What type of hand is partner showing in these auctions? Does he intend his final double as penalty, takeout, something else?
You LHO Partner RHO
(A) 2H 3C DBL
(B) 2H 3D DBL
(C) 1H DBL Pass 1S 2H DBL
The trend in modern bidding is to replace many traditional penalty doubles with takeout meanings. These new uses have made competitive bidding more flexible and accurate, but they also create more opportunities for misunderstandings.
There are several bidding guidelines that can help you sort out the differences. In the previous two issues, we discussed some of the most obvious penalty situations. They include doubles of 1NT overcalls and interference after we make a preempt, two-suited overcall or game-forcing 2-over-1 response. Doubles are also penalty in auctions where we’ve made a redouble, card-showing double or previous penalty double.
The default guideline that can be applied to some, but not all, of the auctions above is:
Double is penalty if we've already found our fit.
When you and partner have bid and raised a suit -- as in Auction (A) -- there's no point in defining a double as any type of takeout. This is a penalty double. Although it doesn’t promise extra high-card values, it shows a hand with good defensive strength and club tricks. Partner might hold ♠AK7 ♥K9874 ♦3 ♣QJ92 .
Unlike some of the other penalty doubles, this one isn’t a command. You can pull if you judge that the vulnerability and your values are better for offense. This will usually be a hand that’s relatively weak in high cards and has short clubs and extra heart length.
Game-try doubles
There are some exceptions to this guideline. Auction (B) is one if you’ve agreed to play maximal game-try doubles. This is a popular convention that’s used after you’ve bid and raised a major and the opponent’s 3-level overcall leaves opener no room to make a game-try bid. In this situation, you agree that opener’s double is not penalty –- it’s a game invitation.
This meaning applies in (B) because the overcall was in the suit directly below your trump suit. It does not apply in (A) because opener has room to bid 3D as a game try. This says nothing about diamonds; it’s just a general game invitation.
Note that this default meaning operates only when your auction has confirmed an 8-card fit. That hasn't happened in Auction (C). There's no guarantee partner has 4 spades, so your 1S bid didn't set the trump suit.
A widely accepted way to play this second double by the takeout doubler is that it shows extra values (16-17+ points) with only 3-card spade support – a hand such as ♠KJ7 ♥4 ♦AKQ3 ♣A9872 .
More about “repeat” doubles, redoubles and other penalty vs. takeout situations in the next issue.
© 2023 Karen Walker