Players who want to modernize their bidding frequently focus on updating agreements about doubles. Some of these additions are conventions that have clear guidelines and are relatively easy to learn. Others are treatments that are difficult to define, but fall into the everybody-plays-it-this-way-now category.
The most confounding is what is popularly called the “Do Something Intelligent” (DSI) double (sometimes called DSIP, for “Do Something Intelligent, Partner”). Its uses and exact meanings are almost as imprecise as its name. Ask expert players to define it and you’re likely to get a wide range of answers, from the dogmatic “No double below the 3-level is penalty!” to the unhelpfully vague “I know it when I see it”.
There are, however, some general guidelines that can help you recognize DSI doubles and take advantage of opportunities to use them. We looked at some examples in previous articles. Here’s another typical auction:
You LHO Partner RHO
1D Pass 1H 1S
Pass 2S DBL
Partner’s double is DSI -- not a penalty double, but not a true takeout double, either. It’s a sort of hybrid that sends the broad message, “I have enough strength to compete, but no bid that clearly describes my hand.” He’s asking you to decide how to proceed.
How do you know this isn’t a penalty double?
One strong clue is that the opponents have shown a trump
fit, although that won’t always be the case. The important conditions for a DSI
double are:
1 - Partner has made a bid or takeout double earlier in the auction.
2 - Your side has not confirmed a trump fit, bid a natural notrump,
made a card-showing redouble nor shown forcing-to-game strength.
The short version is that if the auction is at a low level and it’s possible that partner hasn’t had the opportunity to fully describe his hand, his double is probably DSI. This will usually be the one- or two-level, but could be higher. If the opponents had bid and raised clubs instead of spades in the above auction, partner’s double would still be DSI.
What type of hand should partner have?
The DSI double tells you partner has no clear alternative, so you know more about what he doesn’t hold. He would raise your suit if he had primary support (3+ cards if you opened a major, 4-5+ cards if you opened a minor). His hearts aren’t long or strong enough to warrant a rebid and he probably lacks good spade stoppers for notrump.
What partner does hold is shortness in the opponent’s suit, enough high-card strength to justify pushing the auction higher and a reasonable expectation that you have a good landing spot. He’ll usually have a minimum of 10 points, but it could be a bit less if the auction is lower and his points are quick tricks (aces and kings).
One of your “intelligent” options is passing the double for penalty, which is why it’s important that partner promise some defensive tricks. In the auction above, he might hold ♠J3 ♥A9754 ♦K63 ♣QJ4 .
This type of double isn’t really a new idea. “DSI” is essentially a catchall term for a wide range of other doubles that have been around for a long time. You might have called them re-takeout, cooperative, card-showing, informative or action.
What’s new is the name and the frequency of use. As competitive bidding has become more aggressive, modern players have become more willing to fight for partscores. These DSI-type doubles are popular and flexible tools that allow you to find otherwise “unfindable” contracts and sometimes collect profitable penalties from the opponents.
Success with DSI doubles requires good judgment and hand-evaluation skills, so they aren’t for beginners. They have built-in risks and there are plenty of exceptions. Even when you’re sure you’re sending the DSI message, partner may interpret the auction differently and you’ve turned minus 110 into minus 670.
More about these and other DSI dilemmas in the next issue.
© 2023 Karen Walker