Negative Doubles, Part III: The Reopening Double

Before getting into the Reopening Double, there’s one last item to cover. You may use a Negative Double to show minor suits if partner, for instance, opens 1H and your Right Hand Opponent (RHO) overcalls 1S. If your hand is like the following:

♠ T943
♥ A
♦ KQT9
♣ JT98

A negative double shows two four card minor suits and at least 8 High Card Points (HCP). This is a perfect hand for a minor suit negative double.

When you add any bid to your repertoire, you give up something. When you play negative doubles, you give up the ability to double some low-level bids by opponents for penalty.

Even a lot of experienced players aren’t aware of the fact that the reopening double is an integral part of the negative double system. What if, not vulnerable v. vulnerable, in third seat and the bidding goes 1 Heart by your partner then 2 Diamonds by your RHO? It’s now your bid and you hold the following cards:

♠ A86
♥ 95
♦ AKJ86
♣ K42

You could bid 3 No Trump, but wouldn’t you like to double 2 Diamonds for penalty? Alas, you can’t double it because that would be a negative double, which you can’t make because you don’t have four spades. So how can you defend 2 Diamonds doubled in this hand? You clearly cannot double because your partner will respond as she has to in the negative double system.

The answer is that if your partner opens the bidding followed by a bid at the 2 level by your RHO, and you pass and your Left Hand Opponent (LHO) passes, your partner should “reopen the bidding” with a double if she has shortness in the suit bid by opponents and tolerance for the unbid suits. Shortness, in this context, means no more than a doubleton. So if your partner has two or less of your RHO’s suit, she should double. To be specific, here’s how the bidding goes.

Partner              RHO                  You       LHO

1 Spade            2 Diamonds        Pass      Pass

?

In the previous situation, your partner should protect you by doubling when it’s her turn. Then you can either let it sit for penalty, which you would do with the above hand, or pull it by either bidding your partner’s suit at the 2 level if you can, or making the best bid you have under the circumstances.

This is called a reopening double because it’s made by the opening bidder, and she’s reopening the bidding by doubling since, with two passes to her, if she passes, the bidding will stop. If she doesn’t bid or double, the auction is over.

Of course, you might have a legitimate pass, too. You might not be passing because you have opponents’ suit. You might have the following:

♠ 86
♥ 752
♦ T96
♣ QT873

If you have this holding and your partner makes a reopening double, you should just pull the double and support your partner’s opening suit, in which she’ll have at least a 5–2 fit. Your partner anticipates this. Her double is just inviting you to let it stand for penalty if you have a lot of opponents’ suit. If you don’t, just retreat to the best contract. If you retreat, your partner will know you passed originally because you don’t have much.

Requirements for a reopening double are as follows:

1.   A reopening double may be made only by opening bidder (you, in this example);

2.   After LHO has overcalled and there are two passes by your partner and your RHO.

3.   Opening bidder has two or less cards in overcalled suit.

4.   Opening bidder must have tolerance (at least 3 cards) for all unbid suits.

5.   Opening bidder’s hand cannot be distributional.

As to the last rule above, if opener has a long suit , six cards or more, without support for all unbid suites, or is 5–5–2–1, she should either rebid her six-card suit, in the former, or bid her second suit in the latter. Look at the following two hands:

1. ♠ J5            2. ♠ J75
    ♥ AQT864       ♥ AKT864
    ♦ 8                 ♦ 8
    ♣ AQT8           ♣ AK9

Bidding is as follows.

You               LHO                        Partner         RHO

1 Heart        2 Diamonds              Pass             Pass

?

How do you, as opening bidder, respond with each?

Hand 1: 2 Hearts. This is not a hand with which you should use a reopening double. True, you have a singleton in your LHO’s suit. And, true, your partner is almost certainly sitting behind your LHO with a lot of Diamonds. But your hand has two shortcomings that make it inappropriate for a reopening double:

1.   You don’t have tolerance for all unbid suits. Your Spade doubleton is insufficient for support if your partner responds to your double with a bid of 2 Spades. Remember, your partner might be short in your suit. So if you double and your partner doesn’t want to sit for the penalty double at the 2 level, she has to either support your suit if she has two cards in it, or bid her longest suit. If she has five Diamonds but not enough to sit for the double, her longest suit might be Spades. She could be 4–1–4–4, so she would be forced to bid Spades, and you can’t support her.

2.   Your hand isn’t strong enough. You really only have two fairly certain tricks, your two Aces. Remember, you have to take six tricks to set them. Otherwise they’re going to get a terrific score, making two or more, doubled!

Hand 2: Double. This is a very good hand with which to make a reopening double for two reasons:

1.   You have tolerance for both unbid suits, so if your partner can’t support your Heart bid you have at least three cards in the unbid suits. The worst that can happen is that your partner will be playing in a 4–3 fit at the two level, not a disaster.

2.   You have a good hand, with two Ace–King combinations. In a defense you have good trick-taking capability.

Remember this: Just because you have an opening hand and shortness in LHO’s suit, you don’t automatically make a reopening double. Your hand must fit all the  requirements set forth above in addition to shortness and the appropriate bidding after your open