Most of the people who take my beginner classes have little interest in duplicate clubs and tournaments. They want to learn enough to play with friends or join social groups, so I try to teach “Party Bridge Standard” – Goren-based bidding with some modern changes (15-17 1NT and limit raises), but few conventions.
Although it’s basic bridge, that system won’t be a perfect fit in all groups. A week after my lesson on takeout doubles, a couple asked me to clarify the advice about having support for unbid suits. They had shared my handouts with their country-club group and were told that this was not “real” bridge. In their games, a double meant “I have points" or, in some auctions, "I was going to bid that suit".
This is still a common practice in some party-bridge groups, but those who move up to duplicate learn rather quickly that “just points” isn’t an effective way to define low-level doubles. There are many other myths, misconceptions and old-fashioned treatments that can cause problems in takeout-double auctions. We covered some of these in the discussion of overcalls vs. doubles in the June issue. Here are others that you might have picked up as a beginner but may want to rethink:
A takeout double of their major promises at least four cards in the other major ?
This was once a fairly common agreement, but it’s proven to be impractical. The idea was that since you won’t always have perfect 4-4-4 distribution in unbid suits, it was important to guarantee length in the critical suit. That might help partner find a safe retreat when he’s weak, but the main benefit was that he wouldn’t have to guess about your fit when he held four cards in the major.
The problem is that this requirement is way too restrictive. You’ll give up a lot of matchpoints and IMPs if you can’t make a takeout double of a 1H or 2H opening with ♠AJ7 ♥43 ♦AQ65 ♣K1073 . It’s true that a double might land you in a 4-3 spade fit, but it might also be the only way to find a 5-3 fit. Most pairs would rather deal with that uncertainty than pass and let the opponents have the auction all to themselves.
A minimum-strength takeout double promises at least 3 cards in every unbid suit ?
Not always. It’s a good rule for beginners, but many experienced players have adopted more flexible methods with some types of hands.
One of the most widely played is called Equal Level Conversion (ELC), which allows you to make a takeout double of a 1H or 1S opener when you hold long diamonds and four cards in the other major, even with a singleton or doubleton club.
After 1S on your right, you can double with ♠K4 ♥AJ104 ♦KQ965 ♣73. If partner bids 2C and you convert to 2D, it’s an ELC, which does not show extra values. It tells partner you have a minimum, two-suited takeout with five or more diamonds and four hearts.
The ELC meaning applies only after the clubs-to-diamonds conversion. If you double and then make a new-suit bid in clubs, hearts or spades, you’re showing the standard “big double” hand (17+ points).
A slightly off-shape takeout can work in other situations, too. After 1D on your right, many would try a double with ♠KJ103 ♥AQJ5 ♦654 ♣K6 . If partner bids 2C, you’ll have to pass, but it’s worth the risk to show your strength and get both majors into the auction.
Even if you do end up in a club contract, it’s not all that likely it's a 4-2 fit. Since partner bypassed hearts and spades to bid 2C, your logical hope is that he’s relatively short in the majors. That increases the chances that he has five or more clubs.
Don’t make a takeout double with a pancake hand (4-3-3-3 pattern) ?
This is sound advice, but it has exceptions, too. More about this and other modern approaches for takeout doubles in the next issue.
© 2022 Karen Walker