D.S.I.P. Doubles   {Courtesy of Bob Crosby}

...quite a few ( all ? ) of your partners lack judgment in penalty double situations. For them a platitude like " you never pull my penalty doubles" will earn you money in the long run i.e. you do not have to trust them to use judgment that they do not have .

For a good partnership to have this understanding that "you never pull penalty doubles" is down right insulting . Sometimes partner wants penalty doubles to be pulled . These type of doubles are called "Do Something Intelligent Partner" and require partner to be at the table as well as using good judgment . Rote rules or platitudes just do not cut it when you are playing with your regular partner at expert levels.

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Forcing Pass vrs D.S.I.P.

In the early days of Bridge , penalty doubles were invented to punish bad bidders. The penalty double was ambiguous as it was done on a trump stack or HCP values - it did not matter. The message was “opponent you bid badly” and you are to be punished. In today’s game , in match points and rubber bridge , weak Bridge players and bad bidders still exist . The traditional penalty double should probably be employed in those games.

Should these penalty doubles still exist in IMPS ? No , for a variety of reasons .1st reason is the IMP scale does not reward you enough for the “home run” penalty doubles .

The 2nd reason for not playing “trump stack” doubles in IMPS is that they are ambiguous for pulling doubles. Partner does not know if they based on HCP’s which might help his decision to bid more or a trump stack which is bad duplication of value for bidding purposes. It’s a crap shoot on when to pull penalty doubles. Advocates of trump stack doubles usually threatened partner with a “never pull my penalty doubles edict”. This is of course is stupid in IMPS as penalty doubles should be pulled in many situations but it is just a gamble either way. Doubling 4? for –300 when you can make +1370 is a huge loss for your side.

The 3rd reason for not playing “trump stack” doubles in IMPS is the caliber of the opponents. In good IMP matches , they do not bid badly with bad suits . They take advantage of the “law of total tricks’ and make things difficult for you with minimum risk for their side. Using an unambiguous double just to “show cards” simplifies many auctions for you as they use their fit for pre-emptive value. The opportunity for juicy trump stack doubles are very rare.

So why waste the bid when you can use D.S.I.P. doubles instead ? Partner can still convert with a trump stack.

These D.S.I.P. double understandings only apply to non forcing pass competitive auctions where we do not know who owns the auction. Normal forcing pass theory has precedence over these understandings. In fact one of the benefits of D.S.I.P. doubles are correct decisions in sacrificing situations.

With forcing passes , the opponents must play their contract doubled or you play it. In D.S.I.P. theory , they could own the hand and of course play it undoubled or you may sacrifice.

O.K. throw out trump stack doubles in IMPS and watch the difference. Doubles and pass reverse their traditional eanings in non forcing pass auctions . In fact many of the top world class players put on their card that the meaning of a pass and a double is reversed in competition. Tom Gandolfo put this theory into action with this hand.

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What if Tom had AQx of spades instead of me ? Tom would have passed saying that he would like me to double with the appropriate hand . With a good opener and I want to bid 5? , I would double and Tom converts from the other side. The only time we lose and it is not much of a loss is that I have a real dog and refuse to double. But is it much of a loss ? We can not make anything since my hand is bad so we take our plus 100 gift and on to the next hand .

In the old days , a double in competition said I have duplication of value so do not bid partner. In D.S.I.P. theory its just the reverse. Since doubling out of turn is not allowed in Bridge , reversing the two bids covers all situations ( positions ). If you want to bid then tell partner that by doubling. He will comply most of the time except when he has duplication of value. These understandings prevent pseudo sacrifices which is the 4rd reason to play D.S.I.P. in IMPS . if you have all the cards then forcing pass theory applies. Sacrificing by you of course does not factor into the equation in forcing pass theory.

This D.S.I.P. theory applies in all auctions where forcing passes do not apply . This includes slam auctions . You hold void J109xx xxxx xxxx and RHO opens 1? and LHO makes a conventional bid at the 4 level showing spades and partner bids 5?. RHO bids 6? and you want to sacrifice . You do not get rich doubling freely bid slams for penalty so why not use D.S.I.P. theory ? You double saying you want to bid 7? . With the actually hand , partner held KQJ of spades and somehow found the pass instead of sacrificing !! Quite an example of preventing pseudo sacrifices. Many people single handedly “sacrificed” to 7? holding that hand when it was played in a local sectional.

Playing D.S.I.P. penalty doubles does not mean “trump stack” doubles are extinct. If we have opened a NT or they have bid a NT and the doubling starts that is the “killing fields “ of Bridge. Doubles are trump stack and there is no thought required – just pass the double. If we own the auction and do not have a fit established , a double is of the trump stack variety. If one partner has chosen to stay out of a competitive auction and then doubles a final contract it is of the trump stack variety.

When the opponents overcall or pre-empt , negative doubles rule up to the 4? level anyway. Higher doubles are D.S.I.P. instead of a trump stack . Why ? Ambiguity is bad in any language and the Bridge language is no exception. Doubling a 4? bid with 13 HCP and a stiff spade is a far cry from doubling 4 with KQJ10 of spades. Yet we make the same bid with both hands after partner opens. This is just playing into the pre-empters strategy of destroying your auction. One of the ambiguous doubles has to be thrown out. Since partner may yet save the day with a re-opening double we have chosen to eliminate the trump stack double. Our partners will not bid 4S with such a filthy spade suit anyway so no great loss. The IMP scale saves you on those hands . if partner was too weak to double then you beat 4? for 3 down vul plus 300 and no game your way . At the other table your partners make a club partial for 110 . So you win 10 IMPS anyway and a double for +800 is only worth a couple of more

IMPS !!!

What does the double mean at high levels ? It is asking partners permission to bid with the appropriate hand and otherwise pass. You have AKxxxx x Axxx Kx and you open 1? and LHO bid 4? and around to you again. They are vul and you

are not . Lets bid 4? as it might be a cheap sacrifice or might even make. No way as that is single handed . Ask partners permission to bid 4S by doubling .
If the sacrifice is right she will bid it ! Another example , x xx AKxx AK109xxx They open 1? and you overcall 2? and LHO bids 4? around to you again. They are vul and you are not so lets bid 5? or 4NT to sacrifice ? Too single handed again. Tell partner you want to bid 5? by doubling. If you had x KQJ10 xx AK10xxx you would quietly put the green card on the table and take your small plus. You can not have it both ways.

Even with voids in the opponents suit, do not be enticed into a “cheap sacrifice”. In Pentiction I had xxx xxxx AKxx Kx and in 4th chair LHO opened 1? everybody vul . Tom overcalled 1? & RHO bid 2? and I bid 2? . LHO jumped to 4? and around to me again . The opponents have mapped out a void in hearts in partners hand so a 4? bid looks awfully good. Why make such a singlehanded bid ? Double as your partner might have AKxx of spades and wants no part of a vul sacrifice. Tom actually held an offensive 5-5 with a void in hearts and 4? goes one down with 620 cold their way.

D.S.I.P. doubles and the sandwich position are a perfect match . Partner opens a major and you respond 1NT . The opponent makes a bad overcall and you want to double out of turn but rats partner rescues him by bidding !! D.S.I.P. doubles to the rescue . Partner doubles with a good hand even one with 4 hearts and passes with thier suit . if you can not re-open with a double they play it there for a small plus your way. Doubles can get converted often if they lack discretion with their overcalls.

D.S.I.P. doubles are also “depending on context” penalty doubles. If the opponents advertise to the table that they have a suit wrapped up , the double becomes a D.S.I.P. double . Say you double an unusual 2NT and they leap to 5

of a minor anyway . Such total disregard for your first double changes your second double into a D.S.I.P. double showing points and the other minor. It does not mean do not trust them partner as they have lost their minds. Penalty doubles have been around since the beginning of Bridge . They say do not bid partner as we have their suit . With D.S.I.P. doubles we convey just the opposite meaning. The double means I want to bid but I am asking your permission to do so . Works way better …

 
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