♠	Pass	2N
Pass	3♠	X	End

Can't say I'm happy with how that turned out but the defense to legitimately defeat 3♠ is impossible to find (and homework for double dummy people!) and so I chalked up a 730 against our unfortunate North South.

Softly Softly

Sometimes the slowest auctions are the best:

♠	Q 4
♥	A J T 8 6
♦	J 7
♣	8 7 4 2

Right hand opponent opened 1♣ and I passed. I know it's match points and we're not vul and blah blah blah. I'm not bidding.

This gets round to partner who bids 2♣, spade Michaels. Spades and one of the reds with intermediate values or better. Right hand doubles:

West	North	East	South
1♣	Pass	Pass	2♣
X	?

Partner almost certainly has the pointy suits and if so we'd like to play in spades. However there is a small chance partner has hearts, how best to find out? Pass! Partner will pull the double to her red suit and then we'll know.

West	North	East	South
1♣	Pass	Pass	2♣
X	Pass	2♦	Pass
Pass	?

West thought for a long time before passing. If partner has spades, diamonds, a good hand and we have hearts sewn up they're probably not making this. Two down won't get us a good score but two down doubled will.

West	North	East	South
1♣	Pass	Pass	2♣
X	Pass	2♦	Pass
Pass	X	Pass	2♥
Pass	?

Partner looking a little exasperated bids 2♥. That changes everything, we might have all twenty major suit points. I bid the game:

	♠ Q 4 ♥ A J T 8 6 ♦ J 7 ♣ 8 7 4 2
♠ A 9 3 ♥ K 9 ♦ T 6 4 ♣ A K Q J 5		♠ 7 6 2 ♥ 7 ♦ A 9 8 5 3 2 ♣ T 6 3
	♠ K J T 8 5 ♥ Q 5 4 3 2 ♦ K Q ♣ 9

First highest of your shortest and weakest

Playing rubber bridge is frustrating. The better the hands that you're dealt the better you score regardless of skill level. Picking up hands like:

♠	T x x x
♥	J x x x
♦	8 x x x
♣	9

gets you down. Listen to the auction (you're West):

West	North	East	South
-	1♣	Pass	1♦1
Pass	1♥2	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	End

1. Transfer to hearts
2. Accepting shows 3+ hearts

The opponents have a declared 7 card heart fit and South has effectively denied a 5th heart or a four card spade suit. What are you going to lead?

You must lead a club!

Partner has values, otherwise you'd be leading to 6NT. But if partner is balanced you can't hope to set up enough tricks to defeat this contract. And if partner is unbalanced then he would have overcalled any suit good enough to establish.

Except in clubs!

Tabling the ♣9 partner's eyes light up. He never imagined that you'd lead to his KQJTxx. The Ace of diamonds served as an entry and down the contract went.

No rafters to swing from

Playing a high variance system normally yields wild results. Not bad results mind, just a lot of imps traded.

Turning up to the club teams this week clutching my Electric Ant system card I was hoping for some fireworks. 27 boards later and we were +4 on the datum with no swing larger than 6 imps.

Nothing happened. Nothing. All night.

One of our 6 imp pickups was on this hand:

	♠ 9 4 3 ♥ K 6 ♦ Q 5 3 2 ♣ K Q 7 6
♠ A J T 7 ♥ A Q J 8 7 ♦ K J T 7 ♣ -		♠ Q 8 6 5 2 ♥ T 4 ♦ 9 6 ♣ 9 8 4 2
	♠ K ♥ 9 5 3 2 ♦ A 8 7 ♣ A J T 5 3

After an auction that went something like:

West	North	East	South
1♥	Pass	Pass	2♣
X	2♥	Pass	3♣

The defense started on hearts making 9 tricks comfortable. I never drew trumps instead playing side suits to end in a high cross ruff. The datum of -120 indicated that very few EW pairs found the comfortable spade game.

Maybe the auction our team mates had was more common, at their table the heart opening was passed out! A few lapses in concentration from the defenders and they had 10 tricks. 7 imps to the good guys.

If you don't get the cards to swing the games there's nothing you can do but play tight and hold the little wins.