Lead-Directing Double

By Bill Treble
Platinum Life Master and author of Two Over One: A First Course

Most of the doubles we’ve looked at so far are takeout of the opponents’ suit. However, when the suit that they’ve bid is artificial, such as Stayman or a Jacoby transfer, a double indicates length and strength in that suit, and asks partner to lead one if he gets the chance.

An example would be:

LHO 1NT

Partner Pass

RHO 2

You ?

If your hand consisted of

A 8 5
4
9 8 3 2
K Q J 9 5

You’d double, very much wanting partner to lead a club regardless of whether they end up in a suit contract or 3NT.

Such doubles are frequently overused, however, as players sometimes make them on hands that aren’t quite as desperate to have that suit led.

LHO 1NT

Partner Pass

RHO 2*

You ?

Responder’s 2 was a transfer to spades. Suppose your hand was:

8 6
K 9 7 6 3
A J 2
K 10 5

With honors in all three other suits, you should hold your tongue so that partner can make his natural lead. If he doesn’t have anything much in hearts, that may easily be a bad lead for your side, not a good one.

A less common version of the lead-directing double is the “out of the blue” double. If the auction went:

LHO 1 2NT Pass

Partner Pass Pass Dbl

RHO 1 1NT 3NT

You Pass Pass Pass

You might be scratching your head. Partner doesn’t say boo even once and now all of a sudden he doubles 3NT? What on earth does he want you to lead?

Such doubles ask for a lead of dummy’s first bid suit. Since partner hasn’t bid any of the other three suits, that is where his values and length are apt to be. He could never bid the suit naturally as a 2 cuebid is typically used for some other purpose.

Partner’s hand is:

A Q J 10 8
9 2
A 5 4
J 7 6

If you lead a spade, he expects to defeat 3NT since the A is a sure entry and he will have a probably four tricks in his long suit.