H7

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We all know that a snapdragon is a flower. But did you know that there is a snapdragon double in bridge? It is a useful addition to your system. Opener bids a suit, your partner makes a minimum overcall in another suit, and responder bids a third suit. If you double, snapdragon, you are showing length (at least five cards) in the unbid suit and tolerance (typically honor-doubleton) for partner's suit.

If instead you bid the fourth suit, you show length there (usually at least six cards) and warn partner that he returns to his own suit at his peril.

In today's deal, North's double showed five-plus spades and diamond tolerance. Then East used a support redouble (as described in yesterday's column) to show exactly three hearts and any point-count. South was happy to "raise" spades with three good trumps. And now the partscore battle was fully joined. West competed with two hearts, bidding to the eight-trick level in the known eight-card fit. (If West wished to invite game, he would have jumped to three hearts.) North bid two spades. And East, with a potential source of club tricks, went to three hearts. Maybe that should have ended the auction, but South liked his hand sufficiently to bid three spades.

Note that there is a symmetry in the defense against three hearts and three spades. When West declares, he goes down if the defenders take two spades, two diamonds and a diamond ruff by North.

When South is the declarer, he fails if the defense takes two hearts, two clubs and a club ruff by West.