Blum on Bridge Double Does not Have to Mean Trouble
	Have you ever had your nasty rho opponent double your partner's opening bid? Let's finish the question "and not know what to respond?" If that's the case, you've got plenty of company. The problem isn't so much what you respond as "Does pard know the meaning of your bid?" Even a pass by you could easily have a definitive purpose. I hate to begin this by stating that partnership agreement is important in the way you handle the interfering t/o double, but it is true. I shall give you the most popular methods according to "The Encyclopedia of Bridge," but it is up to you to thoroughly discuss what's best for you and partner. Though a non-jump suit response may be forcing or non-forcing, most pairs use new-suit responses to be forcing at the one-level only. This means that jump responses indicate a six-card or strong five-card suit. Any bid of a new suit suggests a decent suit. Should the bidding proceed 1 heart-double-? I would not bid a poor four-card spade suit because the doubler implies he holds spades. A more descriptive call would be to bid 1NT if your hand is balanced with 7-9 points. Holding a good five-card suit bid it at the two-level. Over the above sequence your call is not a jump response so it should be forcing on partner. A single raise is slightly weaker than it would be without the double. A jump raise is preemptive showing a distributional hand weak in high cards. An example over 1 spade-double bid 3 spades holding K1064-5-J10653-853. With this hand at unfavorable vulnerability I would not make the call. A triple raise obviously shows greater distribution and extra playing strength. You should have hopes of even making the contract. Now let's talk about the controversial re-double. Though it customarily indicates a hand with 10 or more points, the bid should be made sparingly. The main reason is that when the opponents enter the auction, by the time the bidding comes around again to the hand that has re-doubled the bidding level will be too high for him to adequately describe his hand. One should note, however, if the responder does re-double the partnership cannot allow the opponents to play a contract not doubled. The responder has a defensive hand; therefore the opener may wish to pass at his next turn if his hand is non-distributional suited for defense. When responder holds offensive features it would be tactically unsound to re-double. If the auction proceeds 1 club-double- responder should bid 1 heart holding 72-AK1052-93-K982. Remember bids at the one-level by responder are forcing. Had responder re-doubled and the doubler's partner bid 1 spade the auction could be at 3 spades by the time responder has a chance to show his hearts. Then he would have to show his suit at the four-level. Instead of the above holding if responder held Q92-J73-KQ82-Q94 he still should not re-double. Bidding 1NT is far more descriptive. Because a strong balanced hand would re-double, the bids of 2NT and 3NT lose their natural meaning. Today's experienced players use 2NT as a strong limit raise, showing 11-12 points and support for opener's first call. This response, described by me in detail recently, is popularly known as "Jordan." Would you believe that Robert Jordan did not devise "Jordan" as most think, but it was created by Alan Truscott, first published in "The Bridge World" in 1954? 3NT would be a strong raise in this case. Personally I use 2NT to show a limit raise or better and 3NT to show a strong balanced hand with two-card support. Once again I say partnership agreement is essential. As previously stated a jump response in a new suit shows length in the bid suit (1 diamond-dble-2 spades). However, there are four schools of thought regarding hand strength. They are (a) forcing to game, (b) forcing for one round (some play it conventionally to show a long, strong suit plus a fit for opener's suit). (c) Not forcing, a hand worth about 9 points. (d) Preemptive such as KJ10852-7-J53-963. Normally a pass shows a hand unsuitable for positive action. However, there are instances where responder might pass and bit later. Assume partner opens 1 spade. Holding A53-Q54-K632-743, a balanced 9-point hand, may pass over the intervening double but later raise to 2 spades. Another important tactic would be to trap-pass holding such as 7-AQ93-KJ32-QJ93. Having shortness in opener's suit, you can double on your next turn. Assuming the auction proceeds opener 1 spade-rho double-you, the responder, trap pass-lho 2 hearts-opener pass-rho pass-you double for penalty punishing the opponents.