Source: https://www.andrewrobson.co.uk
Sometimes – often – you can gain more by penalising the opponents than by making your own contract. This is particularly true when an opponent has opened 1 NT. Any hand, balanced or otherwise, with sixteen or more points should double 1 NT. This is a “Penalty” double and unless partner is particularly weak with a long suit (in which case he will remove the double) he is expected to Pass.
The carnage can be horrific, especially when the doubler has a long suit to lead…
Dealer South Both Vul
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West | North | East | South |
1NT | |||
Dbl | Pass | Pass | Pass |
There are those who would claim that South should not open 1 NT (12-14), as he holds two suits unstopped. I am not one of them – a 1 NT opener is by far the most descriptive opening bid and only occasionally results in trouble.
West led ♦ A and played out all his five remaining s, East discarding
2,
3,
6 and
2, ♣
. By throwing low cards in the suits he didn’t want, East signalled for ♥s whilst retaining all five of them. West switched to
6 to
J and
Q, and East accurately returned
8. West beat declarer’s
10 with
Q. He cashed
A and led
2. East beat dummy’s
4 with
10, cashed
A felling dummy’s
K, and took the last two tricks with
8 3.
Declarer had not made a single trick, losing 2000 points. Rather better for East-West than bidding and making their own contract!
THE RULE OF SIXTEEN: If an opponent opens 1 NT and you have sixteen + points, you must double – a penalty double.