March 2025 - 60

Advanced Players
Bidding Matters
Relearning bridge - part 61
Y
our LHO opens 1NT (15-17),
partner passes and RHO bids
2c (Stayman). What's your
call holding:
sQ 5 h10 6 5 dQ 10 3 cK J 9 5 4
I had been playing duplicate bridge
for only a few months when I held a
hand similar to this one. It was my
first attempt at making what I was
told later was called a " lead-directing
double. " I wasn't familiar with that
term, but doubling seemed like a
" free " way to show partner my suit,
so that's what I did.
This was also my first experience
with the score of -1160. The 1NT
opener held cA Q 10 7 and redoubled.
His partner passed with c8 6 3
and they easily took nine tricks.
It was another of the many lessons
that are typically learned through
playing experience. If I had been
taught in advance how to use this
type of double, I would have known
that a cK J 9 5 4 suit wasn't strong
enough - and that entering the auction
wasn't as free or as safe as I had
assumed.
There was one benefit of discovering
this at the table instead of from
a book or bridge teacher. Seeing the
opponents' glee - and partner's eye
rolls - was painful enough that it was
unlikely I would make the same mistake
again.
Lead-directing doubles are valuable
tools for communicating with
partner, but they can also backfire.
To use them successfully, you need to
be sure you have the right suit quality
and that you're asking for the right
lead.
Some of the most common uses are
over Stayman and transfer responses
to 1NT and 2NT. Here are some
guidelines for making lead-directing
doubles of artificial bids in these and
other low-level auctions:
Suit quality. A double of a
two-level Stayman or transfer bid
should promise 5+ cards and at least
three of the top five honors or 6+
cards and two of the top four honors.
With the hand above, I should
have had at least cK J 10 5 4 to
double 2c, although even that holding
wouldn't have saved me (with
cA Q 9 7, my RHO would still redouble
and make eight tricks for +760).
The same honor requirements
should apply to doubles of responses
to 2NT, although there's a bit less risk
if you stretch a bit at the three level.
Top honors. Ideally, at least one
of your three (or more) honors will
be the ace or king. Asking partner to
lead your Q-J-10-x-x suit is fine if
the final contract is notrump, but if
the opponents play in a trump suit
and partner happens to have the ace,
he won't know he shouldn't lead it.
Outside honors. In borderline
cases, look at your other suits and
ask yourself what might happen if
you pass and allow partner to make
his natural lead. With the hand I
held, even if a club lead was right,
my entries (if any) were so slow that
it's unlikely I would have been able
to run the suit. My outside cards,
though, could be helpful fillers in setting
up partner's best suit.
BY KAREN WALKER
kwbridge.com
If partner makes a
lead-directing double
It's a suggestion, not a command.
You should always use your judgment.
If you have a strong holding in
another suit, you're free to overrule
partner.
Keep in mind that the purpose of
this type of double is to help you find
a good opening lead. Don't assume
partner is encouraging you to bid.
If, for example, your RHO opens
1NT and LHO responds 2h (transfer
to spades), a double by your partner
doesn't necessarily say, " I would
have bid 2h, " or " Let's try to buy the
contract. " It merely suggests that you
lead hearts, which means partner
could have hA Q 10 9 x and nothing
else. You can compete if you have a
fit, but you have to be ready for that
dummy.
Other types of auctions also offer
opportunities to help partner find
good opening leads. At higher levels,
a double of an artificial bid won't
always require such a strong suit, but
there are other considerations that
will affect your decision. More about
these in the next issue. 2
Let me
help you
move your
game up!
rhodasrules.com
60 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2025
http://www.kwbridge.com http://www.rhodasrules.com
March 2025

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