Double - Penalty or Takeout?

A Penalty Double  should be used if your opponents contract is likely to fail. A successful double increases the penalty and can be a effective route to good scoring. A Double can be used where you have a good holding of trumps, your opponents have overbid their strength or you have a long suit against a NT contract. Where your opponents have bid at the 5 level, against your bidding, using a Double should always be considered.

Doubling low level contracts is risky. Getting 7 or 8 tricks is often not difficult. 

Generally, all doubles are for takeout except for the exceptions you have agreed with your partner:

Double is for penalty when:

• Opps have bid above 4H
• If we have bid 3 suits and OPPs bid the 4th Suit. 1D P 1H P 1S 2C X (penalty)
• We have opened a preempt. 2H 2S X (penalty)
• Opps open or overcall 1NT. 1H 1NT X (penalty)
• We have agreed a suit. 1H 1S 2H 2S X (penalty) (bidding space between 2S & 3H, so not a game try X)

Once you have made a Penalty Double, all further doubles are also for penalties.

When your partner has opened and your opponents have overcalled, it is often difficult to respond because of no five card suit and insufficient strength to bid at the 2 level. 

The negative double shows 4 cards in the major suit not bid by the opposition i.e. 4 spades if hearts bid by overcaller or 4 hearts if spades bid by overcaller. 1H 2C X (4 spades)

It usually promises 8+ HCPs At the 2 lebel. However, with a long unbid Major and a weaker hand, show this by bidding a Neg. X first. 1H 2D X P 2H P 2S

It can be used to show both minors. 1H 1S X (both minors)

The opener must bid again unless there is an intervention. 

If opps have made a penalty double against us, and we do not want to be left in that suit, use the SOS redouble to tell partner to take it out.

1H P P X (takeout) 

P    P (ignores the Takeout, probably has long hearts, so the X is now for penalties) Rdbl (SOS TAKEOUT) P 

1NT (you choose)

1H 2D 2H 3D X (game try invitational Double) P 4H (I’m at the maximum of my 2H bid)

1H 2D 2H 3D X (game try invitational Double) P 3H (I’m at the minimum of my 2H bid)

Use when OPPs have taken up all the bidding space and you want to make an invitational bid.

1H P P X (balancing Double, I don’t want auction to end but I might be 3 points lighter than required for a takeout double)

1H P P X (balancing Double) 

P P (trap pass - I have long hearts, your balancing double is now a Penalty Double!)

RULE OF 19

When 1NT (12-14) is doubled, the double is always for penalty and shows 15 plus points.  The Responder must judge whether the contract will succeed. The Responder adds her points to 12. If the total is less than 19 the contract is likely to fail and the responder bids her 5+ card suit. The opener must not rebid.

For the doubler’s partner the same logic applies. For the double to be safe, 21 points are required. Adding your points to 15 determines whether or not to take the Double out by bidding your longest 5+ card suit.

Takeout Doubles are useful when you have an opening hand BUT no good five card suit, fewer than 4 cards in Opener’s suit AND 3 or more cards in each of the non bid suits (tolerance)

Takeout Doubles are used on bids by opponents of up to and including 2S.

With minimum points (0-8) partner MUST bid their best suit (Major preferred) at the lowest level. So, remember that a partner’s response to your Takeout Double does not promise points.

If Responder has 9-12 HCP, then he makes an invitational Jump Bid.

With a five card Major and an Opening Hand, Responder bids game.

Responder may ONLY pass if opposition intervene and he has fewer than 6 points.

If Responder to the Takeout Double has stoppers in the bid suit then he bids NT. With 6-9 HCP bd 1NT.

With 13+ points but the best contract is unclear, Responder cue bids the opponent’s suit to get more information from partner. This is game forcing. 1D - X - PASS - 2D

NB When an opening  bid in a suit is doubled it is never for penalty and obliges partner to bid. 

When your opponents are using an artificial bid such as Red Suit Transfers, Stayman, Gerber, Blackwood Responses, Relays, 2C Openings, Control Showing Cue Bids etc., a Double can be used to ask for a lead in the bid suit. This is when the artificial bid does not indicate strength in the bid suit.

If the Lead Directing Double (LDD) is at a low level say after 2C Stayman then it shows some strength and length in Clubs - an overcalling hand. 

LD doubles tend to be overused. Think about who is likely to be on lead - you or your partner?

At a high level such as: 1NT - P  - 4C (Gerber) -  X  then a LDD shows AK of Clubs or just A of Clubs Or Void in Clubs.

You do not need to alert a Lead Directing Double.

1NT - PASS - 2D(transfer) - X  (Lead me a diamond). 

In this example, the double will not be left in by the Opener because Responder has shown hearts and Opposition have shown diamonds. 

If you have already Overcalled showing at least 5 of a suit and then Opps bid your suit (Cue Bid say), A LDD from you now shows extra strength or length in your suit - such as 6 Cards.

1C - 1S  - PASS - 2C (UCB showing support for spades and 10+ HCP) - X  (LDD showing 6 Clubs).