Bidding Over A Pre-empt by David Bird

A: Double. This is not particularly awkward, is it? You have an obvious take-out double. What will you do next, if partner responds 3♦, 3♥ or 3♠? You will pass. Remember that partner has to bid something, even if they have a very weak hand.

Suppose partner responds 3♠ and you bid 4♠. Partner may hold only 2 HCP. You could go several down, maybe doubled. If your partner has 10 points or more, or a long major suit, he will not make a minimum response. He can either jump to game somewhere, or say 4♣. This bid in the opponent's suit shows a good hand and initiates the search for a trump suit.

Your result so far:

A: Pass. You would perhaps like to make a penalty double. Yes, but a double of a three-bid is for take-out. If you did double, mistakenly, you can guess that partner will respond in spades, expecting you to hold some support there.

You must pass. You must also pass smoothly, not think for a while (which would let your partner know that you have some worthwhile values).

If the next player passes, your partner will occasionally hold enough to make a (take-out) double in the fourth seat. You can then pass this and pick up a considerable penalty.

Your result so far:

A: 3NT. You cannot make a take-out double with only two cards in the other major. If you make a cautious pass, there is a fair chance that you will miss game. Partner may have a balanced 9-11 points - not enough to bid in the fourth seat after a pass by you.

Over a pre-empt, it is reasonable to hope for at least 8 or 9 points from your partner. The odds favour a bid of 3NT by you.

Occasionally, this will go wrong, and the next player will double you to collect a good penalty. That is exactly why opening three-level pre-empts is a good idea; you force the other side to take a risk, one way or the other. Many more times, though, your partner will have 8-12 points and you will have good play for 3NT.

Your result so far:

A: 3♦. A take-out double would be dangerous. Partner is more likely to respond in hearts than spades because there are more cards missing in that suit. You would have no sound move if you did double and partner responded 3♥. You would be nervous too if partner responded 4♥, perhaps expecting you to have support for both majors.

It's best to bid 3♦. This may be passed out. If instead partner has some values and responds 3♥, you can bid 3♠, continuing the search for the best game.

Your result so far:

A: Double. It's a little bit risky, but you must steel yourself to double. Your partner may have a good fit for one of your suits. They may instead have some good hearts sitting over the opener and be happy to pass your take-out double for penalties.

The situation is similar to when an opening one-bid is followed by two passes. You are entitied to 'protect' (or 'balance') with 2 or 3 points fewer than you would need in the second seat.

Your result so far:

A: Double. Your partner may have a longish suit somewhere, despite the fact that he could not open. Much more often than bidding something at the five-level, he will pass for penalties. Your double is for take-out, yes, but it will often be better for your partner to pass (hoping for four tricks in defense), rather than struggling to make 11 tricks at the five-level.

Your result so far: