MORE ON DOUBLES

Your partner has opened the bidding and the next hand overcalls with 1NT.

You hold 3 cards to an honour in your partner’s suit and 9 points.

What should you bid?

The answer is ………….double

Any time the opps bid NT over your partner’s suit, and you have 9 points plus, you must double for penalty.

Note the difference to opp overcalling 1 of a suit. Then a double from you would be a negative double showing values outside the suit bid by the opp. Over 1NT it is always penalty.

Partner with a minimum hand will pass, knowing that you only have a part score to bid, and decides to take the money.

Look at the logistics of this.

A part score is worth say --------140

One off doubled if vulnerable is--------200

If opps are not vulnerable then you need to take them 2 off for---300.

However if he is very light, then he can pull your double if he doubts whether your side can defeat the contract by 2 tricks not vulnerable.

He may have a very strong hand with 17 points or more. Then he has to decide whether your side can take enough tricks to make up for not bidding a game.