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Responding to partners double…

Say the auction has begun (1  ) - Dbl - (1  ) - ? (as responder to the doubler). Right-hand opponent’s 1  has removed your necessity to bid - it has cancelled the double. But do not be reticent, especially if you have length in an unbid suit (especially spades, a major, and one that can be bid cheaply), with honours outside the opponents’ suits.

Be particularly bold in this fourth position when the opponents have bid and supported a suit, for if they have a fit, so (almost certainly) do you.

Notice that the third hand (below) passes despite holding more points than the first two. Can you think of reasons why?

Exercise: (1  ) - Dbl - (2  ) - ?

Hand i) Hand ii) Hand iii)

♠ Q J 10 7

9 8 3

Q 10 5 3

♣ 6 4

♠ 10 9 7 5 2

7 4 2

 5

♣ A 8 6 2

♠ 6 4 2

Q J 3

A 5 3 2

♣ 9 7 3

Calls: 2 ♠ Calls: 2 ♠ Calls: Pass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a) It would have to bid (diamonds) at the three-level.

(b) It has a barren shape.

(c) The heart honours are more suited to defence (where they are almost bound to score a trick), than play (where they rate to have little value).

Take West's cards and defend this hand. 

South Deals
None Vul
10 9 3
K 9 4 2
J 9
J 10 6 5
K Q J 5
7 6
K 8 7
A 8 4 2
 
N
W   E
S
 
6 4 2
Q J 3
A 5 3 2
9 7 3
 
A 8 7
A 10 8 5
Q 10 6 4
K Q

 

West North East South
      1 
Dbl 2 1 Pass2 Pass
Pass      
  1. Support boldly after a double.
  2. Normally a position to be bold. But don’t take the principle to excess - with this barren, defensive hand.
2  by South
Lead:  K

Defending 2  , West led the king of spades. Winning the ace, declarer tried to set up club tricks to discard his spades. Forlornly, because when West won the king of clubs with the ace, he could cash the queen-jack of spades. West switched to a diamond to East’s ace, received a diamond return to his king, and exited passively with a club. It was no good for declarer - he had to lose a third-round trump trick to East. Down one.

How glad East was to have restrained himself from bidding 3  . Cheeky bids like that often go unpunished and - better still - they frequently push the opponents overboard. Not here, though. South would double 3  (for penalties) and the contract would fail by three tricks - losing a spade, two hearts, two trumps and two clubs.

 

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