Sunday, August 21, 2005 10:10 PM

Hand Evaluation – Doubles ( Defining Q Bids)

PITBULLS:

One of the most horrible bids in standard bidding is Q bidding to show a strong hand without a fit. In my mind , a Q bid should be fit showing for limit raise or better hands. A general Q bid to show strength is terribly ambiguous. In competition, when you have a Q bid available you also have a double available. Playing D.S.I.P theory actually defines your Q bids. You never Q bid to show a strong hand without a fit when you have the option of doubling them. A Q bid removes a partnership option because the Q bid essentially rescues the opponents when partner wants to convert for penalty. Here is a hand from the Life Masters pairs in Atlanta to illustrate my point. My partner held ♠Axx ♥AQJxxx ♦J10x ♣x and nv I opened 1♣ . Partner responded 1♥ , my RHO overcalled 1♠ vul. Auction passed around to partner again. Partner had a strong hand so wanted to force .He used the Goren Q bid of 2♠ to show strength so I leapt to 3NT. They led a diamond and cashed the first 5 diamonds for a close to a zero. My hand was a minimum 13 HCP with KJ98 of spades. 1♠ doubled is in the +800 range so the Q bid rescued them from disaster when we had all the HCP’s. My partner had a stiff in my suit so with this misfit , he would love to defend.

The trump stack double has been around since the beginning of Bridge. I think it is a silly bid in competition unless you own the hand so forcing pass theory takes effect. Why ? because the trump stack double is a single handed bid that puts pressure on the partnership. When partners hand is distributional , she may have nowhere to bail out and get doubled herself. You tell declarers how to play the hand so strange numbers like –730 crop up. However the biggest reason I do not like “trump stack” penalty doubles in competition is that the double is far too useful and versatile to be used for that one purpose. Trump stack situations can always be converted by the other partner making a re-opening double or D.S.I.P. competitive double.

The Q bid showing a strong hand without a fit was invented to accommodate trump stack doubles. Playing D.S.I.P. competitive doubles , you do not need to use a Q bid to show a strong hand as you double instead. This says a lot more in one bid. As I am giving you the option to convert , I do not have a fit with your suit. As I am giving you an option to convert , I have defense ( quick tricks ) and HCP strength even though I may be distributional. As I am giving you an option to convert , I do not have their suit as I would leap in NT or bid NT with their suit. Doubling in front of their suit as penalty does not make much Bridge sense anyway.

For decades Bridge World panelists were given tough competitive bidding situations. For decades they resorted to a Q bid to show a strong hand & not knowing what else to do. Playing competitive doubles you can tell partner to do something intelligent just like the Q bid was supposed to do. However , now you can pass for penalty. Passing a Q bid would be a faux pas J

The hardest part of playing D.S.I.P. competitive double theory is getting rid of bad habits formed by playing trump stack doubles. In the early days of Bridge, the trump stack double was a useful bid as there was no shortage of bad bidders in competition . Bridge ( matchpoints especially) still have bad bidders but the game has evolved to the point where trump stack doubles in competition should be declared extinct. The D.S.I.P. competitive double is just that much more useful & frequent.