In Contract bridge, the support double is a bridge convention used to distinguish between three-card and four-card support for partner's suit response to one's opening bid in the scenario where his response is either overcalled or doubled by the opponents. A call of two in partner's suit indicates four-card support and a call of double promises three-card support; if partner's suit bid is doubled instead of overcalled, a redouble serves the same meaning as double. The convention was invented by Eric Rodwell in 1974. [1]
For example, after 1♦ - (Pass) - 1♥ - (1♠)
A support redouble applies when Right Hand Opponent makes a take-out double of the response of one of a major: 1♦ - (Pass) - 1♠ - (Double)
The convention came as result of the scenario where in competitive auctions, the opening bidder would like to show his minimal three-card support for partner's suit on the possibility that partner has five or more cards in it. However, there would be a risk of a 4-3 fit, known as a Moysian fit which does not play as well as eight-card fits. Since the need to distinguish between three- and four-card support occurs more frequently than those cases where the opening bidder would like to make a penalty double over the opponent's one-level overcall, the meaning of the double (and redouble) was modified to convey the conventional meaning of three-card support.
Take the following auction:
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
Pass | 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ |
1♠ | Dbl | Pass | 1NT |
Pass |
Playing support doubles, North, the opener, has shown three-card support for South's 1♥ call. This is important because South might only have four hearts. Based on the South no trump bid, it can be assumed that South doesn't have five or more hearts.
Hand in hand with the support double is the support redouble which also shows three card support. Examine this auction, which is similar to the one above.
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
Pass | 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ |
Dbl | Rdbl |
North has shown three-card support for South's heart suit. South uses this information to form the next bid.
Support doubles are not used (except by special agreement) by partner of an overcaller.
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
1♦ | 1♠ | 2♣ | Dbl |
The assumption is that the overcaller must surely have at least five cards in the suit he has bid. As such a simple raise is normally sufficient to show some points and support. In such a situation, a double by the partner of the overcaller would be treated as either a Rosenkranz double, a snapdragon double, a responsive double or a penalty double based on partnership agreement.
The above examples show the support double's use over one-level overcalls. Partnerships usually decide to play support doubles through 2 Hearts or 2 Spades. Here are several other less discussed examples but nonetheless valid examples of normal support doubles
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
Pass | 1♣ | 1 ♥ | 1♠ |
2 ♥ | Dbl | ||
Playing negative doubles or not, opener's double shows three spades. It is irrelevant that opener knows that partner has five spades (if playing negative doubles), the double shows three-card support. The principle is that you and your partner use the opponent's bidding to assist your bidding. Clarify right now if you have three- or four-card support unless you have something else very important to say.
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
1♦ | 1 ♥ | 2♣ | 2 ♦ |
Dbl |
In this case with a really competitive auction, someone is probably stretching their bid.
West has opened and his partner has shown five clubs and 10 points yet South is showing a limit raise of Hearts.
The double is still support. It is particularly important in this instance. BTW: The most likely culprit is South.
There is a lot of literature for advancing players on the importance of determining eight- versus nine-card fits. Here is one example of its importance: As East, your hand is xxxxx, xx, void, KQxxxx The auction is
West | North | East | South |
---|---|---|---|
1♣ | 1 ♥ | 1 ♠ | 2 ♥ |
2 ♠ |
Without knowing RHO's next bid, if East knows there is a nine-card spade fit, East can bid 4 Spades even in an IMP game and expect a good chance to make it. However think about the same auction if partner doubles showing exactly three spades, your bid now becomes a guess.
In American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) tournaments, support doubles must be indicated on the convention card and must be Alerted. Additionally, when opener makes a call other than a support double (including Pass) when the support double is an option, an Alert should be made if the partnership agreement is that opener's failure to double or to raise denies three-card or longer support for responder's suit (normally, one would expect only four-card or longer support to be denied by failure to raise responder's major suit). Per the "Alert Procedures" page on the ACBL website: "In general, when the use of conventions leads to unexpected understandings about suit length by negative inference, a natural call becomes Alertable." While the ACBL does make an exception for agreements that "have become expected and are fairly common," the fact that the ACBL continues to require an Alert for the support double itself argues against applying this exception; the requirement to Alert implies that the support double is not considered "expected... and fairly common" to date. [2]
Most bridge clubs require a partnership to employ active ethics, and the partnership should disclose all relevant agreements to the opponents. Secret conventions are illegal.
Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions of people play bridge worldwide in clubs, tournaments, online and with friends at home, making it one of the world's most popular card games, particularly among seniors. The World Bridge Federation (WBF) is the governing body for international competitive bridge, with numerous other bodies governing it at the regional level.
Stayman is a bidding convention in the card game contract bridge. It is used by a partnership to find a 4-4 or 5-3 trump fit in a major suit after making a one notrump (1NT) opening bid and it has been adapted for use after a 2NT opening, a 1NT overcall, and many other natural notrump bids.
Polish Club is a bridge bidding system which was developed in Poland, where it is the most popular bidding system, and which is also used by players of other countries. It is a type of small club system.
The forcing notrump is a bidding convention in the card game of bridge.
The Jacoby transfer, or simply transfers, in the card game contract bridge, is a convention in most bridge bidding systems initiated by responder following partner's notrump opening bid that forces opener to rebid in the suit ranked just above that bid by responder. For example, a response in diamonds forces a rebid in hearts and a response in hearts forces a rebid in spades. Transfers are used to show a long suit, usually a major, and to ensure that opener declare the hand if the final contract is in the suit transferred to, preventing the opponents from seeing the cards of the stronger hand.
Preempt is a bid in contract bridge whose primary objectives are (1) to thwart opponents' ability to bid to their best contract, with some safety, and (2) to fully describe one's hand to one's partner in a single bid. A preemptive bid is usually made by jumping, i.e. skipping one or more bidding levels. Since it deprives the opponents of the bidding space, it is expected that they will either find a wrong contract of their own, or fail to find any. A preemptive bid often has the aim of a save, where a partnership bids a contract knowing it cannot be made, but assumes that, the penalty will still be smaller than the value of opponents' bid and made contract.
These terms are used in contract bridge, using duplicate or rubber scoring. Some of them are also used in whist, bid whist, the obsolete game auction bridge, and other trick-taking games. This glossary supplements the Glossary of card game terms.
In the card game contract bridge, a takeout double is a low-level conventional call of "Double" over an opponent's bid as a request for partner to bid his best of the unbid suits. The most common takeout double is after an opponent's opening bid of one of a suit where the double shows a hand with opening values, support for all three unbid suits and shortness in the suit doubled. Normally, the partner of the doubler must bid his best suit but may pass if (a) his right hand opponent intervenes or (b) on the more rare occasions when his hand is such that he wishes to convert the takeout double to a penalty double.
The negative double is a form of takeout double in bridge. It is made by the responder after their right-hand opponent overcalls on the first round of bidding, and is used to show shortness in overcall's suit, support for the unbid suits with emphasis on majors, as well as some values. It is treated as forcing, but not unconditionally so. In practice, the negative double is sometimes used as a sort of catch-all, made when no other call properly describes responder's hand. Therefore, a partnership might even treat the negative double as a wide-ranging call that merely shows some values.
In the card game contract bridge, DONT is a conventional overcall used to interfere with an opponent's one notrump (1NT) opening bid. DONT, an acronym for Disturb Opponents' Notrump, was designed by Marty Bergen, and is therefore also referred to as "Bergen over Notrump". Although the method is often criticized for being too nebulous, it remains fairly popular. The convention was first published in the September/October 1989 issue of Bridge Today.
Bridge bidding systems that incorporate a strong 2 clubs opening bid include modern Standard American, standard Acol, 2/1 game forcing and many others.
Negative free bid is a contract bridge treatment whereby a free bid by responder over an opponent's overcall shows a long suit in a weak hand and is not forcing. This is in contrast with standard treatment, where a free bid can show unlimited values and is unconditionally forcing. The treatment is a relatively recent invention, and has become quite popular, especially in expert circles.
In contract bridge, a cue bid is either a bid of the opponents' suit, or "slam seeking": a slam-investigating bid made during an auction's later rounds that shows control of a suit.
In contract bridge, an overcall is a bid made after an opening bid has been made by an opponent; the term refers only to the first such bid. A direct overcall is such a bid made by the player seated immediately to the left of the opener, i.e. next in the bidding rotation; an overcall in the 'last seat', i.e. by the player to the right of opener, which is made after two intervening passes, is referred to as a balancing or protective overcall.
In the card game bridge, a forcing pass is an agreement or understanding that a pass call obliges the partner to bid, double, or redouble over an intermediate opposing pass, i.e. partner must "keep the bidding open".
Inverted minors refers to a treatment introduced by the Kaplan–Sheinwold (K–S) bidding system for the popular card game bridge. The original structure of Precision, another bidding system, also employed inverted minors over a 1♦ opening. However, the treatment is no longer restricted to users of these bidding systems. although partnerships that use a Short club system tend also to use the convention only after a 1♦ opener.
New Minor Forcing (NMF), is a contract bridge bidding convention used to find a 5-3 or 4-4 major suit fit after a specific sequence of bids in which opener has rebid one notrump. The convention is triggered by responder at his second turn by an artificial bid of two in an unbid minor; it requires that he hold five cards in the major he has previously bid and an unlimited hand ranging in value from at least game invitational strength to that sufficient to have interest in slam; he may also hold four cards in the other major. Accordingly, there are six bidding sequences in which the New Minor Forcing bid may be applied:
In the card game bridge, CoCa or Comfy Canapé is a conventional defense against opposing 1NT openings. When playing CoCa, over a 1NT opening of the opponents, both a double as well as a 2♣ overcall are conventional and establish spades and hearts, respectively as anchor suits. Higher overcalls can be either natural, or conventional.
Unusual vs. unusual is a competitive bidding convention used in contract bridge by the opening side after an opponent has made an overcall showing two suits.
Five-card majors is a contract bridge bidding treatment common to many modern bidding systems. Its basic tenet is that an opening bid of one-of-a-major in first and second position guarantees at least five cards in that major. This method has become standard in North American tournament play, but European methods vary.