"I Can Take It from There" Responding to Takeout Doubles by Marti Ronemus

The fun little ditty by country singer Chris Young explains what today's quiz is all about. Pard makes a Takeout Double, and we reassure him "I Can Take It From There." And we can.

A quick review of what Pard's TOD means: 1) Shortness (no more than two cards) in the opponent's suit. 2) Four cards in any unbid major (if the opponent bid a minor, you can get away with four-three). 3) Tolerance (three cards) for any unbid suit. 4) An opening-ish hand (including distribution). The modern TOD shows a very specific hand.

When we respond to a TOD, we have two responsibilities. First, we need to pick a suit. Knowing Pard's shape (above) is a huge help. Secondly, and this is where most beginners fall down, is we need to show our point count. With 0-8ish pts, we bid as cheaply as possible. With 8-ish to 11 pts, we jump one level, and with more than that, we consider game.

So, let's Take It From There.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 9 3
♥ 9 5
♦ 9 7 4 2
♣ J 9 7 3 2

Q: 1 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 1♦: This is the nightmare hand. Not only do we have no points, but our length is in the opponent's suit. Fortunately, since Pard promised tolerance for any suit, we have at least a seven-card Diamond fit. Don't embarrass yourself by sniveling. Just bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A J 8 3 2
♥ K 9 4
♦ A 9 2
♣ Q 2

Q: 2 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 4♠: From the ridiculous to the sublime, no? Pard promised an opening-ish hand, and while he might have only three Spades, we don't care. We've got enough to go to game. It's important with a TOD to not put Pard in a position where he's gotta guess what we have. Tell him we have game.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K 8 7
♥ A 9 5
♦ Q 10 9 8
♣ 9 7 3

Q: 3 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: This says exactly what we have: 6-9 HCP and stoppers in the opponent's suit, with no real fit anywhere else. Perfect.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ A 9
♥ K J 9 8
♦ K 4 3
♣ A J 8 2

Q: 4 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: We've got 16 HCP and stoppers in the opponent's suit. Opposite Pard's opening-ish hand, we have game. Is slam a possibility? Not with LHO opening.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ Q J 3
♥ Q J 9 4
♦ 9 7 6 5
♣ K 3

Q: 5 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 2♥: We're going to show Pard our suit, PLUS!! By jumping one level, we promise 8-11 pts. Now HE can "take it from there," because we've accurately described our hand.

Next week, we're going to see what happens when RHO bids over our Pard's TOD. For now, let's play a hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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