Friday, November 18, 2005 2:30 PM

Responsive Doubles

PITBULLS:

How you play responsive doubles depends on how fanatically disciplined you play your T/O doubles. If they open one major and you must have 4 cards in the other major to make a T/O double , has an impact on your responsive doubles. If they open a minor and you must have 4-4 in the majors to make a T/O doubles is another factor to be considered when playing responsive doubles. To be that duly restrictive with your T/O doubles is silly. Most players do not need much of an excuse to enter the auction when you have the equivalent of an opening bid. If you only have 3 cards in the unbid major so be it.

Some people play that a responsive double denies holding 4 cards in the unbid major. I think that is silly. The rank of the suits should be the determining factor for responsive doubles. If they hold the boss suit spades , yes a responsive double denies 4♥ . This is because of the nature of the beastly spade suit you must go to the next level to introduce the heart suit. This jams you from finding your best partial. 1♠-X-3♠-X should deny 4♥ . Otherwise you always have difficulty in finding your 4-4 heart fit. Partner will always bid her lowest ranking suit and you may lose the heart suit.

When you have the boss suit spades it does not matter . You can make a responsive double with 4♠ as you can get your suit in at the 3 level . Take this hand QJxx x KQ10xx xxx and the auction goes 1♥-X-3♥-? You can safely make a responsive double as if partner has 4♠ she can safely bid them at the 3 level. If she does not bid them you assume she does not have 4 of them. She bids 4♣ and you convert to 4♦ which makes for +130. In a world championship , this hand bid 4♠ and went 5 down vul on a 4-3 spade fit with a 5-1 break !

Having disciplined responsive doubles means when you bid your major in these auctions it shows 5 or more in that suit. The negative inference that you did not make a responsive double comes into play. A responsive double asks partner to bid one of your 4 card suits. The only exception to the rule is when they are bidding spades. Your responsive double does not include a 4 card heart suit. Still another area of Bridge bidding where partnership understandings are needed.