Bridge Tip #30
by Mark Blumenthal on
June 28th, 2009
There is such a thing called an action double. Assume you happened to opened three hearts hoiding this hand, 3, AQJ10875 7, K862, non vulnerable against vulnerable . LHO bids three spades. Your partner bids four hearts. It goes four spades to your right. Although the preempter is not supposed to bid after his initial call, you could now double. You probably have a trick on defense and more playing strength than you figured to have from made your initial bid . With good defense( such as one trump trick and an outside trick. ) your partner could leave it in or, save in five hearts if it seems your partnership has with little chance to beat the contract. These doubles are used in competitive auctions in which you are not sure whose hand it is. I would not use an action double unless I were playing with a partner I was sure would fully understood what I am doing.
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Hi, Mark!
I think in today’s tournament climate you would find in the neighborhood of one percent of players preempting to only 3H at favorable vul on your example hand, with the remaining 99 percent split between opening four (or even Namyats) or one.
Otherwise, I agree with your action double recommendation, of course.
Ed,
That’s why I wrote, “Assume you happened to open three hearts,,,”. I needed a clear example for what I was writing. I didn’t at all recommend the bid or state it was likely to occur.
I thought most people would be playing Lightner (showing a void in an unbid suit) in this position.
We have a partnership agreement – a double by the preemptor suggests extra offense. This applies when the preempt has been raised, or when we open at the four-level.
If you would open 2S on both AKJ10x x xxx xxxx and KJ109xx x xx xxxx, then an auction like 2S – Dbl – 3S 4H needs to involve both players. Doubling with the second example lets partner convert with a trump stack, but bid on with most other hands.