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Dear Ed & Peter,
The person to my right opens 3♦, I pass, the person to my left passes, and my partner doubles. Is that a demand bid if the person who originally bid the 3♦ passes. I know it is if the person had only bid 1♦.
Thanks, Marilyn
Reply from Ed Hoogenkamp ('South'): Dear Hetty, These two situations are basically identical, there is no real difference in the meaning of the double, whether the opening was 1♦ or 3♦.
Partner shows a good hand, short in diamonds.
A double in fourth position is a little different from a double directly after the opening bid though. Partner has already passed, so some kinds of hands can be ruled out with him. He can be weak, but also quite strong having some length in diamonds. So sometimes a little guessing involved. | West | North | East | South |
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| 3♦ | pass | pass | double? |
| ♠ | K Q 6 5 | | | ♥ | A 9 8 7 | | | ♦ | 3 | | | ♣ | A J 8 7 | |
A clear-cut double. South would also have doubled in second position | ♠ | A J 6 5 | | | ♥ | A 6 5 | | | ♦ | 5 4 | | | ♣ | K 6 5 4 | |
Not an ideal double (you would have liked to have a fourth heart), but still a double is the best choice | ♠ | A 5 4 3 | | | ♥ | Q 6 5 4 | | | ♦ | - | | | ♣ | K 8 7 6 5 | |
Dangerous... I would gamble a double here because I think quite often partner will pass this, having a strong hand and length in diamonds.
But this can go wrong... Pete probably has more to say about the subject (cannot remember the day he didn't....) Un saludo desde Barcelona Ed Reply from Peter van der Linden ('North'): Dear Hetty,
You use the phrase 'demand bid'. I suppose you mean take-out double (Ed obviously does as well). So you ask whether a double is a take-out double here (as opposed to a penalty double).
Well, Ed doesn't explicitly answer your question but from his reply it becomes clear it is: 'Yes, this double is for take-out.'
As a rule a double is for take-out if it is on:
- a natural opening bid in a suit
- a natural reply by the partner of the opening bidder,
...provided you and your partner have not yet bid.
Furthermore: a take-out double fourth in hand can be made on a somewhat weaker hand than directly after the opening bidder. The reason is that partner (directly behind the opener) can have been in a fix: having opening strength, say 12-14 points, and a balanced hand with some strength/length in the opened suit, he could not but pass. En hils fra Orkanger |