By Neil Bonnell
Dealer: N Vul: N/S
NORTH
♠ 102
♥ KJ53
♦ 106
♣ A6432
WEST EAST
♠ Q963 ♠ KJ5
♥ 8 ♥ 10964
♦ A543 ♦ Q98
♣ KQJ3 ♣ 1097
SOUTH
♠ A874
♥ AQ72
♦ KJ72
♣ 5
“Double, double, toil and trouble,” chanted Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth. There was certainly trouble with doubles last Friday. A bid known as “double” is mostly used when the defending pair believe that they can defeat the contract reached by their opponents. If successful, they will earn double the penalty. If, on the other hand, declarer makes the required number of tricks, then declarer’s score is increased – sometimes by much more than double the normal score.
On Board five (above) North (Ros Hart) played in 2H, which had been doubled. Ros needed eight tricks to make the contract and earn 630 points, instead of a mere 110. East/West needed to win six tricks to defeat the contract by one trick and earn 200 points. Blissfully unaware of the club situation, East led the seven of clubs. Ros won in hand and could now set up a cross-trump for diamonds in hand (North) and clubs in dummy (South). In that way Ros could make hers and dummy’s trumps separately. If East/West attacked spades, they could make only one trick before spades could also be trumped. Taking out all of East/West’s trumps would have exhausted North/South’s trumps and left declarer with several club losers. Because Ros was able to make nine tricks (one more than promised) she earned the score of 870, which was an absolute top. On the day, there were two other unsuccessful doubles on other boards, allowing declarers to score 360 and 840 respectively – both top scores on those boards. Just one double succeeded. Compassion prevents the size of the penalty being reported.
Results: Monday, 04/09/23 (5-table Mitchell Rd. 1 Pairs Championship) N/S J. Nankervis P. Kelly (60.3) 1; J. Cumming P. Cumming (54.4) 2; R. Hart N. McGinness (52.4) 3. E/W P. Campbell D. Moran (60.9) 1; N. Bonnell T. Hinde (55. 5) 2 eq. W. Milne J. Sipple (55.5) 2 eq. Friday, 08/09/23 (4 & ½-table Howell) R. Hart Jenny Smith (60.4) 1; D. Moran N. McGinness (57.6) 2; C. Duggan M. Johston (54.2) 3 eq. N. Bonnell B. Bonnell (54.2) 3 eq.
