AT A HIGH LEVEL, BE DOUBLY FLEXIBLE

Everett McKinley Dirkson, who represented Illinois in the House of Representatives and the Senate and was known for his flamboyant speeches, said, “I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.”

That is an excellent trait for a bridge player, especially in the auction.

Look at today’s North hand. South opens one diamond, and West overcalls four spades. What would you do?

When an annoying opponent leaps into the stratosphere over your partner’s one-of-a-suit opening, a double by you, the responder, must be flexible. It is not for penalty, showing a trump stack (because you will never have one), nor is it a pure negative double guaranteeing four cards in an unbid major (because you might not have them). It just says that you have too many points to pass (usually 12 or more, but you may be flexible — that word again — with 10 or 11) and nothing more descriptive to do.

How does opener react? He passes with a balanced hand, hoping to defeat the contract, or bids with an unbalanced hand. Here, South rebids five clubs, which is passed out. (West might be tempted by five spades, but the vulnerability is wrong. He would be doubled and lose 800.)

West takes his two spade winners and exits with a heart.

South must play the trump suit without loss. With nine trumps missing the queen, the a priori percentage play is to cash the ace and king. Here, though, West has only five spaces in his hand for the club queen, but East has 12. The odds have spoken flamboyantly — finesse through East.