Tuesday, January 10, 2006 5:15 AM

Hand Evaluation – Doubles ( D.S.I.P. Theory )

PITBULLS:

What is D.S.I.P. competitive double theory ? We have written over two hundred articles on the subject but what it is it exactly ? What these competitive doubles entail is a brand new way of competing in the game of Bridge with all competitive auctions up to but not including the 5 level. We divide the Bridge playing field into three camps. Auctions that we “own” due to the strength of our bidding , the auctions the opponents own & auctions that we do not or may not. In the auctions we own , forcing pass theory is the law of the land with ownership. In the competitive auctions , D.S.I.P. double theory takes over. The auctions they own & the 5 level , from our perspective old fashioned trump stack penalty doubles apply.

D.S.I.P. competitive double theory is based on the re-definition of the penalty double. With the old way of competing , the penalty double meant I have their suit so let’s not compete anymore. The double was designed to discourage further bidding. The D.S.I.P. competitive double is just the opposite. The D.S.I.P. double says I want to compete again with defense measured in quick tricks so I am transferring the decision to partner. Partner may be in a better position to make the final determination whether to compete again. This D.S.I.P. double is a competitive double so only applies as the “initial action” in a competitive situation. Another name for the D.S.I.P. double is the “check back” double. You are checking back with partner for duplication of value in their suit & other defensive factors.

How do penalty doubles occur in these competitive auctions ? These occur in two ways . Either partner must double in order to “check back” with partner to compete again. Partner can deny permission holding their trump so convert for penalty. This is similar to negative double theory. The other way for a penalty double is that there is only one D.S.I.P. double allowed per customer during an auction. Once your side has taken an “initial action” either by making a D.S.I.P. double or bidding , all subsequent doubles are for penalty.

D.S.I.P. doubles are all inclusive with any aspect of competing as long as your side does not “own the auction” . This means after overcalls, T/O doubles , balancing , 1NT bids & in rare cases even after pre-empts ( action doubles ) . In order to compete successfully with D.S.I.P. doubles , you must be very familiar with the cues that turn on forcing passes. 2/1 , limit raise or better , strong conventional bids etc. If you are not 100 % sure that forcing pass theory applies , check the auction for limited or unlimited hands. When we have limited our hands , the double is D.S.I.P. competitive . An unlimited hand usually has penalty double rights ( captaincy ). The IMP scale encourages this style of competitive doubles as the scale robs you when you obtain huge sets anyway. Also a doubled game contract in IMPS , is a small loss & not a disaster when it makes like in matchpoints.

D.S.I.P. competitive double theory is for Bridge experts only. The reason we say that is that it necessitates judgment with hand evaluation skills to convert auctions for penalty , to know when forcing passes apply instead . You also require discipline with your opening bids, T/O doubles and overcalls. When you are a random bidder ( ignoring quick trick potential ) with respect to your opening bids , overcalls and T/O doubles , D.S.I.P. theory will not work. Partner assumes you are disciplined & have your bid as the basis for her own competitive doubles. Partner also assumes you know how to defend. When you do not own the auction or not competing , the double is T/O as a default. This T/O bid might be to our own suit when we have a monster hand.

D.S.I.P. theory assumes that you have quick tricks for your openers & doubles. Doubles equate to defense measured in quick tricks. You “think in quick tricks” to make your conversion decisions. To convert doubles of partials into games, you need a combination of quick tricks & their trump to set them at least two. When you make a D.S.I.P. double , you look at your quick tricks & not your HCP’s. HCP’s are a recipe for disaster as they may be useless defensively.

What are the advantages of competing with D.S.I.P. theory over the traditional way ? The main reason is that Bridge is a partnership game so it allows both partners input into competitive decisions. Since Bridge is played in a clockwise direction, . quite often in competitive auctions partner would compete once more when you wanted to double them for penalty . This action was doing your partnership in by “rescuing them” . With D.S.I.P. theory , partner must transfer the decision to you with a double so now the partnership makes the competitive decision. The old way of competing was rampant with “impatient solo artists” who made single handed decisions for the partnership. The norm in competitive auctions was we may as well go down rather than them . I like playing the hand vrs defending anyway L.

Another advantage of D.S.I.P. theory is the requirement to identify duplication of value in their suit. The D.S.I.P. double says we do not have values in their suit. This is like playing “splinters” with the focal point being their suit so you can make more informed competitive decisions. D.S.I.P. doubles prevent pseudo sacrifices as we are more informed about the status of their suit. There are many competitive auctions where the opponents are trying to “steal” your auction. You do not want to double them for penalty as it nowhere compensates for what you can make but you do not have a clear cut action. You now can make a D.S.I.P. competitive double which just shows “cards” rather than their suit. The partnership now makes the competitive decision. The double is the most flexible bid in Bridge. Reserving it solely for a trump stack , is a blatant waste of a good bid in competitive auctions.

Another advantage of D.S.I.P. competitive double theory is when partner competes by just bidding . We have the negative inference she did not make a D.S.I.P. double. This allows more bidding/competing without the partnership punishing each other because “you took another bid” . This is a Tom Gandolfo favourite with D.S.I.P. competitive double theory as it allows him to bid even more J.

In so called “modern garbage bidding” people bid more & pre-empt more. D.S.I.P. competitive theory adds much needed structure to combat this invasion. Doubles of pre-empts above the negative double level are never trump stack , they just show cards. This understanding allows partner to make more informed decisions when they pre-empt. Re-opening doubles with defensive tricks allow the trump stack situations to be converted for penalty. D.S.I.P. competitive doubles are still another weapon in combating pre-empts at very high levels .

The last main advantage is competitive doubles just rids you of single handed trump stack penalty doubles from your competitive repertoire . Partner doubling without your input not knowing whether you have an offensive hand , defensive hand , maximum , minimum or whatever. This historically gave you the headache whether to pull the double so get into trouble yourself. Doubling them into game really hurts when they make it. D.S.I.P. doubles are an insurance policy as penalty doubles get converted only after knowing that partner has defense as well as their trump. Old Penalty doubles were also ambiguous in competition. Sometimes they were made with a trump stack or sometimes just “cards” . Ambiguity in any language is a breeding ground for confusion. Who needs an ambiguous penalty double anyway in competition ? We are just competing. The trump stack penalty double is thrown out as an initial double with competitive doubles.

As your skill in Bridge improves , D.S.I.P. doubles are the obvious next step to making good & winning competitive decisions. We consider them as the best method to combat Bridge terrorism called “modern garbage bidding”. You are either for or against terrorism, according to George Bush.  We are against Bridge terrorism & all that it stands for. We still like to believe that Bridge is a partnership game. That is our Bridge religion. The modern garbage religion is let’s blow up partner as well as the opponents with our garbage bidding. Therein lies the difference.