The lesson on July 17 was on dealing with doubles in the direct seat. One of our opponents in the first round thanked me for reminding her about the Jordan convention. She remarked that it had been on her card for years, but she had never used it. Her streak lasted until the second hand.
Board #2
East dealer
North-South vulnerable
North
♠ 9 6
♥ 8 7 5 2
♦ ——
♣ A K Q 10 9 7 5
While sitting in the frigid North seat and holding the formidable collection shown above, I saw two passes followed by 1♠ by West. Perhaps fifteen minutes earlier I had told everyone that a double in the direct seat shows either thirteen support points with support for all three unbid suits or a hand that is too strong to overcall. I even distributed a handout with this information. From a point-count perspective my hand did not meet either requirement. Nevertheless, I could not get myself to make a simple overcall with a hand that had so much playing strength. So, I extracted the double card from the bidding box and lay it gingerly on the table.
East held eight high-card points and a singleton, which gave her eleven support points. She also had four-card support. She had all the requirements for her very first Jordan bid, and so she set the 2NT card before her with a grin.
I expected my partner to pass or bid diamonds. He shocked me by jumping to 4♥. My cards were burning my fingers when West bid 4♠. I considered bidding 5♣, but I was now pretty sure that my partner had only one spade. I could now envision that my four little hearts and void in diamonds could very well provide a truly magical fit. Not only could he ruff numerous pointy red losers, he also would have an abundance of entries to take advantage of my clubs. I ventured 5♥.
East checked to see if the backs of her cards were the same pattern and color as everyone else's and then doubled. Then there were three passes.
Here was the entire layout and the auction.
Board #2
East dealer
North-South vulnerable
| | North
♠ 9 6
♥ 8 7 5 2
♦ ——
♣ A K Q 10 9 7 5
| | West
♠ A K 10 8 7 4
♥ K Q
♦ K 10 8 4
♣ J
| | East
♠ Q J 5 2
♥ 3
♦ A J 6 2
♣ 8 6 3 2
| | | South
♠ 3
♥ A J 10 9 6 4
♦ Q 9 7 5 3
♣ 4
| |
|
| | | | |
| South | West | North | East |
| | | P |
| P | 1♠ | Dbl | 2NT |
| 4♥ | 4♠ | 5♥ | Dbl |
| P | P | P | |
I am not sure why East doubled. She had nothing extra and a poor trump holding. If she had passed, West would have been in a better position to assess whether to try 5♠ or to double. Passing would not be an option because East-West had bid strongly to 4♠, and most experienced players consider a pass in such a situation a forcing call.
Our sixteen high-card points produced eleven tricks with no difficulty. As long as hearts were 2-1, the other splits were immaterial. Clubs would not have been as good; we can only take ten tricks if the defenders lead a trump before I can ruff a spade. My reckless double had paid off handsomely.
Everyone else played in spades. I suspect that all the North players overcalled 2♣ with my hand. After all, they had just heard me explain in an authoritative manner that their hand did not qualify for a double! After an overcall East has enough to eke out a 3♣ cue bid. In theory this would be inferior to her actual bid because it would be at a higher level and would not show her fourth spade. West would probably consider doubling to show the other two suits. If he did that or simply bid 3♥, I would not have been as enthusiastic about showing my feeble hearts and hiding my powerful clubs.
West can make four spades. If he gets in before South gives North a diamond ruff, he can make five spades. I would have led the ♣A and then switched to the ♥8 to try to tell my partner not to count on me for heart tricks.
At some point in the play East realized that another response would have been possible. She was a passed hand, and they were playing two-way Drury. She could have bid 2♦ to show invitational values and four-card support. She asked me if Drury was still in effect after an intervening double. I showed her on my convention card that we play that the Drury convention is off over interference at the 2♦ level and higher, but I explained that many others play that it is off over any interference because other tools are available to show invitational raises.
In her seat I would have responded 2♦ because of the possibility that West had opened in the third seat with a very weak hand. Drury allows him to sign off in 2♠. Bidding 2NT forces him to the three level. In this case, it probably would not have mattered. South would have jumped to 3♥, and then her partner would have bid 4♠, as he did in the actual auction.
Our opponents encouraged me to make this the hand of the week. I am not sure whether they realized that this would put me in the embarrassing situation of needing to invent an explanation for my double.