Many bridge players play negative or sputnik doubles but
there are many interpretations of how they should be played.
They can be used in bidding sequences as far up the auction
as your partnership wants to go
Some people play that they only apply up
to 1 ♠ others
up to 2 ♠ some up to 3 ♥ and
there are a handful that play them
all the way up to the five level. Whatever you decide you must make sure you
understand the implications of not only Doubling within the agreed range
of the auction but also of Passing as well
The basic premise is that when the opposition overcall in
front of you after partner’s opening bid, a Double shows the other two suits, or
at least support for them. The EBU Standard System says that you should guarantee the other two suits or
if the overcall is a Major ,
the other Major.
e.g 1 ♣ - 1 ♦ then Dble
guarantees 4 cards in both Majors.
I find this too restricting
There are also many schools of thought on how strong you should be to Double at the level
of bidding that it occurs.There are also
differing opinions on whether a bid of a suit as opposed to a Double is forcing.
The EBU advice on this is generally but not totally as described below.
To discuss all the various methods used would be confusing
so I propose only to outline the system that I have
culled from experience and reading the experts.
When the opposition overcall in front of you any new suit
bid by you is natural, forcing if it would have been anyway, and will always show at least 5 cards in the suit
and near enough points to bid at the appropriate level (7+ at one level
and 9+ at two level if not by-passing partner‘s suit but 11+ if you are as you may be forcing the
bidding to the three level This is more or less the way I have always played Negative
Doubles and so I
was delighted to come across the following in Tony
Forrester‘s Secrets of Success
(Highly recommended) "I hope to
demonstrate that there are situations where it is better to play Doubles as
merely "value showing". ......
For value showing you can substitute Negative or Sputnik if you wish, they all
mean the same. All the terms describe a Double which shows sufficient high cards to bid at
the appropriate level
but with no clear choice...... To begin with
you do not have a long strong suit or you would bid it so a Double describes a
hand of scattered strength without extreme shape. Without the security of
playing tricks that a good suit of your own would provide the Double must
contain at least as many high card
points as Partner would expect if you had bid a suit
This Double is
more descriptive because of the negative inferences drawn from what you did not
do, the final one being that you did not support partners suit, To summarise then a Double at the one or two level shows a
hand which : 1. Does not have
a long strong suit 2. Has
sufficient high card values to expect to make a contract at the level bid 3. Does not have
primary support for partner’s suit.
Using these basic
principles decide with your partner how you are going to play this convention.
There is one very important other point to remember. If you are playing Negative Doubles you
can‘t make an immediate Penalty Double. The exception is when, if
the Opener decides he would not have stood a Penalty Double but would have bid
on, this would normally be after he/she has opened extremely light 3rd in hand.
In a sequence like this - South Pass- West Pass- North 1 ♥-
East 2 ♣ - South Pass-
West Pass -North 2 ♥- It sounds
like North has opened with 6 hearts and 11 pts with most of the strength in
Hearts- Doesn’t fancy 2 ♣ doubled and South should take
note of this if the
bidding continues.
Bids of partner’s suit will always show the support they would normally show,otherwise wait
for partner to re-open with a Double and then bid.
In all other circumstances with the appropriate points, 7+
at one level or 9+ at two level
make a Negative Double.
Generally I only look for
one absolute guarantee, that if the opposition bid a Major, a Double either
guarantees the other or if not, at least 3 cards in partner‘s suit
A bid of 2NT will show what it would normally show, 11/12 and, as I am denying a 5 card suit, I like
to guarantee 3 in partner‘s,
otherwise I would Double.
He may not necessarily hold the
same opinion now, as experts tend to change their views, but
this is what he says :
Therefore, with one exception,
Opener must reopen with a Double to
allow you to convert it to penalties by passing.