Balance of Power Penalty Doubles in Contract Bridge

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Power lies in the balance, Balance Of Power, that is. So when the opponents get in the way of your auction and your side has the power, the “B.O.P.,” it’s time to follow the advice of Bridge author Augie Boehm: wield the axe with your “Demon Doubles!”

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On day one of Penalty Doubles we examined several scenarios where the opponents had bidding misfits, allowing us to invoke our Penalty Double. After all, if they cannot find a fit, neither can our side. With the Balance of Power Penalty Double moving into our war chest, we are adding another lethal weapon in our bidding arsenal.

Polling You #36 1a

While South may have full Notrump opening values, notice the hand has several defects:
1. Soft Spade values – questionable J 9 8
2. Doubleton Ace-King – “tight” values cannot setup extra tricks when the opponents are playing in Notrump
So while the hand has 17 HCP and is behind East’s 1 Notrump opener, 4-5 playing tricks falls a few short to set the opponents.    Thus, as nice as South’s hand first appears, it lacks the playing values to make a “balance of power” double over East’s Notrmp opener.   Without transportation to North’s nice Diamonds (if only South had a precious third Diamond), East actually makes 8 tricks with these hands.

Polling You #36 1b

Contrast South’s hand here with the previous hand.   South only has 13 HCP this time, yet the lovely self-sustaining Diamond suit more than makes up for the lacking honors.  With East promising at least 2 Diamonds, it’s unlikely any of the opponents will have four Diamonds to the Jack.  So South’s hand should generate 6 Diamond tricks plus the Heart Ace, enough to set West’s 1 Notrump opening bid.  Looking at South’s hand from a Losing Trick Count perspective, with 6 LTC (2 Spades, 2 Hearts, 2 Clubs) the hand is should be a champion to set the declarer – unless the opponents run to another suit.

Penalty Double – Business Doubles in Contract Bridge

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Penalty Doubles: Extinct? No, nothing personal, it’s just business!

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Over the last two weeks we’ve had a handful of lessons on Takeout Doubles and Negative Doubles, and that’s hardly the tip of the proverbial iceberg on conventional doubles.   After a while, it kind of makes one wonder – is there such a thing as a Penalty Double anymore?  Oh yeah, you bet there is! 

So is there a safe way to know when a double is for penalty or if instead it’s some kind of conventional call?  Well, sorta’ yes, sorta’ no.  Or as humorist Kin Hubbard eloquently said, “The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it back in your pocket!” [Read more…]