Friday, June 30, 2006 4:43 AM

Hand Evaluation - Slam Undoubles

PITBULLS:

If you have bought into D.S.I.P. theory , it is an easy extension to doubles/undoubles of slams. The cue for undoubles is did they voluntary bid a slam to make ? There is no need to double a slam ever for penalty per se in IMPS. You do not need to be a cop & enforce good bidding. If the opponents bid a horrible slam that you know is going down , just take your gift & put the green card on the table. The penalty is at the wrong end of the IMP scale even if you do beat the voluntarily bid slam doubled. In an auction where partner has overcalled or opened & bid two suits , a double of a freely bid slam is an undouble. If partner or you were not in the auction , the double is lead directing. A penalty double of a voluntary bid slam simply does not exist unless you own the auction via forcing pass theory. This is similar to D.S.I.P. theory in that a trump stack double in a competitive auction as the initial action does not exist. You do not own the auction , they do.

If you have the slightest doubt whether they are making their slam you can usually take out cheap insurance. BJ Trelford held this hand tonight ♠AQxxxx ♥void ♦KQ1098x ♣x & opened 1♦ . They overcalled 2♣ , I passed . They leapt to 4♥ so BJ bid 4♠. They voluntarily bid 6♥ & I double. This double is saying lets bid 6♠ unless you have the contract beat in your own hand . I held ♠J1098 ♥xx ♦xx ♣Qxxxx so I want to sacrifice in 6♠ but I do not want to do it from one side of the table. The undouble is a perfect bid saying that I have no defense , I want to sacrifice but you have the final decision partner. BJ has a simple 6♠ bid which could get out for one down –100 against 6♥ making . Most of the field got to 6♥ making so the undouble wins you 14 IMPS . Leaving in the double loses -7 IMPS for –1210. This is a 21 IMP swing so a decided victory for D.S.I.P. theory with slams.

Enforcer doubles have no place in IMPS even not at the slam level.. The auction goes as follows :

1♦-P-1NT-X

2♦-2♥-3♦-P You hold ♠xxx ♥Kxxx ♦KQ9 ♣xxx so do you make an “enforcer double ? Partner is

3♥-X-P-P a passed hand so she should hold 10 HCP for her double . They can not be prime defensive

4♦-? tricks as she chose not to compete with a D.S.I.P. double or compete to 3♥. You do not double partials in IMPS for a one trick set. You have two defensive tricks so you are relying on a passed hand partner to come up with 3 defensive tricks on an auction where the opponents have made a game try. No , these doubles should be reserved for match points. Doubling with this hand gets you minus –710 so a 12 IMP loss. Partner held ♠J1098 ♥Q10xx ♦xx ♣AKJ which was a very reasonable passed hand for this auction. Do not be a bidding cop & enforce bad bidding unless the odds are very much in your favour for a two trick set or more !!