Double Trouble

By Bill Townsend

Dealer: West. Game All.     7 3   A J 6   J 7 5   A 10 7 5 2     10 9 2   -   A Q 9 6 4 3 2   Q 8 3   A K Q J 5   10 8 5   10   K 9 6 4     8 6 4   K Q 9 7 4 3 2   K 8   J

West	North	East	South
3	Pass	Pass	3
Pass	4	Dbl	End

South was almost inclined to pass 3 out, given his lack of high cards and the badly placed K but, ahead in the match with only a few boards to play, decided to make the bid that his opposite number would be likely to make.

East, hungry for points, chanced a double. North briefly considered a redouble but rightly decided to be cautious opposite a partner who might simply be protecting.

West kicked off with the 10 and East lost no time with his defence. He won the A, cashed the king, and switched to his singleton diamond, South smoothly playing the king.

When West won the ace, he considered it far too dangerous to attempt to cash the Q. Eventually he decided on a third round of spades, East groaning inwardly.

Declarer ruffed the spade in dummy, cashed the A and played a second club. East gave this a look, went up with the king, and cursed silently when South ruffed.

Declarer now crossed to the J, ruffed another club, and was delighted to see the queen drop. It was all over now, declarer crossing again to dummy with the A to discard his losing diamond on the established 10.

West looked at his partner in disbelief. 'Why on earth did you go up with the K?' he exclaimed. 'Surely declarer can't have both the Q and J when he has given up a legitimate chance of the contract by not finessing in the suit.'

'Well,' replied East, 'I'd got myself in a real fix with that double. I knew declarer would read me for the K and thought that he'd made a clever deceptive play.'

'Why do you always play as though the opponents are Garozzo and Belladonna!' exclaimed West despairingly.

East was not slow to counter. 'I thought my double might suggest that I had a singleton diamond,' he said, 'and when I cashed two spades, playing the ace before the king, my best attempt at a suit-preference signal, I thought that would serve to reinforce the message.'

As is common in such situations, both East and West thought the other to be an idiot, and the hand has been offered to all and sundry for their verdict.

You, the jury, have to decide.