Badminton Scoring for Doubles Under 3×15: Serving & Rotation

How does doubles scoring work under badminton's 3×15 system? You play best-of-three games to 15, and the doubles serving rules are unchanged from the rally-point era — only the target dropped from 21. The key idea: your team's score decides which service court you serve from, and only the serving pair swaps sides when they win a point.

Doubles serving in one picture

When your side's score is even (0, 2, 4…) the server serves from the right; when it is odd, from the left. Win the rally and the same server serves again, switching courts — your score just changed parity. Lose it and service passes to your opponents; there is no second server. The receiving pair stay where they are — only the serving side rotates.

What 15 changes for doubles

Doubles is already the fastest, flattest format, and 3×15 turns the intensity up. With fewer points to defend, the serve and the return matter even more — two clean net kills early can be a quarter of the game. Expect even more front-court pressure and rotations at full speed from the first rally. See the 3×15 overview for the big picture, or how it differs in singles.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a second server in doubles?

No. Under rally scoring there is one serve per side; if the serving pair lose the rally, service passes straight to the opponents.

Which court does the server use?

Right when the serving team's score is even, left when it is odd. Serves always go diagonally.

Do both pairs rotate?

Only the serving pair swaps courts, and only when they win a point. The receivers hold their positions.

Sources: BWF — key changes under 3×15.

Part 4 of our weekly 3×15 series. Next: how to keep score. Follow the Badminton 360 blog.