may alternatively be strong and balanced (17+ hcp).
Light openings, with good suits, are playable in all positions.
The Double Club System is a natural bidding system that introduces a separation between balanced and unbalanced hands that no other bidding system has managed. This simplifies your bidding decisions considerably in all auctions and, if the opponents compete, it puts you in a superior position to any other bidding system.
The following pages will give you an overview of the System's strategic approach. An understanding of the common themes will aid your understanding of the actual bidding sequences. Please select any of the following:
may alternatively be strong and balanced (17+ hcp).
Light openings, with good suits, are playable in all positions.
You will now be ready to look at a complete and detailed description of the Double Club System:
Note, however, that the easiest way to get started with the Double Club System is to use just the bids described in The Basic Double Club System, which is very simple and will see you through more than 95% of all auctions. The more detailed bids are necessary only for the other (less than 5%) of auctions — if you are using only the Basic System then you will have to muddle through (by bidding naturally) on those rare occasions. When you and your partner have tried out the Basic System and have decided to play the Double Club System, then you can profitably learn the rest of the System, so that you can bid accurately in all situations. You may wish to refer to the list of Differences Between the Basic System and the Full System.
You can print the Basic System on a single sheet of A4 (shrink to fit one page in your browser). I would expect that, if you have significant experience of the game, you and your partner can learn the Basic System in about 10 minutes. Try it out next time you play at your club.
I will be pleased to receive any comments. Please email Chris Burton.
The System's philosophy is to handle balanced hands in a scientific manner, using narrow Milton Work Count strength ranges ("hcp" in this documentation), while keeping the bidding low. But with unbalanced hands a much freer strategy is appropriate and hcp often counts for little. We use the Losing Trick Count when a fit is found, together with the players' judgement of suit length and hand shape. By separating balanced and unbalanced hands, we begin using the right measures on the first round of bidding, making us far less vulnerable to competitive manoeuvres by the opponents and helping us to reach the best contract whether or not they compete.
The Double Club System opens all balanced hands with either 1NT (if in the 13-16 hcp range)
or, if above that range, with one of the System's two forcing bids: 1 or 2.
Opener will rebid in no trumps at his first opportunity, defining his hand exactly.
All other suit bids are freed from the burden of carrying balanced hands
that must be rebid in no trump to clarify their character.
Opening bids of 1
, 1
and 1
show strictly unbalanced hands, aiding partner's judgement when faced with competition.
There is one small exception: balanced hands with a 5-card diamond, heart or spade suit and 11-12 hcp may be opened freely if the suit quality is good. If responder can support opener's suit, great. If he cannot, or does not, opener will make a minimum rebid and try to end the auction at the earliest opportunity.
That leaves one final innovation to explain. Balanced hands with 12 hcp or less that are not suitable for an opening bid are passed in first or second position. In third or fourth position, a responder with a good 11+ hcp should find a bid, since we may have 23+ hcp, and to facilitate this we relax the suit-length constraints in 3rd/4th position. This is explained in the section covering bidding sequences starting with a third or fourth position major suit opening.
Author: Chris Burton
Gravesend Bridge Club