PENALTY DOUBLES

Penalty doubles are an integral part of duplicate bridge.

Part score Contracts

If you do not learn to double part score contracts, your opponents will get away with overbidding when non-vulnerable: a score of +100 for getting them 2 down will be worse than +110 nor +140 for making your contract – if you double them you will collect a nice +300!

Punishing mistakes - There will be times when you get muddled up and get doubled losing 1100 points!! It is important that you are able to get your own back when the opportunity arises. Doubling for penalties is not easy but it will get you some good scores

Doubling notrumps

You need enough points and a reasonable lead. This is relatively straightforward: if you have more points than the 1NT bidder then double, with just one word of caution – if you have just 15 points you should have a good lead, or a few tens and nines. Another common opportunity is when your opponent makes a 1NT overcall and you know that your side has the majority of the points. Doubling a 3NT contract is unusual, but if your side has reasonable strength (14 or 15 points) and suits are breaking badly then go ahead.

Doubling low-level suit contracts

You need the majority of points & 6 trumps between partnership or 4 good trumps in 1 hand

This is not easy, but always remember that you expect to take the contract down, so do not worry about doubling them into game – you are going to take it off!

The easiest situation for this type of double is after your partner has opened 1NT and your opponent overcalls.

Most doubles of suits at low levels are for take-out, so a large proportion of penalty doubles at this level result from take-out doubles being ‘passed for penalties’: a choice made by your partner.

If it is your game (you have the strength) you must double or bid

It is important to identify situations when your opponents are ‘sacrificing’ – your side has the

points, and your opponents are bidding on trump length – when it gets to game level you need

more than just a big trump fit to make the contract, so make sure you double them or bid on. And then consider a trump lead

When not to double?

Never double a slam – except for an unusual lead.

Remember if you have 15 points and your opponents bid to game, it does not mean you should double, the chances are that your partner has no points at all

Do not double if you think your opponents can find a better contract.

Do not double at a low level just on points. You do need some trump length. A surprising number of tricks can be made on a big fit with very few points.

Protection (Bidding in the 4th Seat – when a Pass would finish the auction)

When you are the 4th person to bid and a pass from you would finish the auction think seriously

before passing especially if you are short in their suit. If they have stopped bidding then you

can assume your partner has some strength. A good rule of thumb is to “borrow” a King or add 3 points: add it to your hand and see if you want to make a bid. If you are short in their suit a double can work wonders: either pushing your opponents up, finding you a nice partscore or, perhaps most rewarding of all, is when your partner has good trumps and can pass your double.

Partnership trust

Do not keep bidding when in trouble it only makes things worse. Sometimes things go wrong –accept them as they are unless you have good reason. Problems usually arise when you hold a singleton in your partner’s suit (especially opposite an overcall). Be careful before changing the suit – trust your partner.