Tuesday, January 17, 2006 10:49 AM

Location , Location & Location

PITBULLS:

I learned my Bridge from the rubber Bridge tables . A huge source of income in that game is doubling bad players. In close games , you listen to the bidding and if they bid an invitational game and your cards are “sitting wrong “ for them , you double. What do we mean by sitting wrong ? Lets borrow a term from real estate and assume location , location & location. If your honour cards are behind their suit with length, this location has badly diminished the value of their hand. This means their finesses are going to lose and their suits are breaking badly . Numbers like +800 and +1100 were not uncommon and at 5 cents a point this added up to real coin.

Playing with a tormentee tonight who was obviously not well versed in real estate principles. She doubled the opponents when from the bidding her cards were “sitting right” for declarer . She doubled 3♥ when she held the club king and her LHO had opened clubs and with the KJ of hearts when LHO had bid hearts. From the bidding there is a high probability that the cards are sitting right for them ! In addition , I had shown a two suiter possibly a 6-5 and she had length in both my suits. A recipe for disaster and it was as we received the expected –530.

A few hands later with everybody vul , I opened 2♠ and LHO doubled. The tormentee held 14 HCP and a doubleton spade so she quietly passed rather than redouble. The opponents went into a Lebensohl auction and LHO showed no values. Location , location and location again as her 14 HCP are sitting behind their expected 14 HCP. It is like doubling a strong 1NT opener when your points are behind the opener. Location is everything. Anyway the tormentee was short in my suit , had 4 of their suit and was behind the probable 14 HCP hand who doubled. She passed and we beat the contract 4 vul for +400 . Unfortunately there were some aggressive pairs who got to 4♠ & 3NT for +620 & +630 respectively so we were close to a zero. +1100 would have been a top of course.

How do you evaluate a hand for a penalty double ? HCP’s , length in their suit , defensive tricks ( controls) , HCP’s , level of the contract and did I mention location ? Doing simple arithmetic does not hurt either. I am vul for my weak two so give me the high end of close to 10 HCP . Give 15 HCP for the doubler now add your HCP’s to the mix. You have 39 HCP accounted for !!. Have you played contracts at the 3 level with one HCP opposite 15 HCP when there has been 14 HCP behind that hand. 3 or 4 down will be the norm.

In match points , match point doubles come into play. If you have 14 HCP , there is a high expectation that partner will make +140 in spades . With your 14 HCP’s sitting right for declarer making our partial or even game is a certainty. If they play the hand in 3♥ and go one down undoubled they will get a top as +100 beats +140 . In match points, a pass is an impossible bid. You must be beating the contract two to compensate for your own result so a “match point” double is in order. In any form of Bridge your hand is a penalty double , as they took a risk in entering our auction and lost the gamble. Nobody expected 14 HCP’s for your two passes. In fact , players re-evaluate their hand depending on the auction during the bidding. if the auction dictates that cards are “sitting right” for you , a close game can be bid. It is not out of line to redouble and bid game with this hand as the opponents have told you that all the cards are on side. Any trump honours should be onside and the doubler is short in that suit.