A double is for penalties when:
1, 'Partner has previously bid, leven if the opponents' doubled contract, is only one odd, or 2. The doubled bid is at least two o-trump or a four bid in a suit, Any penalty double aust. "be based on defeating the contract by tov in, of one trick two. tricks. A free double or a
flouble' of suit bids below "game contract should not be made, unless least one tramp trick is held Cly]
The Rule The Culbertson penalty double! rule reads as. follows:
Aad the minimum, number of honour tricks shown by" partner's bid. to honour "tricks (and. truly tricks, if any, jo the adverse letd "in player's own hand, subtract "the total from 18. 1 balance will show the trick takin limits of the opponents' contract now the player expects to, pen-liza the opponents by at least two tricks, the" miniowum margin safety for any double, ho may]
ible when not expecting: a greater gain at his: own bid, Example: "Assuming that the dealer' (South) opens with one club West overcalls with one spade, a North hold Soa 2 taking tricks shown by partner—{in all-at least 8 taking tricks. Opponents can therefore make at t Tost out of the 19 tricks.
Partner should leave inthe nasty double, even with a blank and, unless his hand contains any {important factor which is not known to. doubler, Partner' should take out the penalty double when his hand con-alns "certain "important factors unknown te doubler.
Partner should take out the penalty double under the following conditions {2). When the distribution is very unbalanced (freakish), provided doubler is not aware of"
(2). When it is evident that
opponents" bid, prov over, partner's and is worthless against hae it contains "some elements of support for doubler's previous bid, and that the possible loss will not adverse mostrump fe based upon 'A safe penalty double against an the ate of is and
fount of honour' tricks in the. de-hands. Tf partnership hands count for & honour tricks, the adverse one no-trump will, Tule, be. defeated. by 2 trices, Th combined hands. should establish 3 fow cards in addition to the honour tricke—a total of 8 out of the 13 tricks, If the combined: hands can count for 5} honour tricks, the adverse one No-trump will be, de: feated by at least 2 to 9 tricks, The count of honour tricks for penalty Soubles must, however, not absolutely rehoe upon, A no-trump contract can be successfully mad with less honour strength when hold: When in Opponents' Suit These bids are closely related to the take-out double, but show, as a much stronger hand.
With strong two-suiters' apd freaks, the take-out double should be avoided, In such situations an immeate overcall in the adverse suit replaces the take-out double; it is a strength and a freak showing bid, and is like a gigantic take-out double.
Example: West (Dealer) bids one spade, North hol Spades—" Diamds AK 73.
teans, AQUS-Chube KQJ42 and overcalls with two spades. It is tone of the most interesting inferential bids in Contract, and should be used whenever possible.
The overcall may be used in three different situations:
(1) Ata low stage of the bidding the defending hand (opponents having opened the bidding).
(2), Ata low stage of the bidding, by the responding or opening hand (partnership having opened the bidding), in place of a foreing take-out or a forcing rebid.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.