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Zia routinely doubles auctions where the opponents have bid hesitatingly to game. As he sees it, if they’ve both limited their hands, you’re in with a good chance. Moreover, by upping the ante, the added pressure on declarer may cloud his thinking. This hand from a recent rubber bridge game seems to prove his point. West made a crazy gambling double (had he been drinking?), but it did manage to completely stupefy South, who is normally an excellent declarer:
West led the ♥6. Declarer rose with the ♥K, came to hand with a diamond and took the club finesse (West surely had the ♣K for his double!). Back came a heart and the contract was two down. Only afterwards did declarer see the right line: to play low from both hands at trick 1. The contract is always safe if West has the ♣K, if hearts are 4-4, or if East has ♥Ax or ♥Axx (duck the second round). You have no chance if West holds five hearts to the ♥A and East the ♣K. But if West has six hearts headed by the ace, playing low from both hands cuts the defender’s communication.
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