Bridge lessons · Lesson 23 of 26
Takeout Doubles
Updated 16 October 2026
A takeout double of an opponent's one-of-a-suit opening asks partner to choose one of the other suits. It shows about 12 points or more, two cards or fewer in their suit and three or more in each unbid suit. Partner must bid, even with no points, and shows strength by the level of the reply. A hand too strong for an overcall doubles first and bids its own suit next.
What does a takeout double ask?
A double, written X, usually says you expect the opponents to fail and want to raise the penalty. Straight after an opponent opens one of a suit, partner reads it the other way round and "takes it out" by bidding, which is where the name comes from.
Four cards in an unbid major is the best support of all. Partner may bid any of the unbid suits, so holding fewer than three cards in one of them risks landing in a poor fit.
| Your hand | Call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ♠KJ84 ♥5 ♦AQ73 ♣K962 | X | 13 points, one heart, four cards in every other suit |
| ♠KQ1084 ♥72 ♦A95 ♣843 | 1♠ | A good five-card suit, so overcall it |
| ♠AQ7 ♥KJ95 ♦Q83 ♣J62 | Pass | 13 points, but four hearts and no short suit |
Answering partner's double
When partner doubles and the next player passes, you must bid, even with no points at all. A pass would turn partner's question into a penalty double of a contract the opponents expect to make. Choose your longest unbid suit, a major ahead of a minor when they are the same length, and then show your strength with the level you bid it at.
| Your points | You bid | For example |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 8 | Your suit at the cheapest level | 1♥, 1♠ or 2♣ |
| 9 to 11 | Your suit with a jump, one level higher | 2♥, 2♠ or 3♣ |
| 12 or more | Game in a major of four cards or more | 4♥ or 4♠ |
Partner may have doubled with only 12 points and will often pass a cheap reply. The jump tells partner that your side may have a game if the double was better than a minimum, and the doubler goes on with about 14 or more.
The strong hand that doubles first
A hand of about 17 points or more is too strong for an overcall, which stops at 16. If you hold a good suit and that much strength, double first and bid your own suit at your next turn. Partner expected support for every suit, so the change of plan says you hold something better than an ordinary double, a long suit of your own and more points than an overcall shows.
When it is your partner who opened and the next player overcalls, your double has a related meaning called the negative double, which shows the unbid suits from responder's seat.
Watch it in a deal
You are South. East opens 1♥, the suit you are short in.
East opens 1♥. You hold 15 points, one heart and four cards in each other suit, a textbook takeout double. West passes, and North jumps to 2♠ with 10 points and four spades to show 9 to 11. Your 15 and partner's 9 to 11 make game likely, so you bid 4♠.
What to keep in mind
Double when they open your short suit and you hold opening values with support for any suit partner picks. When partner doubles, bid, and let the level say how many points you hold. When your hand is too good for an overcall, double first and show your suit afterward.
For the later rounds of the auction after a double, see the takeout double guide.
Practice: takeout doubles
Eight quick questions on what you just read.