You and partner have agreed to play responsive doubles. Are you confident about the exact meaning of his double in each of these auctions?
West You East Partner
(1) 1H DBL 2H DBL
(2) 1H DBL 2C* DBL * (Constructive heart raise)
(3) 1S 2C 2S DBL
(4) 1H DBL 4H DBL
Responsive doubles are so useful and widely played that they're considered standard by experienced pairs. They’re also easy to learn. Similar to negative doubles, they’re used after an opponent opens and partner makes a simple suit overcall or takeout double. The other requirement is that the opponents must have shown a fit with an immediate raise. Auction (1) above is one of the most common uses.
This is simple enough that many partnerships just check the box on the convention card without discussing specifics. As with most conventions, though, the basic description doesn’t tell you all you need to know. New users – and sometimes even expert pairs – may have different ideas about the strength and suit lengths partner is promising in the auctions above.
Partnership discussion will help you avoid some misunderstandings, but you can’t cover every situation. To be successful with responsive doubles, it’s helpful to be aware of the different interpretations and learn which are judged most effective by experienced players.
The question in Auction (1) is exactly which suits is partner showing? A responsive double promises two suits, not three, and the prevailing wisdom is that after a takeout double of a major, the suits are minors. A typical hand for partner would be ♠Q72 ♥86 ♦J1054 ♣KQ74. With length in the unbid major, he would bid 2S instead of using the responsive double.
In old-fashioned standard, preemptive openings were treated differently. After 2H by RHO – Double by you – 3H by LHO, partner’s double would be penalty. The modern view is that it’s more valuable to play this as a responsive double, so that’s probably your safest assumption if this comes up with an experienced partner.
These agreements are also used over artificial raises. In Auction (2), East’s conventional 2C bid shows heart support, so partner’s double is responsive for the minors. The same meaning applies if East makes a transfer advance (2D to show heart support).
Some pairs prefer to keep all three unbid suits in the picture. This will help you avoid playing in a possible 4-3 spade fit, but can lead to some awkward auctions because you have to scramble to determine which two suits partner holds.
When you’ve made a takeout double, partner knows you have at least moderate length in his suits, so 4-4 distribution is enough for a responsive double. After an overcall (Auction 3), there’s a danger that you won’t have adequate support for either of his suits, so partner will often have more length (5-4 or longer). Most pairs play that the double also promises tolerance for your suit (a doubleton).
Another agreement that many pairs find valuable is that if you’ve overcalled and there’s only one unbid major, partner’s responsive double promises 5 cards in that major and 4+ cards in the unbid minor. In Auction 3, partner might hold ♠74 ♥KJ865 ♦AQ83 ♣94 .
This gives you a clear choice if you have three cards in each of partner’s suits. It also increases the chances that you'll play in a higher-scoring major-suit contract.
How high? A common agreement is that responsive doubles are "on" through 3S, but doubles at higher levels can carry a similar meaning. The higher the level, the less likely it is that partner will have perfect distribution, so the double in Auction (4) is often treated as "sort of" responsive. It suggests – but doesn't necessarily guarantee -- length in the minors. It mainly shows good high-card values, so if you don’t have a good fit in one of his suits, you’re free to pass for penalty.
© 2022 Karen Walker