One common thing that I see new players mess up is the takeout double. And I don’t blame them. I have heard them mis-describe what a takeout double is, and no doubt, because someone else came and taught it to them that way.

This applies to all levels of takeout doubles. There are further myths with regard to takeout doubler’s rebids, but I want to start with the initial double itself. So to be clear, I am talking about auctions where the opponents open a suit at some level, and your first call is double. Here are some examples:

(1D) X

(1S) X

(3H) X

The bids in parentheses are your opponents, and we are doubling. And here is what they teach you about it:

“When you make a takeout double, you are demanding partner to bid. Partner, don’t pass this!”

Does this sound familiar?

I googled takeout double, and on two fairly large bridge websites that contain repositories of conventions, the very first line is akin to: “The takeout double is a double that asks partner to bid one of the unbid suits.” To be fair, the websites describe takeout doubles well, but this first line drives me insane.

When I hear it in common parlance, or on bridge forums, that’s where I see the stronger word “demand.” They say things like, partner cannot or should not pass your double.

This is a total myth.

I believe I understand why people teach it this way, and I really wish they would not. These are players who have made a takeout double, and their partner passed it with an inappropriate hand, and they decided to overcorrect in the other direction by telling their partner that a takeout double must not be passed.

Let me tell you what a takeout double is about 95% of the time.

A takeout double shows 3+ card support in the outside suits and approximately an opening hand or better.*

If you already know enough bridge to know about takeout doubles, then you know that my description is pretty mundane. What am I so upset about how people teach it? What is this myth?

The myth is that it doesn’t demand that partner bid or do anything else specific (beyond using their brain, at least.) A takeout double describes our own hand. Partner does the best he can with the information that he has.

Let’s say our hand is x AKxx JT9 KQxxx. LHO opens 2S and it goes pass pass to us. We have a pretty typical takeout double, so we double.

Partner passes it.

How do you feel?

I would be ecstatic. We are going to MURDER this contract!

Partner heard that we can support all suits outside of spades. Additionally, we have a reasonable hand in picture cards. With all of that info, he decided that we are better off collecting a penalty against their 2S contract than to bid on. Great!

The reason that people teach that takeout doubles demand something is—and I’m guessing here—that once upon a time, they made a takeout double, and their partner passed with a wholly inappropriate hand, and that made them so incensed that they decided they never wanted this to happen again. Let’s take a look at the following example.

LHO opens 1D and partner doubles. We have QJxxx Jxx xxx Qx. What would you bid?

A lot of beginners understandably think that this hand is too poor to bid, so they pass. I personally think that is a wonderful mistake to make, and now that we’ve made it, we can learn from it. What we shouldn’t do is start teaching people takeout doubles incorrectly.

You should not pass that hand. Partner’s double shows an opening-ish hand and 3+ cards in outside suits. Do you want to defend 1Dx holding this hand? It looks quite bleak, doesn’t it? And meanwhile, we have at least 8 spades between us.

Bid 1S. This does not promise any high card points. Your partner will not think that you have a good hand. In fact, you categorically deny it. Partner showed his hand with a takeout double, and I think our best spot is probably 1S. Don’t you? (Maybe we are wishing for the board to be passed out, but that boat has sailed.)

Now let’s swing back to the takeout doubler, because they still have a role to play. Let’s say you had doubled originally on Kxx AKxx xx Jxxx. So it has gone

(1D) X (P) 1S
(X)

And now it’s your turn to bid.

Don’t you dare do anything but pass. You have already fully described your hand with the first double. There is nothing left to do. Once you start thinking in terms of “my takeout double shows something about my hand,” you put your mind in the right space. This hand has no extra shape, absolutely minimal support (3 spades instead of 4), and no extra high card points. If our side needs to compete more, we will leave it up to partner.

Now say it goes

(2S) P (P) X
(P) ?

to you. You are in second seat with KQTx Jxx Axxx Ax. Partner has an opening-ish hand (technically could be less) and 3+ cards in the outside suits. What do you think your best contract is?

HOLY MOLY we are getting RICH. Our hand has 3 trump tricks and two aces. And partner is going to contribute something to the defense too. What other possible contract could we play? Diamonds? Maybe partner only has 3. 3NT? Partner might be a little light on high card points, and there may be bad breaks with the preempt. I think our best contract is clearly 2Sx!

It gets more complicated as you get to higher and higher levels. Our side will start passing takeout doubles with fewer and fewer enemy trumps, and this is because we are still trying to land in the best contract we can realistically reach. The level is just too high.

The main point is, a takeout double demands nothing. It shows our own hand, and partner does the best he can with the information he has.

*I would actually teach anybody and everybody that you can have a doubleton in the unbid minor. But that can be saved for later.

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