Bridge Tip # 12
Especially in match points always pay attention to your and the opponent’s vulnerability in balancing or competing for part scores. If if you are vulnerable in matchpoints you have to be slightly less aggresive in these auctions. You don’t want to risk going your oppenents doubling and setting you one for minus 200 which figures to be a very bad result in a part score hand If you are not vulnerable you have a little safety because going down one, doubled is 100 which is less than the opponents can get unless they can only make exactly 1NT or two of a minor. Of course, you have to be pretty sure you may go down only one. If you go down two vulnerable you’re giving your opponents + 200 even if they don’t double. Similarly, if you go down two doubled nonvulnerable you figure to be getting a very bad score
If you think you have a decent chance of beating vulnerable opponents two in a part score hand you should be reluctant to double as so doing so will give you a probable top if you defeat it but result in your getting a probable bottom, if you don’t . By the same reasoning you should be more aggresive doubling nonvulnerable opponents.