DOUBLE TROUBLE

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( Article by Johnny Supremo )

Various labels can be attached

to doubles : speculative, nasty, punitive, frivolous, pointless, solid, silly,  thumping,and so on.

Doubling against good players however can be a risky business, because  not only does it alert them to unfavourable breaks and distributions, but it may provide them with that extra bit of information needed to steer the contract home ( when under normal circumstances it would fail). I remember a few months ago one double that landed my LHO in a great deal of trouble. It was the last session of a teams match, and neither side could afford mistakes. On the hand above,  I opened 1H.... 1S from partner...2C....3H (?) .....4H.......DOUBLE !
This was passed out.....and when dummy came down,  on the king of spades lead.....I felt it best not to panic, and set about the play with the air of man who hadn't care in the world. Certainly, dummy's heart holding was not as I envisaged, requiring me to take the view that my LHO's double was based on a trump stack.
So the play went as follows. Spade Ace, followed by a successful diamond finesse to hand. Oh lucky me ! Ace of diamonds followed by three top clubs,  pitching away dummy's  two losing diamonds. A fourth club ruffed with the heart 10. Back to hand with a spade ruff.  Eights tricks in the bag,  with West still clinging to his precious KQJxx of hearts. Dummy was down to 4 small spades plus the heart Ace, while I had 98xx of hearts and a wonderful 4 of  diamonds. 
At trick nine I led this little gem,  and now my LHO's goose was well and truly cooked.  He had to ruff low, with dummy's heart Ace diving in to take the trick. A spade return was of course ruffed with my 8, and although this was over-ruffed, West was well and truly end played with having to play KQx towards my by 9xx.
On the other table our team mates were defending 3NT, which was a lost cause for declarer on a King of hearts lead. With a big swing on the board the match was ours.......but the glory of course was mine !