“Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.”
This old saying, attributed to Sigmund Freud, is one that I often mutter to myself at the bridge table. It’s a reminder to consider the obvious before the obscure – to avoid reading complex meanings into situations that could have simpler explanations.
The Occam’s Razor principle ("The most likely solution is the simplest one") is another version of the same idea. It’s also echoed in other familiar idioms: “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras” and “If it walks like a duck . . .”.
This advice can be helpful when trying to interpret undiscussed calls – those made by partner as well as ones you’re considering foisting on him. Some of the most difficult to sort out are “Do Something Intelligent” (DSI) and other modern doubles. They have so many different, loosely defined uses that new adopters are easily confused and experts are sometimes too creative in inventing even more uses.
The popular default of “when in doubt, it’s takeout” may help you decode some ambiguous doubles, but it’s not a universal solution. If you rely on it too heavily, you’ll get this auction wrong:
You LHO Partner RHO
1D Pass 1NT 2H
Pass Pass DBL
This is clearly the cigar, horse and duck. Partner’s double cannot be any type of takeout. He’s already denied length in the majors and if he had diamond support, he’d bid 3D. This is a penalty double based on high-card strength.
Some would call this an “action” double. More descriptive is Mel Colchamiro’s term, Balance of Power (BOP) double. It’s similar to a cooperative double, but shows enough strength to confirm that your side has more than half the high-card points. Here, partner is showing a maximum 1NT response, probably without a diamond fit – a hand such as ♠A103 ♥Q105 ♦73 ♣K8763.
A BOP double is made at a relatively low level, after you and partner have exchanged information (each of you has bid at least once). The double is usually made by the hand that’s under the bidder (opponent’s length is to the doubler’s left). It does not promise a trump stack, but is almost always a semi-balanced hand with at least 2 cards in the opponent’s suit.
You can also make a BOP double when the opponents have a trump fit.
You LHO Partner RHO
1C Pass 1H 2S
Pass 3S DBL
Even though the opponents are advertising a 9-card fit, partner is saying that he thinks defending 3S may be your best score. This sounds like a BOP penalty double and that’s just what it is.
Partner’s double promises extra values and tells you that your side has the majority of the high-card power. He might hold ♠62 ♥K1085 ♦763 ♣AK54 .
You could think of this as a DSI double, but at this level and with no confirmed fit for our side, the penalty message is stronger. Unless you have a good heart fit or something very unusual, the intelligent thing partner wants you to do is to pass.
BOP doubles can be handy solutions in other types of auctions, too. More about these in the next issue.
© 2024 Karen Walker