Bidding in the Sandwich Seat
     
 
to conventions this page was last updated: 8-April-2007
to Abbreviations & Terminology  
 
     
 
 
If you wish you can view the pdf file or download the Word Doc file for printing.
 
     
     
     
 

Bidding in the Sandwich Seat

 
 
Hand A Consider this hand.
    RHO opens 1 or 1, what do you do?
85 Clearly a 1 overcall is fine.
KJ943 But what if LHO had opened 1 and RHO responded 1 ?
A4

Now to bid 1 is very dangerous – both opponents are unlimited and partner may well be bust. Bid 1 here and you may well be doubled for penalties.

J874
 
     
 
Hand B And how about this hand.
    RHO opens 1 or 1, what do you do?
85 A pre-emptive weak jump overcall of 2 is fine.
AQ10743 But what if LHO had opened 1 and RHO responded 1 ?
Q4

Now to bid 2 is very dangerous – both opponents are unlimited and partner may well be bust. Bid 2 here and you may well be doubled for penalties.

984
 
     
 
Hand C And how about this hand.
    RHO opens 1, what do you do?
5 A pre-emptive weak jump overcall of 3 is fine.
AQ107432 But what if LHO had opened 1 or 1 and RHO responded 1 ?
K4

Now to bid either 2 or 3 is very dangerous – when both opponents have bid then a bid in the sandwich seat has little pre-emptive value. 2 may perhaps be reasonable but 3 is asking for trouble.

984
   
 
     
 
Hand D And finally, how about this hand.
    RHO opens 1, what do you do?
KJ9 Clearly a 1NT overcall, 15-18, is fine.
KJ9 But what if LHO had opened 1♣, 1 or 1 and RHO responded 1 ?
AQ94

Now to bid 1NT is very dangerous – the opponents have advertised at least a combined 18 points and partner may well be bust – you are very likely to get doubled for penalties.

KJ4
   
 
     
 

In fact, since the 1NT bid as natural in the sandwich seat makes no sense, many players play it as unusual – weak and at least 5-5 in the two unbid suits – the Sandwich No Trump is described in a separate document

 
     
 

So bidding in the sandwich seat is totally different from the direct seat; and also a double by the next player (so opener) is also different. It is usually penalty orientated, but there are a few exceptions: -

 
     
 

Doubling a Sandwich Seat overcall

 
 

Now let's come on to what opener should do when RHO does indeed bid in the sandwich seat. So you open 1x, partner responds 1y and RHO overcall one or two z. What is double by opener? – take out or penalties or negative?

 
     
 

In general a double should always be penalty orientated – usually showing a four card suit and saying that that is what you would have bid had RHO not bid it in front of you.

 
     
 

But there are a couple of exceptions. For these two hands you are dealer: -

 
     
 
Hand E

You open 1 and partner responds 1.You would normally respond 1, but what if RHO had overcalled 2 ?

   
KJ97

Playing double as similar to a negative double – showing 4 cards in the unbid major – makes a lot of sense; but this needs to be agreed.

Q7
J4

 

AQ762
 
     
 
Hand F

You open 1 and partner responds 1.You would normally respond 1NT, but what if RHO had overcalled 2 ?

   
KJ7

Raising partner to 2 seems best but will partner expect 4 card support?

Q7 There is actually a solution to this, and it's called a Support Double.
J94

Playing Support Doubles, a double in this situation, when partner has responded in a major, shows three card support whereas a direct raise would promise four card support.

AQ762
   
 
     
 

So, in principle, double by opener is usually penalties. I have no time for people who say it's ‘optional' – that's just another way of saying that you have no idea what you are doing. But let's summarise a few of these doubles by opener: -

 
     
 
A 1 - pass - 1 - 1 - double This is penalties.
B 1 - pass - 2 - 3 - double This is penalties.
C 1 - pass - 1 - 2 - double This is penalties unless you agree to play it as similar to a negative double, so showing four 's.
   
D 1 - pass - 1 - 2 - double This is penalties unless you play support doubles.
E 1 - pass - 1 - 2 - double This one is up to you. Standard is that it's penalties, but if you play Support Doubles then it shows 3 's. If you don't play Support doubles you could agree that it shows 4 's.
   
   
F 1 - pass - 1 - 1NT - double If 1NT is natural then double is penalties.
   

If 1NT is the Sandwich NoTrump then double expresses a desire to penalise the opponents in at least one of the unbid suits.

     
 
 

Remember, opener is under no obligation to bid and can pass with nothing to say, so double is either penalties or a specific agreement. It is most certainly not some sort of wishy-washy two-way ‘optional' double.

 
     
 

And consider a sequence like sequence A, the double of 1 is penalties – showing 4 's, but at the one level responder is very likely to bid, quite possibly No Trumps. But with sequence B responder would virtually always leave the double in.

 
     
     
     
 
  Pattaya Bridge Club - www.pattayabridge.com
 
     
 
to conventions
to Abbreviations & Terminology