Article includes-

Balancing Double

Second Double

Responsive Double

Penalty Double

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Remember you cannot overcall, unless you have 5+ cards in a suit.

Sometimes you have a opening hand values but can’t overcall due to lack of 5 cards in any alternate suit. Double is designed for this purpose.

This section will be subdivided as follows :

• 3 cases for Takeout Double
• When to treat Takeout Double as a Penalty Double
• Bids on Partner’s Takeout DOUBLE as Advancer
  • Forcing bid when next opponent Passes (Mostly, Double over 1!C to 1!S )
  • Non-Forcing bid when next opponent bids
• 2^nd bid of Doubling opponent
• Responder’s Bids after a takeout double by opponent

Let’s examine three cases for Takeout Double :

Case 1 : You have 12+ HCP while short in opener’s bid suit and tolerance for other unbid suits (i.e. 4 or 3 card support).

The word Takeout sends a message to the partner sitting as advancer that he must take out his best suit.

Alternatively, You have passed and the responder next to you have passed, your partner sitting on advancer’s seat can also bid a takeout double which will now be called Balancing Double. He can decide to double with 8+ HCP provided other conditions are favourable.

For these two types of Takeout Doubles following conditions can be termed favourable for takeout double after qualifying shortness in opener’s bid.

1. Most ideal configuration in your hand is 4 4 4 1. Where 1 card is of  opener’s suit. Your partner will now have three equal choices for a fair response.
2. The opener bids a MAJOR and you have 4+ cards of the other MAJOR.
3. The opener bids a MINOR. You have 7+ cards in both MAJORS and 4+ in one of them.
4. You have long MINOR with suit quality of 8+ and tolerance for support in other two suits.

Takeout Double can be remembered as a mnemonic SOS where

S – shortness in opener’s suit

O – opening worthy hand

S – Support in others three suits.

Important Guidelines for Takeout Double

• DO NOT double if you have 5+ in a MAJOR. Just bid that suit.
• It helps if you have shortness in opener’s suit. As most cards of that suit, otherwise, will account for between opener and you and chances of you offering a fit to your partner’s alternate 4+ cards bid become less.
• opponent’s weak preemptive bid at level 2 or 3 can be doubled but with higher points (14+ or 16+, respectively) because your partner will have to bid at higher level or pass to use it as penalty double.
• If you are intending to double on BALANCING SEAT (meaning 2 immediately proceeding players have already passed and your passing ends biding), you can do so even at 8+ HCP provided you qualify also qualify for other takeout double criteria, stated above. This is also called BALANCING DOUBLE or Protective Double.

There is a strong case for lowering HCP requirement for balancing seat.

• As responder has passed, he doesn’t have 6+ points. Hence there is a strong chance that your partnership controls, at least, half of the HCPs and your partner has passed due to unfavourable distribution.
• If your partner has doubled and you passed as advancer, he still can bid when holding a good hand. But by your passing in a balancing seat the auction goes in favour of opponents, very cheaply.

Case 2 : Double by Advancer.

Here, both opponent’s have bid and your partner has passed.

• If both opponents bid same suit, meaning of double is same as in case 1.
• If there are different suits? then you must give choice of 4 cards in both unbid suits to your partner.
• If one bid a suit and other 1NT then double gives 3 suit choice with 15+ HCP

Case 3: You have monster hand. 17+ points, BALANCED or UNBALANCED

DO NOT overcall. You do the following:

•  DOUBLE in first round in both cases.
• In second round with BALANCE hand bid NT. With UNBALANCED hand bid your 5+ card suit.

Penalty Double

Takeout doubles at lower levels are not to be passed (Mostly, 1!C to 1!S), if the next opponent immediately after double passes.There is strong case to not endorse a penalty double at such low levels, reason being, failure to defeat the opponents may result in them getting game bonus due to doubling. This can prove to be very expensive most of the times.

Penalty doubles should, ideally, be at game level.

However, Some doubles can be treated as penalty doubles, judiciously:

• Opener’s 1NT can be penalty doubled when you have a competing hand with 15+ HCP.

• Sometimes you have many cards of opponent’s bid suit and your partner doubles, then you can pass to create a penalty double bid.
• Opponent’s 4 level game bid can be penalty doubled.
• Opponent’s part score aggressive bids can be penalty doubled.
• When both partners have agreed on a suit (either as opener or overcaller), any double by partnership, post interference at this stage then is a penalty double.
• Your partner has described his hand sufficiently, (e.g. like in case of weak preemptive) still opponents interfere.

Important note BBO Robots : BBO robots treat take out doubles as penalty double only after 4!s has been bid. Be very careful in bidding double as penalty double over a suit if last bid is 4!h or lower. BBO robot will treat it as takeout double and you will have unrealistic bids at very high levels.

Advancer’s Bid on Partner’s Takeout DOUBLE

When in Forcing as immediate next opponent after DOUBLE has PASSED

If the opponent after DOUBLE has passed, compulsory forcing is mandated when the Double is bid over 1!c to 1!s opening (or Opening + Responder) bids. Advancer must bid even with 0 points.

Note : 1NT or beyond bids intercepted by Takeout Doubles can be passed to be treated as Penalty Double. But not while playing with 3 robots, check the footnote on penalty double above.

Forcing response to takeout double are :

• if 0-9 points
  • Bid at lowest level any unbid suit with preference to 4+ MAJOR.
• If 10-12 points
  • Jumping a level in intended suit. Showing invitational bid.

• If 13+ points
  • consider game, appropriately.

When NO SUIT possible but responder has 10+ points, Cue- bid opponent’s opening bid. It is an ALERT hence forcing.

If no suit possible but have stoppers in opener’s suit :

• 1NT 6-9 points and 1 stopper in opponent’s  bid suit.

• 2NT 10-12 points and 1.5 (A+Q, K+Q) stoppers
• 3NT 13+ points and 2 stoppers

Having stoppers in opener’s suit is absolutely important because the  opening lead will certainly be from this suit and without stoppers, there can be cascading of trick losses.

When next opponent has a bid over double, forcing is off:

• Pass when a weak hand.
• Simple raise shows 6+ points e.g. 1!H-Dbl-2!H-2!S shows 4+ Spades and 6+ points.
• Simple raise but a level higher 10+ points e.g. 1!H-Dbl-2!H-3!D shows 4+ Diamonds and invitational.
• Dbl = Responsive Double. Shows Advancer has unbid suits with 4+ cards in a weak hand.

2^nd Bid by Doubler

• Simple 1 level higher raise to advancer’s bid must have 14+ points.
  • A pass by advancer, subsequently, on this bid shows a bust hand. Remember, Advancer may have bid because of forcing constraints.
• Cue bid opponent’s suit indicating agreement with partner’s response suit and invitational hand.
  • After your Cue bid, if your partner rebids his suit again with simple raise, he shows a bust hand with fewer than 6 points. Remember your earlier bid may have been forcing on him.
• Another round of Double called the Second Double shows 18+ points hand
• New suit on next available level must be 5+ cards suit with 15-16 points.
• Jump with new suit must be 6+ cards suit with 17+ points.
• NT on next available level 19-20 points plus 1 stopper in opponent’s suit
• Jump NT 20-22 points plus 1.5 stopper

Responder’s Bids after a takeout double by opponent

Following options can be considered by opener’s responding partner when facing interference from takeout double.

• Responder’s level 1 response with a different suit is same as normal convention shows forcing response with 4+ cards suit and 6+ points. Majors have to be priority.                    
• Responder’s 1NT shows 6-9 points and a balanced hand.
• Responder can REDOUBLE when opener’s level 1 bid is a MAJOR to show shortness in bid Major but 10+ points. It is 1 round forcing
  • Avoid redouble with 3+ cards in opening Major, go for Truscott.
• Use Truscott 2NT (aka Jordan) when you have 10+ points and a FIT in the partner’s MAJOR.
  • Bid 2NT after opponent’s double
    • Opener’s 3!H/3!S over 1!H/1!S, respectively shows sign off.
    • Opener’s 3 level bid of side suit shows 4+ cards and 13+ points and indicates desire to investigate game. It is one round forcing.
      •  Truscott bidder can sign off with 3!H/3!S with 10-11 points in hand.
      • Bid 4!H/4!S when 12+ points for game.