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What double means.

One of the difficulties of the bid “double” is that it means different things at different times of an auction. When the opponents start with a suit at the one level, “double means “please bid your longest suit, partner. I have an opening hand.” However, that might not be the case when that opponent opens or even overcalls 1NT and your partner doubles. Watch…

 

1NT showed 12-14 hcp. What does West’s double mean and what should East bid?

The double should show better high card points than the opening bid (in this case 15+ hcp) and should leave it to their partner, you, to take appropriate action. It does not promise tolerance for all unbid suits as the double of a suit bid should. If East has a has a long (5+ card ) suit and a weak hand, “weak” being less than 5 hcp, then they are probably correct to bid that suit. If they have no 5 + card suit, or they do but have 5+ hcp, then the best action of the doubler’s partner should be to pass. It was certainly right for East to pass with the hand above, even with only 5 hcp.

The 1NT opener will probably pass as well and the battle will commence:

 

West made a good lead for the defence, 2. Declarer may as well play low and hope East has to play a high honour. However, East won the trick with 10 and switched to Q.

South did well by playing low and then playing low again when East continued with 6. However, West also defended well by playing A and when East played a discouraging card, continued with K forcing out South’s ace.

At this point, South was in big trouble. With West having most of the defence’s high card points, the best South could do would be to lead a low heart away from the AK. West would win that trick and continue with another low club.

Poor South should have cut their losses at that point by going up with A and taking three heart tricks which along with the two black aces is all the tricks they would get. That is down 2, -500, a terrible result when the opposition cannot make more than a part-score. At the table, declarer did not take A and the defence ended up with 3 spade, 3 diamond, 2 club tricks and Q…-800. Sometimes, one just has to cut one’s losses.

This deal shows why it is a great idea for East to pass the double of 1NT. They may only have 5 hcp but they know their partner has a minimum 15 and their side has at least half the high card points. Of course, sometimes, the distribution favours the declarer but it is certainly a good idea for the doubler’s partner to pass rather than bid 2, a 4-card suit.

East-West can just make 2 but that only scores +110. Think before you bid. There may be a better result from passing. 

Richard Solomon

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