Tuesday, March 01, 2005 5:14 AM

Hand Evaluation - Negative Doubles

PITBULLS:

Negative Doubles were invented to describe hands that can not be bid naturally. Your hand can not be bid naturally because the opponents suit is higher ranking thereby preventing you from mentioning your suit without overstating your values. If you can bid your suit naturally , avoid negative doubles at all costs. Thursday nite, I was playing against a beginning player who held ♠AJ10xx ♥x ♦AK10xxx ♣x . His partner opened 1♣ , my partner overcalled 1♥ so he made a negative double for the unbid suits ! Yes , he indeed has the unbid suits , but he is strong enough to bid naturally. He should bid 2♦ , bid & rebid spades to show his strong 6-5. Once he makes a negative double ,he can not catch up & describe his distribution & HCP’s properly.

Playing with a tormentee tonight , we had the same problem of playing “catch up” when an ill advised negative double was made in the 1^st instance. The tormentee held ♠Jxx ♥K109x ♦AKJxx ♣x . I opened 1♣ & Judy Chapman overcalled 1♠. You have 12 HCP with a nice 5 card diamond suit so there is no need to make a negative double as you just can bid naturally. You bid 2♦, I bid 2♠ Western Q bid asking you for a spade stopper . You do not have one so you bid 3♥. I bid 5♦ and that is cold for +600. I held ♠xx ♥Ax ♦Q10x ♣AKQ10xx . Say you complicate matters by making a negative double . I bid 2♠ which should be interpreted as a Western Q bid. You are now stuck for a bid . Your negative double shows 6 HCP’s but you have 12, so you bid 3 spades to show your good hand & force to game. I interpret the 3 spades as a spade control with you wanting to right side the NT so I bid 3NT. They run the 1^st five spade tricks for a zero on our part. The culprit for this confusion was the negative double.

I even do not like the idea of making a negative over a heart overcall to show 4 spades. Following the principle of a negative double does not replace a natural bid , I just bid 1♠ with 4 spades when they overcall a heart. I prefer the negative double to show a hand I can not bid naturally over a heart like a hand with diamonds & clubs. Say ♠x ♥xxx ♦QJ10xxx ♣Axx when partner opens 1♣ & they overcall a heart. This shuts out the diamond suit so I make a negative double . If partner bids 1♠ , 2♣ or 1NT , I bid 2♦ so get my suit in without overstating my values.

Before negative doubles , all doubles of overcalls were penalty. Opener left in the penalty double unless there was some reason to pull , like lots of distribution and/or a lack of defense. Lets clear up a common misconception among some Bridge players. A re-opening double does not show extra values. The double just shows a hand that would have left in a penalty double of the overcall if you were playing that style. You hold ♠10xxx ♥AKx ♦Ax ♣J10xx . open 1♣ with them overcalling 1♦ , so around to you. Its equal vul so do you double ? The litmus test is would you leave in a penalty double of 1♦ with this hand ? Of course you would , you have 3 quick tricks with a defensive balanced hand. You do your duty playing negative double theory & double. 1♦X goes 3 down for +500 & partner did not even mean to pass !!