Take Out Doubles

A takeout double is when the opponents open the bidding with a suit and your side doubles. It typically shows opening strength (12+ points), shortness in the opponent's suit, and support for the unbid suits.

Imagine the bidding has started:  (1♦)  X  (P)  ?    What will you bid in response to partner's double with the following hands?

A	B	C
♠ KJ953 ♥ QJ5 ♦ T84 ♣ 76	♠ AT62 ♥ K973 ♦ 93 ♣ 984	♠ 874 ♥ 86 ♦ J7652 ♣ T53

Hand A

With Hand A you want to bid 1♠.

Hand B

With Hand B you could bid 1♥ or 1♠. So which is better? Partner should have support for both hearts and spades, but he might not have 4 of both suits. Maybe he only has 3 of one of the suits. Unfortunately you have no way of knowing, so you'll just have to guess and pick one.

Except... let's think about how the bidding might go. The opponents might compete, giving you a chance to bid again. Your hand is strong enough that you are comfortably competing at the 2 level, so let's look at the options.

Bid Hearts	Bid Spades
(1♦)  X  (P)  1♥ (2♦)  P  (P)  2♠  (P)   ?	(1♦)  X  (P)  1♠ (2♦)  P  (P)   2♥  (P)   ?

If you bid hearts first and spades second, your partner will be forced to go to the 3 level, if he likes hearts better. Your hand isn't strong enough to be comfortable at the 3 level. But if you bid spades first and hearts second, now partner can choose either hearts or spades while staying at the 2 level. So 1♠ is probably best.

Hand C

Hand C is the nightmare hand to have when partner makes a takeout double. You might be tempted to pass, you do have 5 diamonds after all. But here's the question to ask yourself - do you really think you can set 1♦?  With only 1 point, and partner probably having 13ish points, that leaves a lot of points for the opponents to have. And partner should be short in diamonds, so the opponents do have the majority of diamonds. It seems likely that the opponents will make 1♦, probably with overtricks.

You are better off bidding 1♠. Even if you get set (as seems likely), this will not score as bad as letting them make 1♦ doubled. You should never pass a takeout double out of fear. The only reason to pass a takeout double is because you are confident you will set the opponents.

Additional Thought For the Doubler

Remember the above hands when you make a takeout double and partner bids 1♠. She could have any of the above hands. Don't continue competing unless you mean it. You forced your partner to bid so she is not promising any points.

Two More Hands

D	E
♠ AQ953 ♥ KT5 ♦ T84 ♣ 76	♠ K74 ♥ 6 ♦ AQJ954 ♣ T53

Hand D

With Hand D you might be tempted to bid 1♠, but remember the hands above, particularly hand C. What if your partner has a good hand, say 15 or 16 points with 4 spades? You belong in 4♠ in this case, but partner will be afraid to bid because he doesn't know you have such a good hand. Help him out. Show your extra strength by bidding 2♠. You have 9 more points than you could have, certainly that is worth a jump.

Hand E

Now this is a hand where you can be confident that the opponents can't make 1♦. You've got great trump, and your partner has the other 3 suits. Plus, your side has a misfit (i.e. you're short in partner's suits and vice-versa) which is never fun when declarer. This is a hand that you can confidently Pass with, converting your partner's take-out double to penalty.

One Further Thought

Look at Hand A again.

A
♠ KJ953 ♥ QJ5 ♦ T84 ♣ 76

Imagine the bidding continues after your initial 1♠ bid as follows

(1♦)  X  (P)  1♠
 (P)  2♠  (P)   ?

What should you do now? Is your hand weak or strong?

Remember that strength is always relative to what you've already shown. By not jumping with your first bid you've limited your strength to at most 7 or 8 points. Plus you have 5 spades when you might have had only 4 (or even 3!). This is a great hand. If partner thinks there is a possibility of game, you need to tell him you have the perfect hand. Bid 4♠.

Additional Thought For the Doubler

When you are making a takeout double and are thinking of raising your partner, keep in mind the previous section. Do you want your partner to bid game with the above hand? If not - pass! Don't raise spades just because you have 13 points and 4 spades. You've already shown that. Only raise because you think game might be there. You need to trust that if your partner had a good 8 points or more she would've made a stronger bid than 1♠ in response to your double.