Ilya
, I modified your suggestion
to not include the 5 level. Is that OK ?
2008-01-07 06:24
Hand Evaluation – Doubles ( captaincy )
PITBULLS:
Once you
have described your distribution & limited hand to partner & she
doubles the opponents , captaincy rules apply when forcing pass theory does not
apply. She knows more about your hand than you do of hers ,
so the double is trump
stack penalty. In our system ,
we have discarded “up the line bidding” in favour of showing our
distribution. We rebid 1NT with a balanced hand so if we bid a suit , we are showing distribution. We are describing our
hand to partner , so partner knows what to
reasonably expect. Therefore , trump stack penalty
doubles apply in auctions due to captaincy considerations where we do not necessarily
own
the auction. This is why pre-empts or pre-emptive
bidding are an exception to D.S.I.P. theory. Partner is always the captain
opposite a pre-empt , so she has trump stack penalty
double rights.
A 1♥-P-2♥-2♠
4♥-4♠-P-P
X
should
be penalty based on captaincy considerations.
Take this
auction for example. Everybody vul ,
1♣-1♦-1♥-P
1♠- 2/3♦-X
. Opener has described 9 or 10 black cards so what more is there to say ? There are no unbid suits left , so a double to clarify responders hand is meaningless
as partner has already described her hand. Responder is an unlimited captain
of this auction , so she has rights to make a penalty
double. There is no reason for a D.S.I.P. double as distribution around the
table is a known factor. Also , there is no hint
of competing as responder is unlimited. Whether responder is unlimited should
have an effect on D.S.I.P. double theory. There is a school of thought that a
double by an unlimited hand should be
co-operative penalty rather than an offensive hand type.
In keeping
with the captaincy concept , a NT rebid is an
unambiguous auction. You do not need a D.S.I.P.
competitive double to clarify things , as the 1NT
rebid is quite
descriptive with a tight range.
1♣-1♦-1♥-P
1NT-2♦-X
By virtue of the 1NT rebid & responders unlimited status , we have transferred captaincy to responder. Therefore , the double of 2♦ is for penalty.
Quite often
these “captaincy doubles” adhere to the over/under rule.
We are behind their suit when we make our trump stack penalty double. Anyway , the double is penalty as partner has given us
enough information for us to do our dastardly deed. As with pre-empts , partner has already described her hand , so
captaincy enters the picture. Trump stack doubles are not totally dead in these
auctions.
The most
common “captaincy” situation in Bridge is a simple raise of a major
with opener bidding or jumping to game. If the opponents now interfere belatedly , opener is captain as obviously she knows the
situation better than you do. A double in these situations can be of the
forcing pass variety if the previous auction deemed it to be such
. However , if the auction was not competitive
or forcing passes not involved , captaincy should apply rather than D.S.I.P.
doubles. You need a truly competitive auction for D.S.I.P. doubles to apply. Ilya Kuzkin advises to modify
“captaincy” in favour of D.S.I.P. competitive doubles as long as the rank of
their suit does not force the auction to the 5 level. This means that without active competition
in these simple major raise auctions
, a double of 4♣,4♦
& 4♥ is
D.S.I.P. , however a double of 4♠ would be penalty as that forces us to
the 5 level. With active competing up to the game level ,
even a double of 4♠ is D.S.I.P. though nv vrs vul.
Along with the same theme of no “up
the line bidding” , Tom Gandolfo has some ideas for
1♣-P-1♦ auctions
where they bid in the sandwich. Since we do not play up the line bidding , how do we show good balanced openers without a
stopper in their suit after they have bid in the sandwich position ? Tom suggests playing a double to show balanced hands without
a stopper in their suit . Since we do not bid a major with a balanced hand , Tom says use a double to show these hands. Tom
suggests a pass would only be made when holding their suit & waiting for a
re-opening double to convert for penalty. A 1NT rebid of course
, shows a balanced hand with a stopper in their suit.