Monday 25 March 2013

Crush the Opposition

There's been a few hands with Anna lately where I've made a bold penalty double of a partscore. Not unreasonably, Anna has taken these doubles as takeout and she's bid on. This is a shame, as it means we missed out on a chance to crush the opposition.

So, I've been thinking about when we can safely make a penalty double.

1. After partner opens/overcalls 1NT, your doubles are penalties.

If partner opens 1NT, then you know he's got points and a few cards in each suit.

WNES
-1NT2♥?

South has

♠ K 9 8
♥ Q 6 4 2
♦ A 4 2
♣ J 3 2

Time to double for penalties. If partner has overcalled 1NT it's the same, but he has an even stronger hand, so you need less. For example:

WNES
1♠1NT2♠?

With the hand below, South can also double for penalties.

♠ J T 9 4
♥ A 4 3
♦ Q T 4
♣ 5 4 3

2. If partner's already doubled for penalties, your doubles are penalties.

WNES
1NTx2♥?

South can bid, if he has a very long suit and doesn't want to defend. A balanced hand with a few points Should double:

♠ A J 2
♥ Q T 3
♦ 8 7 6 2
♣ T 3 2

3. After partner preempts, your doubles are penalties.

Partner has described his hand well with the preempt, so the only possible meaning for your double is penalties. You need a really good hand here though, as partner doesn't have much.

WNES
-2♥2♠?

South has:

♠ Q J 9 8 3
♥ 5
♦ A K 3
♣ A Q 3

and can double for penalties. I was on the wrong end of a double like this against Jake, in the second hand here: Weighing In.

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