2007-07-25 17:28


Hand Evaluation – Balancing ( Over/Under rule )

 

PITBULLS:

 

             How you play doubles when the opponents balance depends on whether or not you play competitive doubles. When the opponents are just sticking their nose into your auction , the double is penalty. Hands are either unlimited or limited in an auction . When a hand is unlimited ( yet to be heard from) , we are not competing in an auction. The double is penalty ( forcing pass theory )  in those instances. A limited hand with a fit  ( simple raise ) does not have penalty double rights whether they are in front of the bidder or behind the bidder. This is in accordance with the nature of the competitive double. When they have hit your side suit with your limited hand , hope partner re-opens with a double. Not playing competitive doubles , all doubles of balances are of course penalty.

 

            There are certain auctions where we have limited our hand within a very defined range in possible misfit auctions so we modify D.S.I.P. competitive doubles in accordance with the over/under rule . When partner opens 1NT & they balance , we know partners hand pretty well as it is an unambiguous 15-17. Since we have minimum ambiguity to deal with , a double is D.S.I.P. competitive when we are in front of the balancing suit .  When we are behind the suit , a double is penalty. This understanding is for NT auctions only.

 

One of a major & a simple raise gets passed out to a balancing double or suit. Our simple raise limits our hand , so it is reasonably unambiguous . Does the over/under rule apply ?. You double in front of their suit , it is a D.S.I.P.  competitive double . However , a double behind the suit is also D.S.I.P.  competitive by definition. We do not give a limited hand with a fit  penalty double rights which is certainly not standard.  In ambiguous auctions , the double is always D.S.I.P.  competitive as you have to announce your overall strength first before doubles become penalty later in the auction . A D.S.I.P. competitive double quite often “sets the table” for a penalty double later in the auction. This of course implies competitive auctions where forcing pass theory does not apply.

 

The most standard application of the over/under rule is after you have made a forcing 1NT. They bid in the sandwich position & around to you in the re-opening position. A double is not penalty as Bridge is played in a clockwise direction so you are in front of the suit. Re-opening doubles are a classic example of the over /under rule.

 

            I was playing with a new convert to D.S.I.P. competitive doubles ( low level ) the other night & Osama opened 1♣ . This was passed around to me who balanced with 1NT. This is a reasonably unambiguous bid as most NT bids are . Osama could not stay out of the auction so he bid 2♥ which was doubled. This double is not D.S.I.P.  competitive as you are behind the bidder & we define his 2nd bid as a competitive balance. In addition , I bid 1NT which is an unambiguous bid . Partner held 12 HCP’s  with ♥Qxx  so she doubled . Osama went 4 down for –800 & a top for us. D.S.I.P. competitive doubles are useful , but good old fashioned penalty doubles are not extinct. This is the reason for the over/under rule. If the 2♥ bid was passed around to me & I doubled , it would be D.S.I.P. competitive as I am in front of the heart bidder.

 

            Ilya Kuzkin has come up with an idea. He says apply the over/under rule with pre-empts also ( weak two or three pre-empt ) . When the opponents balance with a suit & it comes around to you in the re-opening position , penalty doubles do not apply as your are over the bidder & took no action in the first place. Thinking that you can set their contract two tricks when you never even bid after the pre-empt is indeed rare. Ilya feels it is more useful to play the double as tolerance for partner’s suit & a request to play the hand somewhere. In rare cases , the pre-empt can even convert for penalty !!  What if they re-open with a double after partner’s passed out pre-empt ? RHO bids a suit & partner doubles. The doubler is over the suit in all probability ,  so this sequence should be penalty via the over/under rule. Partner knows the pre-empters hand quite well so let them play the misfit doubled. This is the penalty double defined by captaincy.