BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

YOUR partner opens 1 ♥ and the next hand doubles. What action do you take? In THE good old days of common sense bidding, you would pass, unless you had something sensible to bid. In this case, you don’t need to bid because partner will have another chance after the double.

More importantly, you are quite content for partner to play in 1 ♥ and it is not inconceivable that East will leave the double in for penalties.

Furthermore, the double of a major suit bid normally promises the other major, so what is the point of bidding 1 ♠ (the bid you would have made without the double) when you know your opponent holds that suit?

The general style among duplicate players today appears to be to bid naturally as if there had not been a double.

I fail to see the logic of this style because more often than not, it loses the initiative for your side and lets the opponents off the hook.