Responses to Takeout Double in Contract and Duplicate Bridge
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Competition – an essential ingredient to make us better than the status quo. And at the Bridge table, with adequate values everyone loves to win the auction. So when it’s our partner that makes a Takeout Double, we certainly want to both cooperate and compete for the best contract. Sometimes playing a part score contract with a good 8 card suit fit is sufficient. Other times after partner doubles with opening values and we hold like values in our hand, we immediately know a game contract is in the proverbial cards.
Ah, it would be nice if competitive bidding was always that simple, right? But for better or worse, we need to carefully consider seemingly innumerable options. So together we will walk through some of the more common scenarios following common sense bidding tactics, tracking closely with your existing bidding methods.
In part 2 of our series on Takeout Doubles, we will continue to use Barbara Seagram’s “Bridge – 25 Ways to Compete in the Bidding.” In our concluding episode we will explore opener’s rebids – coming soon the BridgeHands video screen near you! (and we mean REALLY near you)
In our advanced lesson we discuss the need for partnership agreements when making balancing seat bids and determing the range for the so-called “Type 2: double when holding a big and with a strong semi self-sustaining suit. The commentary includes:
BridgeHands Members – please login for Part 2, Advanced information
Barbara Seagram materials Copyrighted by MasterPoint Press
Responder’s First Obligation
– Responder duty-bound to bid
– If RHO makes a bid or Redoubles, Advancing bid is optional
– Passing partner’s double is *RARE
– (consider Partner’s “Type 2” Double
Responders Strength Requirements – Distribution Points
– 0-8 – Bid suit, cheapest level
(May Pass when RHO bids / Freebid)
– 9-11 – Bid suit, skip 1 level
– 12+ points – Cuebid Opp’s suit, etc
Responder’s Second Option – Balancing Notrump Bids
– 8-10 HCP, stopper in opponents suit
(not simply length in opponents suit)
– 11-12 HCP, 1+ stoppers in opponents suit
– 13+ HCP, 1+ stopper in opponents suit
Responder’s Option With More Than One Suit
– First bid MAJOR suit §With both majors, bid:
“Down the line.”
Begin with higher ranking suit.
Responder’s Consideration when RHO Redoubles (10+ points)
– LHO Opener holds 12+ points
Partner holds 11+ points
RHO Responder holds 10+ points
– Pass smoothly with balanced hand
– Bid a respectable 4+ card major suit at the 1 level
Poll 29 #1a
| Board 4 West Deals N-S Vul |
♠ A K 5 4 ♥ 5 ♦ K Q 6 5 ♣ A J 10 8 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 9 7 ♥ A J 10 9 8 ♦ A J 10 ♣ K 5 |
|
♠ Q 2 ♥ 6 3 2 ♦ 9 8 7 2 ♣ Q 7 4 3 |
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| ♠ J 8 6 3 ♥ K Q 7 4 ♦ 4 3 ♣ 9 6 2 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | Pass | 1 ♠ |
| Pass | 2 ♠ | Pass | Pass |
Poll 29 #1
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ A K 5 4 ♥ 5 ♦ K Q 6 5 ♣ J 10 8 7 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 9 7 ♥ A J 10 9 8 ♦ A J 10 ♣ K 5 |
|
♠ Q 2 ♥ 6 3 2 ♦ 9 8 7 2 ♣ A Q 4 3 |
|||||||||
| ♠ J 8 6 3 ♥ K Q 7 4 ♦ 4 3 ♣ 9 6 2 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | 2 ♥ | 2 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 2 ♠ by South |
Poll 29 #4
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ A K 5 4 ♥ 5 ♦ K Q 6 5 ♣ J 10 8 7 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 9 7 ♥ Q J 10 9 8 ♦ A J 10 ♣ K Q |
|
♠ Q 2 ♥ 6 3 2 ♦ 9 8 7 2 ♣ 5 4 3 2 |
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| ♠ J 8 6 3 ♥ A K 7 4 ♦ 4 3 ♣ A 9 6 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | Pass | 2 ♥ |
| Pass | 2 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 4 ♠ by North |
Poll 29 #5
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ K Q 9 6 ♥ A Q 8 5 ♦ 5 ♣ Q 9 7 6 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 7 5 ♥ J 10 9 4 ♦ A K 10 9 ♣ A 10 |
|
♠ 4 2 ♥ 6 2 ♦ J 7 6 3 ♣ J 8 4 3 2 |
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| ♠ A J 8 3 ♥ K 7 3 ♦ Q 8 4 2 ♣ K 5 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♦ | Dbl | Pass | 2 ♦ |
| Pass | 2 ♥ | Pass | 2 ♠ |
| Pass | 4 ♣ | All pass |
| 4 ♣ by North |
Poll 29 #6
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ A K 5 4 ♥ 5 ♦ K Q 6 5 ♣ J 10 8 7 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 9 7 ♥ A J 10 9 8 ♦ A J 10 ♣ K 5 |
|
♠ Q J 2 ♥ 6 3 2 ♦ 9 8 7 2 ♣ Q 4 3 |
|||||||||
| ♠ 8 6 3 ♥ K Q 7 4 ♦ 4 3 ♣ A 9 6 2 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | Pass | 1 N |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 1 N by South |
Poll 29 #7
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ A Q 9 6 ♥ K 7 5 ♦ 5 ♣ K 7 6 4 3 |
||||||||||
| ♠ 10 2 ♥ Q J 9 2 ♦ A K J 10 7 3 ♣ 2 |
|
♠ 8 4 3 ♥ A 10 4 3 ♦ 4 2 ♣ J 10 9 8 |
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| ♠ K J 7 5 ♥ 8 6 ♦ Q 9 8 6 ♣ A Q 5 |
|||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♦ | Dbl | 1 ♥ | 2 ♦ |
| Pass | 2 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 4 ♠ by North |
Poll 29 #8
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ A K Q J 8 6 ♥ A ♦ 8 2 ♣ K Q 9 6 |
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| ♠ 10 7 5 ♥ K Q J 10 8 ♦ A K 10 9 ♣ A |
|
♠ 4 2 ♥ 3 2 ♦ Q J 6 4 ♣ 10 7 4 3 2 |
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| ♠ 9 3 ♥ 9 7 6 5 4 ♦ 7 5 3 ♣ J 8 5 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | Pass | 2 ♣ |
| 2 ♦ | 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 4 ♠ by North |
Poll 29 #9
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ K Q 9 6 ♥ Q 7 ♦ Q 5 2 ♣ K J 6 5 |
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| ♠ 10 7 ♥ K 10 9 4 2 ♦ A K 10 8 ♣ A 10 |
|
♠ 8 5 3 ♥ A J 3 ♦ J 7 4 3 ♣ 8 4 2 |
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| ♠ A J 4 2 ♥ 8 6 5 ♦ 9 6 ♣ Q 9 7 3 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | 2 ♥ | 2 ♠ |
| 3 ♥ | Pass | Pass | 3 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| 3 ♠ by South |
Poll 29 #10
| Board 4 West Deals None Vul |
♠ K Q 9 6 ♥ 7 2 ♦ K 5 2 ♣ K 8 6 5 |
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| ♠ A J 10 3 ♥ K Q 10 9 4 ♦ A 10 ♣ 10 3 |
|
♠ 8 7 5 ♥ A J 3 ♦ 8 7 4 3 ♣ J 4 2 |
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| ♠ 4 2 ♥ 8 6 5 ♦ Q J 9 6 ♣ A Q 9 7 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| 1 ♥ | Dbl | 2 ♥ | Dbl |
| Pass | 3 ♣ | All pass |
| 3 ♣ by North |
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Warm Regards,
Michael
BridgeHands
And what do you respond after 1 H – DBL – P – ??? holding the following:
S 8 5 3
H J 6 5 4
D 9 6 4
C Q 7 6 5
My answer = 1 S
Mine would be 2C. But I’d be happy if I could get my regular partner to do either of those instead of passing. . .
I think 1 club is better (with all due respect). I request my parters to have support for all three unbids (no offshape doubles) and they do not guaranntee 4 of the opposite major. Its nice, but not mandatory. Partnerships who require 4 of the opposite major are losing a lot of competitive flexibility and in my opinion creating an environment that stimulates defective doubles holding 4 of the opposite major when the hand really does not have the strength and/or shape to double.I also note that off shape doubles are alertable.
Sorry, not 1 club but rather 2 clubs.Pray that my bridge is better than my proof reading.
I “think” The Bridge World ran this question back in the ’60’s with 1 S
getting the plurality – – – too many years ago to make a $$ bet on this.
The reluctance was about raising the level, that part I DO remember.
Cannot place blame for the 2 C response, however. Are off-shape
T/O DBLs really alertable? Hurts my head. That would ALL
such DBLs would need to be alerted – – a really busy room. I agree
with you about the “other major”.
You can sense partner has a huge hand with shortness in Hearts, even if partner’s long suit is a minor or a balanced hand.
.
And on our Pollying You column, your quorum of peers were clearly voting for a 1 Spade vote. Well done, Bridge players!
.
On Friday’s Poll, we will explore various rebid scenarios.
Warm Regards,
Michael
Am looking forward to using your learning site in order to improve my bridge. thanks.
Thanks for the opportunity to learn more about bridge.
Michael, if I understood you coreectly, if my P X’s , I bid my highest 4 card suit.– say W opens 1D, N X’s, E P’s, and I have 4H and 4S, You say I should bid S first? –Why? and what happens if my P has 4H and 3S?
Abe
.
Yes, this is one of those rare situations when we hold 4-4 in two suits we begin by bidding the higher ranking suit. So when the auction goes:
.
(1D) – X – (P) – ?;
.
…and you hold 4-4 in the majors with less than 9 points, you begin with 1 Spade. Yes, it’s true that you might miss a 4-4 Heart fit and end up with a 4-3 Spade fit on a really bad day. But a more likely scenario is that the auction WILL NOT STOP at 1 Spade since your partner has an average opening hand and you have less than 9 points. After all, the opponents probably have as many points as your side.. More often LHO will rebid 2D or perhaps 2C. Or maybe RHO will bid 2D. In either situation, you can now rebid 2H to show your second 4 card suit. And herein lies the big payoff – you were able to show your 4-4 shape, letting partner either pass or rebid 2S/3S, etc. Had you bid up-the-line, it might go:
.
(1D) – X – (P) – 1H;
(3D) – P – IP) – ?
.
Warm Regards,
Michael
It’s my very first day of being a member and I’m looking at #29, 1a. I’m flummoxed with an opening 1H bid from North with 1 heart in the hand. Is that a mistake and should it be that West opens with a heart and North doubles? What am I missing here?
oops, see my mistake. Looking at the wrong hand