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Big Hearted!

That is one way to describe today’s hand. It has lots of them (hearts) and even though the top two were missing, it has the outside entries to do some damage to the opponent’s strong no-trump overcall. They are vulnerable, too.  So, what action would you take?

 

You are playing Pairs and 1 is almost always (it was this time) at least a four-card suit. You are playing a strong no-trump opening meaning your partner could have a weak no-trump type hand (they did not). Your bid is?

The common view is to start with a double:

Peter Newell “Double: with the opponents vulnerable, a good suit lead, and game uncertain, I’ll start with a double.  If partner has some kind of fit for hearts, we may be able to take 1NT down quite a lot.

If we don’t have a fit then we were probably not making game and so going for +200 is well worth while. Of course, 1NT doubled may not be the final contract. West may run and then I’ll have a decision to make. However, I certainly will not mind playing for penalties in most denominations.  I’ll be twitchy in diamonds in particular, but I do have an attractive option to bid hearts anyway.

If partner runs to 2/ I’ll be well placed (bid 2 over 2).  If you don’t double, what else?  2 is a huge underbid, which leaves 3. I don’t think it is a good option either, rather more points than partner will expect and partner will probably expect better hearts.”

Nigel Kearney “Double: It's not ideal but 2 or 3 do not suggest this much high card strength so I think we have to double first. There will be times when it goes all pass and we were better off declaring but it's more likely they will run and we can then bid hearts. 1NT doubled doesn't have to be bad for us either.”

Bruce Anderson “Double: to make game in hearts, partner will have to have at least a partial fit in hearts and one of the major suit aces. That being so, on my lead of the Q, declarer will be in serious trouble. And even if we can make 4, it is by no means certain most of the field will be in game. East is going to show a good hand by either bidding 1NT, or doubling a weak NT opening.

If partner does not fit hearts, declarer must still be in trouble; dummy will have little or nothing if my double is passed out.”

 

 

Stephen Blackstock “Double: 2 is much too little and 3 slightly too much without a known fit. Regardless, if we can run the hearts we may take a lot of tricks against 1NTx. Even +200 may be good against the other tables, and if we have a game we may get +800.  It’s not clear what will be best if they run from 1NTx, but I’ll worry about that when it happens.”

 

Michael Cornell “Double: await developments and obviously will bid hearts if there are any. (If not, I expect to get a decent number most of the time- if partner has a heart honour, a very big number normally.)

We are playing Pairs so if I can bid at the 2 level, I will but if not, I am happy to bid 3. This hand has good potential despite a strong NT on my right. We are favourite to make 4 opposite the pointed aces and the K and Q is possible too.

So, lots of good things can happen from doubling 1NT. I can report that North did have a heart honour but the numerous under-tricks did not eventuate.

We did have a couple of bidders:

Kris Wooles “3: 4 seems a punt, 2 an underbid and double could work some days but probably on the same days that 4 would succeed.”

and longing for a system:

Andy Braithwaite “3: Transfers over a 1minor 1NT overcall sequence make good sense but without such a mechanism, I would bid 3 invitational.”

 

One would think 1NT would be defeated whether or not we had a heart fit whereas game would only make when we did. One would think “wrong”! Let’s introduce the hero or villain (depending on which side of the table you were sitting), West.

West elected to pass 1NTx as did North. The Q was on the table very quickly and dummy produced one rather annoying honour card for the defence:

 

North took the A and continued the suit. East, who had stolen a point for his overcall, won and took the correct view in the diamond suit. Thus, North-South could take a lot of tricks but only after East took K, 5 diamond tricks and the A.

 

Meanwhile, there was only one trick in each major suit and one diamond trick for the defence in the 4 game. “The exception that proves the rule”, perhaps or was doubling a little more dangerous than our Panel implied?

 

Where are we heading?

 

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