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A Dangerous Double.

Among the many uses of the word “double” is the “lead directing" type. Such a double can be very successful in suggesting an opening lead or in finding safe discards during the play. The disadvantage is that it gives valuable information to the declarer as well.

Let’s say you reached 6NT as South in an uninterrupted auction and West led J:

Your first reaction on the sight of dummy is that since you can ruff a club in the South hand, you would much rather be in 6, even 7 if the diamond finesse worked. In 6NT, you have 11 top tricks and a successful diamond finesse would make 12. You would win K, unblock your top hearts, play two top spades, cash the remaining hearts and if the opponents do not discard very helpfully, take that diamond finesse. There are still slim chances if the finesse fails, depending on the defence's discards.

However, a lengthy sequence took place with West doubling a 5 bid made by South. That was why South elected to play 6NT which they would declare as opposed to 6 with North at the wheel and a diamond lead.

West led the J. How would you plan the play? The heart break is 3-2 with West holding three. The odds on that diamond finesse working have reduced dramatically.

This deal occurred in one of the recent Canberra Swiss Pair events and the declarer was the young Kiwi, Jack James. There was to be no diamond finesse!

It was important for later in the play where Jack won trick 1. He took A in the North hand, unblocked his high hearts and played AK before playing off the two remaining heart tricks. Jack discarded two diamonds from his own hand while East threw three diamonds (discouraging with their first discard and indicating a three card suit) while West threw a spade and a club.

Thus, after 8 tricks, these cards remained with the lead in dummy:

On the play of the Q, Jack discarded 7 and West 9. Jack crossed to dummy with K (hence the importance of winning A at trick 1) and exited with 7 to West who was forced to lead into AQ at trick 12.

Had West discarded9 instead, Jack would have still discarded dummy’s small spade but would then have played a diamond to the ace, dropping J from West. A diamond exit to the now bare K would force West to lead a spade to Jack’s 2 remaining winners, K and Q, and 12 tricks in all. Much more fun, in a macabre way, of making a slam, than simply ruffing a low club in 6!

So, a lead-directing double can sometimes be a great idea but it carries a risk that a declarer can play the board as well as Jack did here. The four hands were:

 

Although it appeared to West that their opponents were heading to 6 by North, the double gave South an option to make their hand declarer. Of course, that proved a tougher contract to make and West could count themselves unlucky, though had 6 been the final contract, East-West were never going to record a plus score. "Nothing ventured...nothing gained."

Richard Solomon

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