2007-07-25 17:28

Hand Evaluation – Doubles ( Over/Under rule )

PITBULLS:

How you play doubles when the opponents balance depends on whether you play competitive doubles. When the opponents are just sticking their nose into your auction , the double is penalty ( forcing pass theory ). 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 in those instances. A limited hand with a fit does not have penalty double rights whether they are in front of the bidder or behind the bidder playing competitive doubles. 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 penalty ( standard bidding ).

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. 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.

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 got doubled. This double is not D.S.I.P. competitive as you are behind the bidder , unlimited & we define his 2^nd bid as a 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 instead & 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 , 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.