Doubles

Doubles continue to be the bane of my existence, especially when I play with someone new.  I know the definitions and theoretical applications of all sorts of doubles--take out, penalty, support, stolen bid, negative, responsive--but sometimes the real life application gets away from me.  

Yesterday I played with John.  We've played together a couple of times before, but since he's a much better player than I am, I was on alert and determined not to embarrass myself.  I thought about wearing my new straw hat, since John had purchased and worn one in Las Vegas, but I decided against it since it seems to be more of an outdoor thing.  Between John and Steve (my Las Vegas partner), straw hats now do remind me of bridge, so one of these days I may wear it.

Anyway, there came a time in the game when the opponents bid 2 spades and John doubled.  Julie, I know, almost never does a penalty double at the 2 level; Cristi, however, often does.  Which was this?  The longer I thought, the more nervous I imagined my partner was getting.  Excessive thinking usually means the wrong decision is coming, and I did not disappoint.  I bid at the 3 level, my partner went to 4; I played it and went down horribly (although it was not a 0).

Oh--I should probably mention the bidding that went on that led to this point.  John opened 1 NT; I bid 2 diamonds as a transfer to hearts; the opponents bid 2 spades; John doubled.  I realize now that when a double doesn't make any sense, as in what in the world does he expect me to bid, it is most likely for penalty.  With a different bidding sequence, it could also be a support double--something that I missed later in the game.  In my defense, such as it is, in the past A players have told me that if I don't understand their bid, bid anything but just don't pass.  John, however, has never said that to me.

To end on a positive note, my issues with doubles did not keep us from having a good game; we came in first in our section.