Lead-Directing Doubles


Doubles of artificial bids

    If you are on lead and RHO opened 1N, you passed, and LHO bid 2 as a transfer bid, a double by partner asks for a Diamond lead. By inference, the failure of partner to double an artificial bid means partner does not want the suit led.

Penalty doubles

A penalty double of a final contract made by the partner of the player who will be on lead may mean that the doubler thinks the contract will be set no matter what is led, or it may mean that the doubler is asking partner to make an "unusual" lead.

Since the first case requires no specific lead and the second one does, leader should decide what kind of unusual lead doubler wants.

Doubles of suit games (or part-scores)

    A double of a suit game asks for the lead of dummy's first-bid suit.

Doubles of suit slams (Lightner Doubles)

    A Lightner Double can have two meanings:
    1. Doubler has a void.
    2. Doubler has strength in dummy's first bid side suit.

    Here are clues indicating a void in doubler's hand:

    • If doubler has preempted or shown a two-suited hand, he is likely to be void in a suit he didn't show.
    • If leader or declarer or dummy has preempted or shown a two-suited hand, doubler is likely to be void in a suit which was shown.
    • If dummy didn't bid a side suit.

    If leader has an Ace in a suit he is not going to lead or if he has a void of his own, the card he leads to be trumped should be a suit-preference signal for doubler to lead back.

Doubles of notrump contracts

    Make a lead indicated by these situations in the following order:

    1. Leader should lead his own suit. If leader did not bid a suit, then...
    2. Lead doubler's suit. If doubler did not bid a suit, then...
    3. Lead the first suit indicated by dummy's bid. For example...
      • 1N-P-2 is a transfer to Hearts, so lead a heart.
        If doubler had wanted a Diamond led, he would have doubled 2 immediately.
      • 1N-P-2-P-2-P-2N-Double - lead a Spade.
    4. When no natural suits were bid, such as 1N-3N, doubler is showing a solid major suit.
      Leader should lead a major suit in which he is short and has no honors.