Doublin’ in Dublin during tour of Ireland

This summer, my wife, Charlotte, and I enjoyed a wonderful tour of Ireland with a group led by Randy Baron. (He arranges trips overseas tailored especially for bridge players; see baronbridgetravel.com.) We started in Dublin and proceeded to Killarney and onward.

Every player I met was quite cordial and welcoming. I didn’t do much doublin’ in Dublin — the opponents bid too accurately — but they were happy to double me in Killarney. In today’s deal, my partner made a questionable bid, and we were duly punished.

Over South’s two-club overcall, West jumped to four spades when he might have tried a cue bid of three clubs or a “splinter” bid of four clubs. As North, my five clubs seemed automatic. If South held a reasonable overcall such as x x x, A x x, x,AQxxxx,hemightwin 11 tricks.

West doubled, cashed a high heart and led a trump. When East took the ace, a trump return would have ensured down four, but East led another heart. West won and led a third heart.

South ruffed, ruffed a spade in dummy and tried a low diamond to his queen. (As the cards lay, his best route was to lead dummy’s last heart and pitch a diamond so East couldn’t get in to lead a second round of trumps.) West won and led another heart, on which East got rid of the jack of diamonds. Declarer wound up down five.

South’s overcall begged for trouble; to enter the opponents’ auction, you need some prospect of gain, not just 13 cards. Many players would have acted with “12 points,” but what South really had was a junk pile.