(569) Rosenkrantz Redoubles

This Week in Bridge

(569) Rosenkrantz Redoubles

© AiB                                                      Robert S. Todd
Level:  9 of 10                                        robert@advinbridge.com

General

When Left Hand Opponent (LHO) opens the bidding, partner makes an overcall, and Right Hand Opponent (RHO) makes a negative double, then Advancer is in the middle of a complex competitive auction.  Traditionally, a redouble in a competitive auction shows a strong hand (10+ points), but with everyone bidding it is not likely that Advancer is too focused on showing values.  Instead, we want to design our agreements to let us best describe the most common kinds of hands.  In this auction, Advancer having lots of values is not common.  Let’s see how using redouble as a conventional bid, called a Rosenkrantz Redouble, can be more effective than this traditional value-showing redouble.

Rosenkrantz Redoubles

When partner overcalls, they frequently will have holdings like:

• AQxxx

• Axxxx

• KJxxx

• Kxxxx

With holdings like these, partner will be worried about leading their suit.  If we have a top Honor (Ace or King) in their suit, then partner should lead their suit; but if we do not, then leading their suit could be costly.  In this case, it would be very helpful if Advancer had a way to show a top Honor in partner’s suit.  This is what a Rosenkranz Redouble accomplishes.  When Responder makes a negative double, then Advancer can use this special redouble to show either the Ace or King in partner’s suit.

Example 1

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♠                           X                             XX*

This redouble (Rosenkrantz) shows either the ♠A or ♠K.  It could be holdings like

• Singleton A or K

• Doubleton A or K – Ax, Kx

• Axx

• Kxx

Note:  Some partnerships may agree that this redouble shows both a fit and a high honor (Ace or King), but this makes the redouble less frequently useful. 

This is a very useful agreement because when Advancer does not make a redouble, then Interferer is alerted to the fact that partner does not have a top Honor and that it may be dangerous to lead their suit.

Example 2

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♠                           X                             P

This pass by Advancer implies they do not have the ♠A or ♠K and Interferer should be careful leading their suit.

When Advancer raises Interferer’s suit in these auctions then there is an inference that Advancer does not have the Ace or King.

Example 3

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♠                           X                             2♠

Playing Rosenkrantz redoubles, this raise to 2♠ shows at least 3-card support and denies having either the ♠A or ♠K.

Opening Leads

Another way that the Rosenkrantz redouble can help a partnership is to get them a ruff early in the auction. 

Example 4

Imagine defending a 4♥ contract with this layout in the ♠ suit.

♠ Txx

♠ Axxxx                ♠ Kx

                ♠ QJx

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♠                           X                             XX*
2♥                           P                             4♥                           All Pass

If this is the auction, then West knows it is safe to lead a low ♠ because they know that partner has the ♠K.  With a low ♠ lead, the defenders can take the first three tricks – ♠K, ♠A, and a ♠ ruff.

Note:  Some partnerships also choose to play Rosenkrantz doubles instead of snapdragon doubles in auctions where Responder bids a new suit – showing Ace or King in partner’s suit.

Conclusion

A Rosenkrantz redouble helps partner with an opening lead by showing a top honor with a redouble (or even more importantly denying one when a redouble is not made.)  This gives up a natural redouble (showing values), but this is not a very common bid by Advancer in this situation.  If you and partner like “practical gadgets” that help you communicate in difficult competitive auctions you may find this useful.  Discuss using this gadget with your regular partners.

(568) Snapdragon Doubles

This Week in Bridge

(568) Snapdragon Doubles

© AiB                                                  Robert S. Todd
Level:  9 of 10                                    robert@advinbridge.com

General

Bridge players keep finding more and more ways to use doubles, especially in low-level competitive auctions.  The traditional double by the Advancer is the responsive double.  This double applies when the opponents have bid and raised a suit and partner has taken some action in the middle (either a takeout double or a suit overcall).  But when Left Hand Opponent (LHO) opens the bidding with a suit, partner overcalls a second suit, and Responder bids a third suit, then a double by Advancer is not a responsive double.  It is a different kind of competitive double called a Snapdragon Double – a fancy name for another double that wants to compete in the bidding.   Let’s see exactly what this double shows.

Snapdragon Doubles

When LHO opens the bidding (showing values), partner makes an overcall, and Responder makes a freebid at the 2-level (showing 10+ points) then the opponents have most of the points.  The most we are going to do in this type of auction is compete in the bidding.  We are unlikely to be looking to bid game based on HCP, so the only way we might bid to a high level is if we have an extremely large fit.

Example 1

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♦                           1♠                           2♣                          __?

• A bid of 2♥ would be natural and competitive – showing a 5+card ♥ suit.  (Although we may normally play a new suit forcing by Advancer, it does not make sense to play it as forcing when the opponents have shown most of the values.)

• A double in this auction is played as a snapdragon double – showing both the fourth suit (in this case 5+card ♥) and tolerance for partner’s suit (3-card fit or at least honor doubleton, depending on our partnership agreement). 

Having the snapdragon double available to show the fourth suit and at least tolerance for partner’s suit means that when we bid the fourth suit, we are not interested in partner’s suit and have a poor holding in their suit.

Let’s look at the previous auction with some example hands for Advancer.

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♦                           1♠                           2♣                          __?

Example 2

♠ 7
♥ AJT843
♦ 865
♣ K72

We bid 2♥!  With this hand, we want to compete in the bidding but only in our 6-card ♥ suit.  This 2♥ bid denies interest in partner’s ♠ suit – showing at best two small cards in that suit.

Example 3

♠ K5
♥ AJT74
♦ 873
♣ 632

We double.  With this hand we have only a 5-card ♥ suit and King doubleton in partner’s ♠ suit, so we are not certain which suit would be best for our side to compete in.  Double shows a 5-card ♥ suit and tolerance for partner’s ♠ suit – leaving it up to partner to choose which is the best place to play at the 2-level or if it is a good idea to further compete in the auction.

With the negative inference that our bid of the fourth suit denies interest in partner’s suit, partner will usually pass our suit with a reasonable holding – only rebidding their own suit with a powerful holding in their suit and a poor holding in ours. 

The snapdragon double applies when Responder has bid at the 1-level as well.  This is true, even though Responder has not promised as many values with a 1-level response as they do with a new suit at the 2-level.  In this case, some partnerships may choose to treat a new suit as forcing, since it is possible for Advancer to have a better hand (this is a partnership agreement).

Example 4

Opener                Interferer            Responder          Advancer
1♣                          1♦                           1♠                           __?

• A double (snapdragon double) shows a ♥ suit (usually at least 5+cards) and tolerance for partner’s ♦ suit – 3-cards or Honor doubleton. 

• Bidding 2♥ shows a 5+card suit and denies interest in partner’s ♦ suit – at most two small ♦.

Note:  These bids can be useful whether our partnership plays this new suit as Non-Forcing Constructive or Forcing.

Conclusion

The snapdragon double is a useful agreement to have with your partner.  In auctions when partner has bid a suit and the opponents have bid two suits, we usually only have interest in playing in partner’s suit or the fourth suit.  By having a snapdragon double available to show interest in both of these suits, then bidding the fourth suit strongly implies interest in only playing there – helping partner avoid making a bad decision after our bid.  Discuss this double with partner and add it to your growing list of competitive bidding tools.