Reopening Double

Negative Double Protection. Failure by opener's partner - 3rd hand - to bid or Negative Double over an intervening overcall puts an obligation on opener to bid again or to balance with a reopening double (assuming 4th hand passes).

This is to protect the 3rd hand with a trump stack over the overcaller who can't double for penalty -- because a double call in this case would be Negative, not for penalty.

Example Reopening Double Sequence

N              E              S          W

1¨       1ª        P        P

Dbl         P           P !!!       . . . Uh oh! Trouble for East

North must re-open with a double or make another bid to protect South, who might have 5 good Spades and is waiting for the kill of East. South's pass of North's reopening double would be left in for penalty if that's the case.