M J Bridge

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Conventions

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Bidding

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Conventions

M J Bridge

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Home

Bidding

Hands

Theory

Double

This bid will mean exactly what you agree it to mean.

First of all let me discount the penalty double - such a bid in this situation belongs to another age.

On those rare occasions when you hold a hand suitable for such a bid you will just have to pass and hope that partner might be able to come up with a double which you can then pass.

If it appears that your opponents hold the balance of the points then there is something to be said for utilising as many bids as possible to aid partner in his obstructive mission.

With this thought in mind you might choose to adopt the support double, more frequently encountered as a weapon in the armoury of opener on his rebid.

If the support double is your choice then a double at this point will promise three-card support, and any other raise of partner’s suit will promise four-card or better support following which partner will be well placed to compete to the level of the fit.

The alternative is some form of take-out double suggesting only limited support for partner, a preparedness for partner to bid in any suit, and some values (values can be a vague concept - I shall suggest 10 or more points as a starting point).

Usually such a bid will suggest four cards in any unbid major together with shortage in the opponents’ suit.

Competitive double

When RHO raised opener’s suit either to the two-level or higher such a take-out double is known as a competitive double.

This is my choice.  It is probably the most common choice in the present-day world of Acol bidding.

As indicated above you will normally hold four cards in ‘the other major’ and at least three cards in any other unbid suit.  It is also recommended that you should have some tolerance for partner’s suit.  Typically this will be two-card.

Overcaller’s first bid

Overcaller’s rebid

Context  -  advancer - opponents opened one of a suit - partner made a minimum suit overcall - RHO made a suit bid.

This page last revised 27th Apr 2020

RHO bids in a new suit

It is not clear whether a double used in this way in this situation is correctly termed as ‘competitive’.

By far the simplest approach is to play the double as ‘competitive’ to be consistent with your method above, and such an approach will serve you perfectly well.

However, the new suit by RHO will usually be accompanied by the promise of some values, and that doesn’t leave a whole lot of points for you.

With this thought in mind, and depending on the memories of, and level of complication required by, you and your partner there is something to be said for playing the double this time as ‘support’ (see above).