Bridge

HOW DO YOU DOUBLE FOR PENALTY?

Nancy Astor, England’s first female member of parliament, said, “The penalty of success is to be bored by the people who used to snub you.”

The penalty of the negative double is: How do you make a penalty double?

Look at the West hand. After partner opens one diamond and South overcalls one spade, West would love to double for penalty. But double would show four hearts.

West must pass, preferably with no noticeable hesitation. He must not turn to South and ask, “Did you really bid spades?”

After West and North pass, East should reopen with a takeout double. Then West can pass again, converting his partner’s takeout double into one for penalty.

How does one spade doubled fare?

West leads his singleton club, East wins with the ace and returns the eight, his highest asking for a heart return, the higher-ranking of the other two side suits. When West returns the heart two, the low card guarantees at least one honor in the suit, which must be the king. So East wins with the heart queen and gives his partner another club ruff. Back in with the heart ace, East leads a third club for West to ruff. Still to come are one diamond and three trump tricks, leaving the contract down four, minus 1,100!

Yes, perhaps North should not have passed throughout. After West’s second pass, probably North should have risked an SOS redouble. Then the final contract would likely have been two clubs doubled, which escapes for down one, or, if East-West immediately play trumps, down two.

In theory, East-West’s only game is four spades!