ACBL02B – Double: Reopening Double Ward Trumbull
Feb 14, 2011
Page 1 of 3
Original
ACBL02 item 1C is a brief description of the Informative Reopening Double. This handout describes it in more detail.
Takeout Double vs Reopening Double
A Takeout Double is made at the first opportunity in the 2nd or 4th position after the previous opponent has bid. It implies that the doubler has 13+ HCP.
Opener Partner Opponent Partner
---------- ---------- ------------- ----------
1. 1 heart double
2. 1 heart pass 1 spade double
After either of these Takeout Doubles, Negative Double and/or skipping to show 9+ HCP would apply.
Whereas an immediate Takeout Double of an opening one notrump implies that the doubler has 15+ HCP.
Opener Partner Opponent Partner
------------- ---------- ------------- ----------
3. 1 notrump double
In this case, by partnership agreement, Stayman and Transfers would apply.
ACBL02B – Double: Reopening Feb 14, 2011
Page 2 of 3
Takeout Double vs Reopening Double (continued)
A Reopening Double is made after two passes, and the doubler’s HCP
is vague, at best. In these cases a pass would end the bidding; so the double reopens the bidding for the pair that has been passing up to this point. The bidding suggests that the HCP are nearly equal between the two pairs.
Opener Partner Opponent Partner
---------- ---------- ------------- ----------
1. 1 heart pass pass double
2. 1 heart pass 1 notrump pass
pass double
3. 1 notrump pass pass double
Since the doubler’s HCP are unknown, all bidding conventions are off.
If the doubler had any kind of a decent five card suit he should have bid it.
So the double suggests support for the unbid suits. The rules for the response bid to that double are also vague.
1. Should you bid a 4-card major over a 5-card minor?
2. With both unbid majors do you bid up-the-line?
Or the stronger of the two suits?
3. Do you bid whichever 4-card suit has the most HCP?
The Real World
Most often the purpose of the Reopening Double is to goose the opponents one level higher. And is works, probably 80% of the time.
ACBL02B – Double: Reopening Feb 14, 2011
Page 3 of 3
Reopening Cue Bid
If you haven’t bid yet and the bid is dying out, how can you tell partner
that you’ve really got some points? The answer is to make a reopening cue bid. A cue bid in the second position is, of course, a Michaels cue bid. However, in the dying out position (normally fourth), it is not. It should be
alerted as a Takeout cue bid (13+ HCP), and now negative double and 9+
HCP skip bids would apply.
Opener Partner Opponent Partner
---------- ---------- ------------- -----------
1. 1 club pass pass 2 clubs
2. 1 spade pass pass 2 spades
In the first example, if the responder skipped to show a major with 9+ HCP, he would bid 3 hearts or 3 spades. No problem.
However, in the second example, any skip bid by the responder would be at the 4 level. Unless that is an awfully good 9+ HCP, caution would be
to not make the skip bid.