BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

I do not recommend the use of ‘negative’ doubles for any partnership which is not reasonably competent and experienced — for the following three reasons:

(1) They are not necessary for good and accurate bidding; (2) they require the use of more judgment, and their misuse all too frequently causes poor results; and (3) they lead to fundamental bad habits and flaws in the use of basic Acol bidding.

When RHO intervenes over partner’s opening bid, a ‘negative’ double by you in principle shows the two unbid suits and 8+ HCPs. Consider the above hands, and decide what you would bid on each if you were playing naturally and partner opened 1 ♥ , over which RHO then bids 2 ♦ . What difference would it make if instead you were using conventional ‘negative’ doubles in each case?