[sceptic]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     -     Pass  Pass
 1♥    Pass  1♠    Pass
 2♥    Pass  3♣    Pass
 3♠    Pass  4♠    Pass
 Pass  Dbl   Pass  Pass
 Pass  

comments welcomed about my x intended as lead directional (I can only say it was extrememly painful)

[Walddk]

There is nothing lead directing about the double, and even if there had been, how do you expect to defeat 4♠? You don't have any surprises for declarer, on the contrary: you know spades are breaking.

The bottom line is: I guess you intended your double as a so called Lightner double (lead dummy's fist bid suit, partner). But a Lightner double does not apply at game level. It does at slam level.

So if you want my honest opinion. Your double was not a good double.

Roland

[Walddk]

Maybe I should add that declarer has to play the contract very well on a trump lead. Win in dummy, then a low heart and if North follows small, he must pitch! If not, he will get tapped.

With ♥A dropping on the 3rd round, he will be able to set up the heart suit.

Roland

[whereagles]

Even if pard were to take this dbl as a lead-directing dbl, it would still be a gamble because there is no reason to suspect this goes down on any lead.

[pigpenz]

i cant see how this was lead directing either!
And even if partner leads a heart no way you can be sure that it will make it easier to beat 4♠

[EricK]

If you make a lead directing double, it must be to tell partner that you think that lead beats the contract. It is not enough just to say you think that is the best lead.

Suppose you make a lead directing double and direct partner to the only lead which doesn't concede an overtrick. What happens? You get a bottom!

On this hand you can't really be at all certain that a Heart lead would beat the contract. In fact, since on the bidding declarer is practically marked with ♥ shortage, there is no guarantee from your point of view that a Heart is even the best lead.

Eric

[pigpenz]

yes even agaisnt 6 you cant be sure you can beat it, but a double of 6♠ i could buy but not of 4♠

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

the double is penalty, either with a trump stack,
or you can infer that partner holds a trump stack
and the cards are placed badly for delclarer.

This last possiility, is a dangerous one.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[helene_t]

I was South and guessed that Wayne probably wanted a heart lead. Also, I had the feeling that something went wrong during the auction (EW being a pick-up partnership), and maybe Wayne doubled on the same basis.

[Walddk]

I think a trump is fairly obvious on the auction, and looking at the South hand only. Declarer showed a club side suit. I am looking at AQ10x. When do I get club tricks? When dummy is out of trumps. I wouldn't have taken the double as lead directing (they don't exist at game level in a suit contract).

Let declarer try to make it on a trump lead. Yes, he can, as I pointed out in a previous post, but he must play it very well. I am sure that few will find the winning line, i.e. pitching a club when a heart is led off dummy.

The double is ..... well, strange, but even so, that wouldn't keep me away from my "natural" trump lead.

Roland

[luis]

If you intended the double as asking for a heart lead then I think it was bad, there's no reason to think you need a heart lead to defeat 4♠, if declarer has some heart losers where is he going to discard them? I think the bidding asked for a trump lead and doubling risks pd leading something else so I would just be quiet since I like the normal lead suggested by the bidding.

I also want to mention that I have a different view about "speculative" doubles than many other players, for some players any doubled game that is made means the double was a bad double I disagree with that approach, from time to time I think it is fine to double if you think the contract is not going to be easy to make.

Luis

[luis]

Jlall, on Sep 26 2005, 04:53 PM, said:

luis, on Sep 26 2005, 11:42 AM, said:

I also want to mention that I have a different view about "speculative" doubles than many other players, for some players any doubled game that is made means the double was a bad double I disagree with that approach, from time to time I think it is fine to double if you think the contract is not going to be easy to make.

Luis

Agree but this does not seem like the hand for a spec X. You know everything is splitting and if declarer has someting like a stiff heart (not unlikely) opp the KJT (not unlikely) the ruffing fineeses will work etc. You should at least have some kind of surprise for a spec X, like a stiff trump.

Agree this is not the hand.

[shoeless]

Interesting Wayne how you manage to organize your own individual bridge class every few days, with world class instructors. Very cool!

[helene_t]

Yes, a trump lead sound good, I have clubs and it looks as if declarer needs to ruff clubs in the dummy. Not sure I would have thought of that without the double, though.

[Walddk]

No, it's a very common disease. "The non trump lead syndrome". Not sure what the remedy is. A trump lead is right much more often than one may think, and yet we see it rarely.

Roland

[helene_t]

I'll ask Alex. He offers sound medical advice.