Learning Curve GS
Jade Barrett
 
Why bid when you can double? Despite its many advantages, the double is often misused and misunderstood. Not surprising when you consider how many different doubles there are: Take-out, Penalty, Negative, Support, 1 Suit Takeout, 2 fast losers, Action, Responsive, Snapdragon, Maximal, Negative Slam Double, Non-support, Lead Denying, Lead Encouraging, Optional, DOPI, Value, Roth-Stone, ELCD (Equal Level Conversion Double, now there's a mouthful), Balancing and that's just the common usage ones. Maybe you should just bid, after all.
 
I panic whenever my sister Connie doubles, and while I am sure that she knows what she means, I rarely have a clue. A few years ago we had the following auction: 1H - X - 1S - P. I felt pretty good at this point, considering I held xxx xxx xxxx KJx and was now off the hook. The auction continued 2H - X - 2S - and I was able to breath and P again. Now LHO passed and Connie doubled a third time. While my RHO passed, I was left to contemplate my fate.
 
The first Double was clearly takeout, the second one was takeout, too. The third double made me nervous. Could it be takeout as well? If she had started with 5-5 in the minors she would have used the unusual NT (I knew this because we had just spent a half-hour or so discussing that device before the start of the game and this was our first board of the evening), so I was sure that she did not have that type of hand. I was left to presume that she held something like 4-2-3-4 and 19 or so HCP, or maybe 3-1-5-4 with 17 or more. In either event I had to bite the bullet and bid. In these circumstances I bid my length and hope for the best. I placed 3D on the table in as confident a manner as I could possibly employ, only to have my sister raise me to four. After agonizing for several minutes I elected to bid game (hey, if I went down it wasn't my fault she bid so much and if I made it, I would be responsible for bidding it brilliantly) and was relieved to have no one double. The opening lead was made and Connie put down AKQ 2 KQJT5 AQ63, only 21 of the finest. After I sheepishly claimed making 5, my sister asked me if she had bid her hand accurately and I allowed how she may have shown all of her cards. I asked her what she thought she had said during the auction and she translated.
 
Double #1: Please bid your best suit, partner.
Double #2: Bid your best suit.
Double #3: Bid the damn suit now!
 
I asked what she would have done if she were faced with a fourth opportunity to double and she said that she would want to double, but would have had to pass. I suggested that she would be utilizing admirable restraint. "Not really", she said. "My bidding box only has three red cards, and I don't think it’s fair that yours has five."
 
I had not had the chance to grab the remaining ones, yet.