March 2024 - 60

Advanced Players
Bidding Matters
Relearning bridge - part 48
P
2
3d
3
1s
Dbl
In situations where you haven't
agreed on a special treatment, your
best course is to assume the standard,
what-we-learned-in-bridge-class
meaning. Partner should do that, too,
but problems arise if you aren't using
the same definition of " standard. " An
experienced player may believe the
default is " expert standard " and expect
you to rely on this modern usage
to interpret his calls.
Each of the above auctions has a
conventional meaning that is common
enough that your partner might
consider it mainstream. In basic
bridge, partner's sequence in Auction
1 - takeout double, then bid a new suit
- is the " big double " hand, showing
long diamonds and too much strength
for a simple overcall (usually at least
17 HCP)
Many pairs play a more flexible
method called equal level conversion
(ELC), which defines this
sequence as minimum strength with
long diamonds and four cards in the
unbid major. This allows you to make
60 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2024
laying with your favorite partner,
do you have agreements
about the doubles in these
auctions? If they're undiscussed - or
if you're in a new partnership with an
experienced player - what's your best
guess about partner's intentions?
1 1s
LHO Partner RHO You
Dbl
Pass 2c
Pass 2d
1h
Dbl
1c
1d
Pass 2h
a takeout double of a 1h or 1s opener
when you're short in clubs. In this
auction, partner might hold:
s9 4 hK Q 7 4 dA Q 10 8 5 cQ 3.
A basic bidding guideline is that
double is penalty if you've already
found your fit. That would apply in
Auction 2 unless you're playing maximal
game-try doubles. This popular
convention is used after you've bid
and raised a major and opener's RHO
makes a three-level bid that leaves
no room to make a help-suit game try
below three of your suit. In this situation,
opener's double is an invitation
to game, not a penalty suggestion.
If partner believes you're playing
this convention, it's " on " in this auction
because the overcall was in the
suit directly below your trump suit.
Partner might hold:
sA 8 7 hA Q J 8 4 d3 cK J 10 2.
As beginners, we learn that there's
no such thing as a takeout double
that shows just one suit. That means
partner's double in Auction 3 must
be showing a spade stack and some
high-card values. You may well be
suspicious, though, partly because it's
unusual to make a penalty double at
such a low level in a live auction and
partly because there's another possible
meaning.
The Snapdragon convention
defines this auction (double in fourth
seat after three suits have been bid)
as a type of takeout that shows the
unbid suit and tolerance for your
suit. If partner plays this with other
partners - or if he believes it's so
popular that it's an expert standard
agreement - he may have assumed
it's part of your system, too. He might
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be trying to show you a hand such as:
s7 5 4 hK J 9 6 5 d10 3 cA 6 5.
If you're familiar with the conventions
and treatments played by
experienced players, you may be able
to see the potential for misunderstandings.
If they come up in your
partnership, the best way to handle
them is to look for a safe landing spot
for now, then agree on the conventional
meaning later.
With Auction 1, the ELC agreement
is so widely played that it's very
likely that an experienced partner
will just assume that you play it, too.
I would be comfortable passing 2d.
The possible conventional meanings
in the other two auctions aren't as
universal, so I'd leave room for error.
In Auction 2 you have a convenient
retreat to three of your suit and in
Auction 3, the auction is so low that
you can probably just rebid your suit
without worry. 2
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March 2024

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