Wednesday, August 04, 2004
5:03 PM
Hand Evaluation – Was that a Penalty Double ?
Have you ever heard (or participated in) a
discussion like this after a "creative" double had backfired?
EAST: Minus 670!
Partner, how could you pass my double?
WEST: I thought it was for
penalty.
EAST: No, no, no. It was penalty-oriented and
cooperative.
WEST: You mean it was mainly for
takeout?
EAST: Not exactly. It showed transferable values.
WEST: So can I pass it, or can't
I?
Just a few decades or so ago, Bridge players
seldom had this type of misunderstanding. Back then, there were only a few well-defined situations
where a double was takeout, so almost all other doubles were "for
business". The penalty double was called a “shut out” bid & you were expected to pass. Do not pull my penalty
doubles
In recent years,
competitive bidding has become much more
lively, players have developed new meanings for many
old-fashioned penalty doubles.
Some modern doubles -- including negative, responsive, support and maximal --
are conventional so apply only in
clearly defined situations. Others -- including those called cooperative -- aren't as easy to define because they are
often used in more complicated auctions.
These modern doubles make competitive bidding more
flexible and accurate, but they also create more opportunities for
misunderstandings, even for established
partnerships. There are so many uses for the double now that it's
virtually impossible to discuss every situation that might come up at the
table. Instead, many players develop general "default" agreements
that can apply to a wide range of auctions.
The modern practice
seems to be "when
in doubt, it's takeout". If you follow this general approach, it's easier to define your penalty doubles than to discuss all the auctions where a
double is something else. You can start with this list, which summarizes some
"universal" default agreements. These are basic situations where
(barring a convention or partnership agreement to the contrary) most players
assume that the doubler's intention
is penalty: “
Penalty ( trump stack ) doubles only
apply in certain situations . They are as follows :
1. Forcing pass situations – we own the hand which includes redoubles , 2♣ , 2/1 , running from penalty conversions etc
2. Pre-emption involved - We have opened a weak two or
other pre-empt which includes toys like unusual 2NT or Michaels etc. Can mean
we just leapt to game.
3. If we have trapped or
they have psyched ,
& the double is “obvious” that it is a trump stack ( misfit auction
, no unbid suits , late in the auction , bidding a suit for which partner has
made a T/O double )
Some captaincy
situations where the double must be penalty.
4. Over-under Rule - They have balanced after our NT or other auction and we are “over” the suit ( Bridge is
played in a clockwise order )
D.S.I.P.
doubles apply in all other situations
except where conventional doubles
apply ( negative doubles , support , maximal & responsive dbls ) . These
conventional doubles are perceived as “disciplined “ D.S.I.P. doubles anyway .
Do not forget that we do not “own
the hand” or its too tough to
determine in D.S.I.P. situations
. D.S.I.P. doubles are designed to assist us in
competitive auctions where they own the hand or nobody knows . When
we own the hand , Forcing Pass Theory applies.