One of the greatest areas of misunderstanding is doubling. Is it penalty? Is it take out? Is it negative? Recently I heard about a pair who were playing exclusion blackwood (or at least one of them was) and ended up playing 5♣ (undoubled) in a 0-0 fit. True story. You need trumps to double a game (unless they have obviously screwed up) but it will usually cost a trick. Doubling a slam is a different story.
North expected a bit more from a second-in-hand vulnerable 4♥ opening and jumped to slam. West figured she probably had a trump trick in addition to her Ace, so gave it ‘the message’, but this was seriously unsound, as we shall see.
West led her ♣A and, disappointed to find the ♥A in dummy, tried another Club, hoping declarer would have to ruff. South won in hand and – because of West’s double – tried the ♥Q from hand.
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