Find a Major Fit as Responder: Mainstream Methods

As mentioned in the first article of this series, our first theme is going to be finding a major fit. Its a very important thing to be able to do, so naturally some of the tools in bridge have evolved with this goal in mind. 

The takeout double, also sometimes referred to as the negative double, is a flexible tool. It doesn't have an exact meaning, because its used in many different situations. If we gave it an exact meaning it would be quite inflexible and not as useful. However, one meaning that it generally does have is - it shows 4 cards, typically exactly 4, in the unbid major. If there are two unbid majors, it shows 4 cards in EACH of those majors. 

Before we get started, an important point - Generally do not use takeout doubles when you have a 5 card major, rather just bid the 5 card major.

Lets consider this example. 

What should we bid as South in this position? Consider our goal of always trying to find a major fit. We have a useful tool that has developed over the years, that is the negative double, or takeout double. In most situations, it primarily shows 4 cards in the unbid major. Why not just bid 2♥? You would need 5 cards for that bid, and more points. (I'll cover over calls in future articles). So here, double would be a fantastic bid to show off your 4 card hearts. If partner has 4 of those, you'll uncover a major fit!

What about on this hand?

Many modern partnerships are using double to show 4 card spades in this position. Why not just bid 1♠ you might ask? They are using that to convey 5 or more cards. 

What about this very slightly different situation

In this spot, a double would show 4 cards in BOTH majors, so what is your bid? Just a simple 1♠ would do nicely. 

And lastly, what about this one? Again only very slightly different

Here we have 4 cards in each major, so double is a suitable bid. 

You might be confused by the meaning of double in these common situations. The main takeaways you should have are

1. It typically shows 4 cards exactly in the unbid major.

2. If there are two unbid majors, it shows 4 cards in both of them. 

3. If you bid the major, instead of using a takeout double, it typically shows 5+ cards in the suit. 

4. If there are two unbid majors, and you do not use a takeout double, it is probably because you do not have both of the majors. Bidding one still only shows 4+ cards in that suit (try to understand the difference between this point and the above point 3.)

Where to next

• -> Next: Fourth Suit Forcing and Checkback: Core Structures
• -> Related: Vulnerable Preempting: Risk and Reward
• -> Back to Bidding Articles Hub