Badminton Doubles Two Serves: The Rule That Vanished

Last checked: August 2026 · Written by the Badminton House player-led team.

If someone at a club says “first server” or “second server,” they are usually remembering the former doubles sequence, not describing the current BWF rally-scoring system. Today, the side that wins a rally scores a point; if the receiving side wins, it becomes the serving side immediately. There is no saved second partner turn after a lost rally.

What “two serves” actually meant

The phrase is misleading if it sounds like a player could miss a serve and try the same delivery again. That was not the system. It was a side-out sequence in which each partner could have a turn to serve before service moved to the opponents, subject to the opening-side exception.

The International Badminton Federation Laws marked effective 1 August 2002 used side-out scoring: only the serving side could add a point. Men’s singles and doubles were normally played to 15, while women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles were normally played to 11.

The important distinction is between an attempt and a turn. A turn could contain more than one rally if the serving side kept winning rallies. It could also end on the first rally. “Two serves” was shorthand for partner service turns, not a promise of two rallies or two deliveries.

How the old doubles sequence moved

The 2002 Laws set out a sequence from the initial server to the initial receiver, then to that receiver’s partner, and onward through the opponents in the applicable order. The order mattered: players could not simply choose whichever partner seemed most convenient after every rally.

Normal plain-language cycle: Partner A serves. When that turn ends, Partner B serves. When that turn ends, the opposing side receives service in its applicable order. The cycle then continues through the partners rather than giving one person repeated “lives.”

This explanation is a translation of the historic sequence, not a substitute for the historic law text. Old service courts, player positions and scoring were connected, so a remembered phrase such as “second server” is not enough to reconstruct every old dispute from memory.

The opening-side exception: one turn, not two

The side that opened the game did not begin with the normal two-partner cycle. Under the old sequence, the initial server passed directly to the initial receiver when that first service turn ended. The opening side therefore began with only one partner service turn.

That exception is why old score announcements can sound inconsistent when recalled out of context. A player may remember “first server only” at the opening, while another remembers two partner turns later in the game. Both memories can describe different points in the same former system.

What changed with rally scoring?

A Hong Kong Badminton Association notice reports that the IBF Annual General Meeting adopted the 3-by-21 rally-point format on 6 May 2006. The source is a contemporaneous member-association report, not the IBF meeting minutes. This article does not assign a motive to the change; the useful point for club players is the practical rule difference.

In the BWF Laws dated 26 April 2025, the side winning a rally scores a point. When the receiving side wins, it scores and immediately becomes the new serving side. The former second partner service turn does not return.

Current doubles still has service-court and player-order rules. The server serves from the court corresponding to the side’s score, and the appropriate player receives. What disappeared was the old side-out idea that a side could lose one partner’s service turn yet retain the other partner’s turn before giving service away.

How to restart a present-day club game correctly

Badminton House club-restart method: if an old call creates confusion, stop using “first server” and “second server.” Confirm the score and current player positions, identify which side won the last rally, then apply current rally scoring and the service court that corresponds to the serving side’s score.

1. Confirm the score and current player positions. Do not rebuild either from memories of old service lives.
2. Identify the rally winner. Under current scoring, that side receives the point.
3. Set the serving side. If the former receiving side won, it now serves immediately.
4. Use the current service court. Follow the score-linked service position and continue under the current Laws.

This is a practical club method, not an attempt to adjudicate every historical or tournament dispute. For an official event, use the event’s applicable regulations and an official’s direction.

A game to 15 is not automatically old side-out doubles

Clubs sometimes use a shorter game target for time, attendance or a local format. That does not automatically restore historic two-service-turn doubles. Scoring target and service sequence are separate choices. Before play starts, agree whether the game uses current rally scoring and what score ends the game.

The safest modern shorthand is simple: every rally gives one side a point, and a receiving side that wins becomes the serving side. If someone says “second server,” treat it as a history question unless the group has explicitly agreed on a recreational variation.

For current-order help, see our badminton doubles serving-order guide, our badminton scoring-history guide and our guide to retired badminton rules.