DOUBLE TROUBLE

West’s Double for a lead, seemed a good idea at the time but it turned out to be a total disaster.

North dealt at North-South game.

Bidding:

The three Spade bid by McTavish was dual purpose. It showed spades stopped, and at the same time announced no values in clubs and left the way open for a possible slam. North realised that his partner’s Three Spade bid did not necessarily show a suit and might only be showing the suit stopped with a worry about clubs.

Nevertheless, he redoubled to show support and McTavish bravely stuck to his guns and passed. West was shattered by this turn of events but could only pass.

West led the three of hearts and McTavish quickly won the ace. He then cashed the ace and king of clubs and followed with three top diamonds, to which he discarded a club from dummy. He ruffed a club in dummy and a heart in hand and had made the first eight tricks leaving West with his five trumps.

He led a fourth diamond and West was strung up. If he ruffed low he would be overruffed with the ten and McTavish would ruff a heart with the ace and still make the queen of trumps ‘en passant’. If he ruffed high, a heart goes from dummy and the ten in dummy wins the return. As before, a heart is ruffed with the ace and again the queen of trumps is good for the eleventh trick.

Incredibly McTavish has made three trump tricks in dummy and two in his own hand and scores 1710 points compared with the normal 630 for Three No-trumps.

West is still convalescing.