Another argument against doubling here is that you know partner may have very litle, unless the opponents are stopping in 3S. Imagine also the effect of partner starting off with the HQ from As thinking you’ve got KJ10xx or similar when the will expect the lead to set up fast tricks!
Regards
Iain
Iain ClimieDecember 21st, 2021 at 12:33 pm
And a further point is that modern players can have a 5 card major in their 2N openers. Even with a saner double (e.g. based on KJ10xx), South with an appropriate holding may just redouble for blood with very expensive consequences if North has more than a couple of points.
Iain
Steve ConradDecember 21st, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Club games and money games are different animals. If playing for money, such doubles win nickels and lose big bucks, making an unsound double disaster-prone now and then . . . BUT in a club game such unsound doubles must pay off quite often, because I see such doubles with increasing frequency. My favorite bid there is redouble, but how often do I get to do that? Not often enough to stop them from their Young Turk bids. In fact, last month, someone doubled 2C with Axxx of the suit and I did not have the right cards for a redouble. These are the viruses of bridge. Perhaps I should begin to call such bids Covid inspired because they are risking death for no particular reason I can discern.
Steve ConradDecember 21st, 2021 at 12:46 pm
In fact, I loved this column 🙂
bobbywolffDecember 21st, 2021 at 2:28 pm
Hi Iain & Steve,
Far be it from me to add any byproduct to what you both together emphasized.
Furthermore, since East had a little something for any suit his partner might select, why should he justify his specific choice, when he could help any suit West chose?
In this case, perhaps I would like to hope for a trump lead, giving me a chance to false card with the queen, therein creating an unsuspecting declarer to next, possibly finesse into me, playing West for leading from Jxx, not an impossible choice. especially if he was dealt that combination and NS were dealt both the 10 and the 9, or even just the dummy being dealt the honor, 10.
Message sent: Try not to be overzealous with lead directing doubles, when in fact it is not called for: such as nothing but high hearts, preferably with length and AK or KQJ and very little to nothing in other choices.
Also Steve, I appreciate your loving today’s subject matter, plus and, of course, your right-on dire reference to today’s world wide pandemic.
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Hi Bobby,
Another argument against doubling here is that you know partner may have very litle, unless the opponents are stopping in 3S. Imagine also the effect of partner starting off with the HQ from As thinking you’ve got KJ10xx or similar when the will expect the lead to set up fast tricks!
Regards
Iain
And a further point is that modern players can have a 5 card major in their 2N openers. Even with a saner double (e.g. based on KJ10xx), South with an appropriate holding may just redouble for blood with very expensive consequences if North has more than a couple of points.
Iain
Club games and money games are different animals. If playing for money, such doubles win nickels and lose big bucks, making an unsound double disaster-prone now and then . . . BUT in a club game such unsound doubles must pay off quite often, because I see such doubles with increasing frequency. My favorite bid there is redouble, but how often do I get to do that? Not often enough to stop them from their Young Turk bids. In fact, last month, someone doubled 2C with Axxx of the suit and I did not have the right cards for a redouble. These are the viruses of bridge. Perhaps I should begin to call such bids Covid inspired because they are risking death for no particular reason I can discern.
In fact, I loved this column 🙂
Hi Iain & Steve,
Far be it from me to add any byproduct to what you both together emphasized.
Furthermore, since East had a little something for any suit his partner might select, why should he justify his specific choice, when he could help any suit West chose?
In this case, perhaps I would like to hope for a trump lead, giving me a chance to false card with the queen, therein creating an unsuspecting declarer to next, possibly finesse into me, playing West for leading from Jxx, not an impossible choice. especially if he was dealt that combination and NS were dealt both the 10 and the 9, or even just the dummy being dealt the honor, 10.
Message sent: Try not to be overzealous with lead directing doubles, when in fact it is not called for: such as nothing but high hearts, preferably with length and AK or KQJ and very little to nothing in other choices.
Also Steve, I appreciate your loving today’s subject matter, plus and, of course, your right-on dire reference to today’s world wide pandemic.