April 2015 - 43

Hampson	says	he	likes	to	reopen	for	
partner	with	a	pure	hand	and	shortness.	"This	is	marginal,	but	if	partner	
is	trying	to	get	a	penalty,	I	like	helping	
out."
Meyers	doubles.	"I'm	not	rebidding	
this	club	suit,	and	I	have	no	reason	to	
pass."
Colchamiro	elaborates	on	his	double.	
"At	first	I	thought	I	couldn't	afford	to	
reopen	with	a	double	because	of	the	
feared	2♦	response.	But	the	more	I	
thought	about	it,	the	more	I	realized	
that	if	partner	did	respond	2♦,	he	
would	almost	always	have	five.	With	
only	four	diamonds,	he	would	bid	2♣
or 2♥	or	1NT."
Double	by	Sanborn.	"I	am	surely	not	
afraid	to	reopen	this	hand	with	double.	
It	is	a	better	bid	to	me	than	rebidding	
clubs,	which	in	my	mind	should	show	
better	clubs	and	a	shorter	suit	somewhere."
The	Sutherlins	call	2♣	"our	most	
descriptive	bid.	Double	will	work	only	
when	partner	has	a	solid	penalty	pass.	
If	he	doesn't,	we	might	end	up	in	a	
six-	or	seven-card	fit	in	diamonds	or	
hearts."
Boehm	is	a	club	rebidder.	"Double	
leaves	me	unprepared	for	diamonds.	
Passing,	with	full	defensive	values,	
seems	wimpy,	although	they	might	
back	into	a	making	game.	Still,	we	may	
be	able	to	compete	effectively	in	clubs.	
Conceding	4-	to	6-IMP	partials	is	no	
way	to	win."
Robinson	agrees.	"You	don't	get	rich	
selling	out	to	one-level	contracts,	and	I	
wouldn't	be	happy	if	partner	bid	a	red	
suit."
Cohen	also	bids	2♣.	"In	case	our	
partner	is	trapping,	we	can	get	our	400	
in	3NT.	I	don't	want	to	double	for	him	
and	then	have	to	endure	his	two-of-ared-suit	bid."
There	are	two	passers.	One	is	Lee.	"I	
have	a	balanced	minimum,	and	I'm	not	
going	to	double	or	bid	2♣."
The	other	-	surprise!	-	is	Rigal.	"Yes,	
partner	could	have	a	penalty	pass	of	
1♠,	in	which	case	we	rate	to	lose	a	
sizeable	swing,	unless	they	can	run	to	a	

red	suit.	But	at	the	table,	my	RHO's	and	
LHO's	tempo	might	tell	me	how	to	continue.	I	cannot	use	my	partner's	tempo,	
but	I	can	use	my	opponents'	tempo	-	at	
my	own	risk."
5.	Matchpoints.	None	vulnerable.
♠A	9	7	4			♥Q	9	8	6	3			♦- ♣A 8 6 2
West
1♦	

North
1NT	

East
3♦ (1)	

South
?

(1)	Preemptive.
	
	
	
	

Call
Dbl	
4♦	
3♥
4♥
3NT	

Votes
10	
4	
2
0
0	

Award
100
		80
50
50
		50

The mutable modern double
Scorer	Karen	Walker	points	out	that	
the	standard,	aka	"dinosaur,"	meaning	
for	double	here	is	penalty.	The	modern	
consensus,	however,	seems	to	be	that	
double	here	is	takeout.	
Weinstein	leads	off	for	Team	Takeout:	"Double	has	the	advantage	of	
allowing	us	to	reach	the	right	strain,	including 3♦	doubled	and	3NT.	I	might	
bid	4♦	if	I	were	5-5	in	the	majors	or	
had	less	defense."
Hampson	agrees.	"We	need	to	be	able	
to	find	our	best	strain,	and	this	still	
allows	partner	to	judge	to	defend	with	
a	magic	holding.	Two	aces	can't	be	a	
disappointment	if	it	goes	'all	pass.'"
Lee	calls	his	double	a	bit	uncomfortable,	"but	3♥	and	4♦	both	seem	too	
committal."
Sanborn	feels	no	discomfort.	"Partner	can	hear	the	bidding,	and	I	don't	
think	it	will	go	'all	pass'	unless	that's	
the	right	spot."
Boehm	shares	some	of	Walker's	
qualms.	"This	is	not	penalty	under	the	
gun	when	they've	bid	and	raised,	but	is	
it	pure	takeout,	or	'cards'	-	the	omnibus	
D(o)	S(omething)	I(ntelligent)	double	
with	undefined	distribution	that	
transfers	all	headaches	to	partner?	
Guess	which	treatment	I	prefer."
Falk	doesn't	mind	if	partner	leaves	

his	takeout	double	in.	"He	won't	do	
that	without	a	lot	of	diamond	values,	in	
which	case	my	two	aces	will	be	quite	
useful.	The	fifth	heart	is	nice,	but	no	
number	of	hearts	is	right	-	nor	is	4♦,	
because	I	have	clubs."
Double	by	Meckstroth.	"Negative	
(takeout)."
Double	by	the	Sutherlins.	"Cardshowing.	Only	partner	knows	if	her	
hand	is	offensive,	♦A	x	x,	or	defensive,	
♦Q	J	x	x."
Meyers says that she likes to play
that	double	is	a	transfer	to	hearts,	but	
she	isn't	sure	that's	Bridge-Bulletin	
acceptable.	(Nope,	it's	not).	"At	a	
minimum,	I	think	my	double	would	be	
takeout."
Rigal	says	he	bids	4♦	asking	for	a	
stopper	for	3NT.	"4♦	is	not	a	Texas	
transfer.	A	skip	bid,	e.g.,	4♦ over 3♣,	
would	be	hearts.	But	this	sequence	is	
just	two-	or	three-suited	with	a	void	in	
diamonds.	I	don't	think	I	should	double	
for	takeout."
Stack	contemplates	all	the	consequences	of	his	4♦.	"If	partner	has	a	
four-card	major,	we	are	in	heaven.	If	
partner	is	3-3	in	the	majors,	then	he	
will	bid	4♥	and	we	are	still	in	heaven.	
If	partner	is	3-2,	then	he	will	bid	4♠,	
and	the	wrong	hand	will	be	taking	the	
diamond	taps	and	we	might	be	in	hell."
Kennedy	calls	her	4♦	"a	takeout	for	
anything,	preferably	the	majors."
4♦	is	Robinson's	call.	"Let	partner	
decide	where	we're	playing	it."
Cohen	prefers	3♥.	"I	expect	this	is	
forcing	and	gives	partner	a	chance	to	
show	a	four-card	spade	suit,	raise	or	
bid	3NT	(which	I	would	reluctantly	
pass)."
So	does	Colchamiro.	"3♥ is surely
forcing	here	and	leaves	all	roads	open.	
Am	I	missing	something?"

For February online top scores
see pg. 68
Corrected 2014 top scores
on pg. 78.
April 2015 Bridge Bulletin

43
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2015
