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for partner.

Reopening doubles?

I am curious about reopening doubles. In olden days…well, a few years back…you reopened because you were short in the opponent’s suit and therefore had four cards in the other major. If you did not have four cards, you had three and a half…or two?

 

 

You can pass this auction out in 1 or bid and if you bid, do you double?

Our Panel are somewhat divided:

Kris Wooles “Double looking for penalties with North trap passing. My usual treatment for this type of auction.”

Bruce Anderson “Double. pretty much automatic; if I don’t reopen with a double here, partner will never make a trap pass again.

West has only the values for an overcall, albeit he/she could be quite strong, and East could not find a bid.

It therefore follows partner has values but did not bid because they have length in spades and are waiting for me to reopen with a double, which they will pass for penalties.”

 

Offering some advice if our partner is not waiting to penalise:

Andy Braithwaite “ I can’t sell out at Pairs so risk a double and will convert 2 to 3 if necessary. If partner passes my double, I will be delighted with AK, A but doubt that will happen.”

and acknowledging the risk of doubling is:

Michael Cornell “ Double: I know I don’t have hearts but it is unlikely that partner does either. The main risk of doubling is that opponents find their heart fit. However, there is a big chance that partner is trapping  so I am there for him. I am not going to get rich defending a non vul 1 when I am looking at 6 offensive tricks in my own hand. It is love all and there is no better time to compete than when undertricks  are a mere 50 a pop.”

Also raising the danger of doubling is:

Nigel Kearney “Pass: There are two possible scenarios. One is that partner is weak, and with no negative double, opponents have us well out-gunned and/or have a heart which they may well find if given a second chance. The other possibility is that partner has a trap pass and we have a cold game or big penalty. I think the first is more likely.”

Passing got more votes than I expected.

Stephen Blackstock “Pass: With significant reservations, but I am concerned that the heart suit is missing. Any action that allows E/W to find a higher scoring strain would be very costly at Pairs. If North has heart length he is either very weak, and we will not win the auction regardless, or he has a penalty double of 1. I rate the latter case much less likely.

 

On the hand, the old fashioned advice was never to pass out the opponents at the one level because it is right so seldom that trying to guess the right time is not worthwhile. So I am absolutely ready to be wrong here.”

I hope you are ready to be correct, too!

 

Steph Jacob “Pass: reluctantly but it seems to me that it is likely LHO has got the stuff and the potential to have a heart fit. I've heard nothing from partner, so I'm just going to leave this alone.”

 

Peter Newell “Pass: good problem, as there are 3 other options that I would consider: 1NT, 2, and 2. Let's start with what partner has.

Partner couldn't bid over 1, so is unlikely to have 6+ points unless has considerable spade length. Partner probably doesn't have 4+ hearts and 6+ points or a hand suitable to bid 1NT or raise diamonds.  On this basis it looks quite possible the opponents have a heart fit, and if not possibly a spade fit, and it looks like we are probably outgunned. Therefore, I think there is a reasonable chance the opponents are better off in hearts than spades.

 

It could be wrong, and maybe we should try and push the opponents up and  we could make 3 of a minor but I'll guess to pass. If I bid, I would lean towards 2 as we may have a club fit and if we do likely we will want to compete to 3.”

2? It does not feel right if partner is waiting for a re-opening double or even if they have very few hcp. It did attract:

 

Leon Meier “2: As much as I'd like to double, I don't want to hear 2 from my partner. I bid 2.”

There certainly is a risk in doubling and there was an even bigger risk in bidding one’s second suit. There was no safe place for North- South after the 2 bid and no plus score for them even if they passed out 1, though that was their best option.

 

At the table, South did bid 2 and North elected to pass that. East was so scared of a total misfit that they too passed out 2! West was not unhappy especially when East scored a second round ruff with their solitary trump. An alternative good result could have been achieved by West leading K at trick 1.  The eventual result, without South doing anything particularly wrong in the play was down 4, -200, not great for any part-score deal.

North was kind of waiting for a re-opening double but East would not have stayed silent had it come. 2 would have been a playable making contract as many of the Panel suggested. West would even enjoy playing 1, doubled or not, despite the bad spade break though 2 would have given East-West a better score.  

silence...can be golden!

It seems that knowing when not to re-open with a balancing double, or bid, is quite an art though the lack of 3 or 4 cards in the other major is a sign that reopening may not be such a good idea.  

Richard Solomon

 

National Swiss Pairs in Auckland (Sat/Sun 4th/5th November): entries close 10.00pm Wed. 1^st November.

Auckland-Northland Regional Chair Person, Grant Jarvis comments:

“With current 29 tables it will be one of the biggest face to face non congress events since before Covid and has a great field drawn from all over the country.  So a genuine national title for the winners.

 

We are delighted with the entry numbers (double those of both f2f NI Pairs and National Teams) and there are too a number of lesser grade players who are up for the challenge.”

 

Entries on this website.”

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