Question: Are there rules for using a Take Out Double on a major suit?
Vic:
Yes, there are "Rules". The details of those rules are a partnership agreement issue that needs to be discussed with your various playing partners. The same rules apply to TO DBLs of both major & minor suits.
Rules: A Takeout Double should promise an opening hand & "tolerance" in the unbid suits. The definition of "tolerance" focuses on the length of the unbid suits & varies widely from one partnership to another.
A conservative definition of tolerance is that each unbid suit should be at least 4 cards in length. More aggressive definitions of tolerance allow one or more of the unbid suits to be only 3 cards in length. The more inexperienced the partners, the more conservative I suggest their agreement should be.
A pretty common current
partnership agreement is that unbid majors must be 4 cards in length, but that
3-card unbid minors are acceptable. By this partnership agreement the South
hand above meets the standards for tolerance.
The South hand above, however, does not meet the standards for opening hand strength. South holds only 11 HCPs & 3 of those HCPs are for unsupported "Quacks". They also have only 1.5 Quick Tricks (standard opening hands have at least 2.0). Holding the South hand, I would Pass (especially given the fact that NS are vulnerable).
Deal Pro tells me that East deserves to make 3S for a score of 140 points. It also tells me that NS do not deserve even 7 tricks in clubs. That means EW would deserve a higher score for setting 3C than they would get from making 3S.
A bid of 3C down three would give EW a score of 300 points. A bid of 3C doubled for penalty & down three would give EW a score of 800 points. WOW!
Ain't bridge a great game?
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