When the opponents open the auction, your partner doubles, and the partner of the opening opponent passes, what do you do? The answer to this question has intrigued each and every bridge player. Using and applying the following guidelines may assist the individual bridge player to decide upon the best course of action.
It is of the utmost importance to remember that the partner of the opener has decided not to bid. His pass could be a Trapping Pass, an Informative Pass awaiting further developments, because he knows that you are being forced to bid something. He also knows that he will have another chance to bid, unless you decide to pass.
In all of the following examples, assume that the dealer has opened the auction with 1 Club, your partner doubles, and the partner of the opener passes.
1. Minimum Suit Response after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
987 1086 Q963 432
987 10863 Q96 432
Q987 1086 965 432
9 108 96 Q10976432 1 1 1 Pass (trapping)
Remember, you are forced to respond. You may have absolutely no high card points, but you are forced to respond. The usual partnership agreement states that the minimum could be zero and the maximum should be no more than 8 high card points for a Minimum Suit Response. Applying the Minimum Suit Response, your partner, who has doubled, knows that you are weak, and any further action on his part will show additional strength or a preferred 6-card suit. This action on the part of your partner is not forcing and you may pass.
However, any further action on the part of your partner, should, by partnership agreement, show at least 17 high card points. If he raises your suit or bids another suit, this indicates a 6-card suit, or a solid 5-card suit, and 17 plus high card points. A rebid by the Doubler of 1 No Trump shows generally a hand too strong to overcall as 1 No Trump, namely a hand that contains 18-20 high card points.
2. One No Trump Response after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
J87 K86 Q63 Q832 1 No Trump
A 1 No Trump response strongly indicates a balanced hand, a stopper in the opener's bid suit. The high card point count is a matter of contention even today. Generally, the responder should have approximately 8 to 10 high card points. If you decide to change this range, please include it in your partnership agreement.
If your range is not 8 to 10 high card points, invent a bid, normally the cheapest possible, which can be a 3-card suit. Remember also, that the rank of the opener's suit is important. If the opener bids 1 Spade and you do not have a 4-card support in Hearts, and your point count is small, keep the bidding alive by making the most descriptive and informative bid possible.
3. Jump Shift after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
J87 KQ864 Q6 Q83
By Jump Shifting, you are encouraging your partner, who has doubled. However, it must be noted that this is not a Forcing Bid. You are merely showing your Partner a 5-card Heart suit (or Diamonds, or Spades) with a high card point range of 9 to 11 HCPs. Generally, if the opponent opens with a Major suit and your partner doubles, you may Jump Shift with only 4-card support in the other Major, since you know that your partner also has 4-card support in the that Major. If you Jump Shift in a Minor Suit, then a 5-card support is necessary.
4. Cuebid after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
QJ104 QJ96 96 K83
KJ87 KQ98 Q9 Q83
A cuebid of 2 Clubs will inform partner that game is certain. However, the partner of the Doubler can not be certain of the final contract. As with all cuebids, it informs partner nothing about the cuebid suit, and nothing about the strength. This is a Forcing Bid, and partner must respond.
If a Minor suit opening has been doubled, and the partner of the Doubler has made a cuebid, then, according to many partnership agreements, this signifies that the responder has two 4-card Major suits. This is seen in the above two examples. Responder leaves the decision up to the Doubler to pick the better of the two. Responder will raise the Major suit bid by his partner, but the partner (Doubler) may pass with a minimum, and therefore, it is not a forcing to game bid. If the partner of the Doubler had more strength and/or length in the bid Major suit, then partner would simply bid game, as in the example on the right.
5. Two No Trump after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
K98 K86 QJ63 Q83 2 No Trump
A 2 No Trump response shows a balanced hand with a stopper in the bid suit of the opener. This response also informs partner that the strength of the hand lies around 11-12 high card points.
6. Three No Trump after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
KJ9 Q86 QJ6 KQ83 3 No Trump
A Three No Trump response shows a balanced hand with normally two stoppers in the opener's bid suit. This response also informs partner that the strength of the hand lies around 13-16 high card points. At this point, it must be noted that if the Doubler's partner has more than 16 high card points, something is wrong. It would strongly indicate that the opener has opened on a very weak hand, more to obstruct the bidding auction than as a constructive bid.
7. Higher Suit Responses after: 1 Club - Double - Pass
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
5
After being informed by his partner, the Doubler, of his strength, the responder can re-evaluate his hand, and make a natural limited bid. These bids signify at least a 6-card plus suit in length and enough strength to presumably make the contract with the minimum held by the Doubler. These bids are not forcing, but strongly suggest the placement of the final contract, regardless of the holdings of the Doubler. Instead of an example, we leave it to the discretion of the responder to visualize all the gathered information from the bidding auction, to re-evaluate his hand and then make the appropriate bid.
What is the procedure when the partner of the opener bids:
Opener Doubler Responder You
1 Double Redouble
1
1
1
2?
1 Double Redouble
1
1
2
2?
1 Double Redouble
1
2
2
2?
1 Double Redouble
2
2
2
2?
This is the time when your response becomes a little tricky. Any action by the partner of the opener takes you off the hook. You are no longer obliged or forced to make any bid. After any bid by the partner of the opener, even a redouble, allows your partner to re-enter the bidding auction, and that is why you are allowed to pass.
However, after three informative and descriptive bids, you are able to make an educated decision as to what action you might take. If the opener bids a suit and his partner bids another suit, then your decision is easier. If the partner of the opener redoubles, then you have to expect that he has support for the suit of the opener, and that leaves three other suits open for you to consider. Even the Minor suit opening redoubled could be the better contract for you and your partner. It is a different story if the opener opened a Major suit and it has been redoubled. This places your opponents in game, and they only have to take 7 Tricks.
If it is a Major suit which has been redoubled on the one level, then it seems more prudent to bid the strength and shape of your hand to erase that redouble. Your partner, the Doubler, will also be able to take such action. But by bidding, you take some of the guess-work out of your bidding and the bidding of your partner by passing on some information about your hand.
Your ability to visualize the holdings of your partner and of the opponents and your power of logic based upon the informative and descriptive bidding thus far are your only clues to deduct the correct decision. As mentioned above, it can get a little tricky. However, whatever you decide will be your bidding procedure, please be sure to include it in your partnership agreement.
The partner of the Doubler also has the possibility to double. In order to see how this works, please click on the Responsive Double below.
Responsive Double - The use of a double for takeout when there has been an immediate raise to the Two or even Three Level over the Takeout Double of your partner.
If you wish to include this feature, or any other feature, of the game of bridge in your partnership agreement, then please make certain that the concept is understood by both partners. Be aware whether or not the feature is alertable or not and whether an announcement should or must be made. Check with the governing body and/or the bridge district and/or the bridge unit prior to the game to establish the guidelines applied. Please include the particular feature on your convention card in order that your opponents are also aware of this feature during the bidding process, since this information must be made known to them according to the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. We do not always include the procedure regarding Alerts and/or Announcements, since these regulations are changed and revised during time by the governing body. It is our intention only to present the information as concisely and as accurately as possible.
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