Tuesday, July 30, 2002 2:46 AM

TACTICS - Support Doubles

PITBULLS:

"Experts make very few penalty doubles below game level. Today's opponents are bidding more often and at higher levels than ever before. It is much more important to save the double to describe holdings in partner's suit. Support doubles when the opponents interfere over your opening bids and Rosenkranz doubles when they bid after your overcall are examples."

I got this from the net and in my ongoing crusade to make us more wary of tactics by the opponents ( one of which is bidding a lot ) I think we should adopt support doubles & redoubles .

Tom & I lost about 7 IMPS against Maurice  & Susan at the last Calcutta on this hand .

Tom              KJx   xxxx x AK109x

Me                AQxxx xx Qxxx Jx                     Tom opened 1♣ and I bid 1♠ which Maurice

doubled. Tom was reluctant to bid 2♠ with his minimum and only 3♠ so he passed. Susan bid a psychic 1NT with virtually no points and no spade stopper . I chose to pass and Maurice raised to 2NT which Susan passed at the speed of light . I thought Tom had their suits for not bidding so I lead a heart . Susan promptly took 4♥ and 5♦ for -150 . We can make 170 or 140 in spades and that was the average result in this field.

O.K. a commercial for support doubles and redoubles .  Support doubles and redoubles only apply to the 2 level . Shows 3 card support for partner and can be up to a fairly decent hand . The pass would be alertable and well as other bids imply 2 or less in partners suit . Tom can now redouble with these kind of hands and we will bully the opponents with our spade suit . A pass and then a double of the opponents resting spot would show the previous punitive redouble .

For years I was reluctant to play support doubles and re-doubles as I wanted to reserve the double & redouble  for a big hand that is hard to bid otherwise. However , double partial swings are more frequent than those type of hands and this means that raises are always 4 card support which is helpful in all auctions.

                 1♥

1♦                           1♠ Axx x AKxxx KJxx            a classic support double     don't

forget that these doubles are only applicable  up to the 2 level .

?         2♥  If they bid to the 3 level then the double has a different meaning . 

Over overcalls , support doubles & redoubles are called Rozenkrantz doubles and are lead directing . So if the opponents have made a negative double after partners overcall or bid a suit after partner has overcalled a double shows minimum honour 3rd in her suit . Again this is applicable up to the 2 level only but I am not sure what a double or redouble at the 3 level would mean anyway .

2♣                                                                                                     2♣

1♥                   DBL    or                                                                1♥                      2♥

  RDBL                            xxx xx Axxxx Kxx                                   DBL

What are we giving away here ?   We are giving away responsive doubles and punitive redoubles  in these auctions . Your partnership should decide what is more important to you .  Opening leads are so important when the opponents are in the auction and knowing whether partner has a 4th trump is also very important that I would now like to try support doubles and redoubles.