ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held ; K-9-4-3, k 10-5-3, l Q-10- 4-2, ' J-4 and raised my partner’s opening bid of one spade to two. What is the right continuation over a call of three diamonds from my partner? — Phoenix Rising,

Grenada, Miss. DEAR READER: My partnership style is to use new suits here as a game try. Typically, the call is based on length, with a holding of three or four cards to an honor, so your hand has two big plusses: one based on your decent long trumps, and the other your useful diamond holding, which rates to cover some of your partner’s losers. So I would bid game. By the way, with the club ace instead of the jack, I would raise to four diamonds or cue-bid four clubs, in case partner has a slam try.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner suggested to me that we play fit jumps, which I am happy with. He also suggested that new suits in response to pre-empts be based on fit, not a single-suited hand. I’m not sure I buy into that. Do you?

— Assister Sledge, Chicago DEAR READER: I will say that as a passed hand (which has therefore almost denied a decent one-suiter), a new suit in response to a pre-empt ought to be lead-directing. By an unpassed hand, especially if your RHO has passed, I think a new suit should be natural and forcing.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held: ; K-4, k A-9-8-3-2, l 9,

' A-Q-7-5-4 and opened one heart, then rebid two clubs over a one-spade response. Now I heard my partner rebid two no-trump, and I was not sure whether to bid or pass. If I did bid, what call would describe my hand best? — Flower Power, Atlanta DEAR READER: I wouldn’t pass, but I believe that three clubs should show a minimum hand with 5-5 shape, a nonforcing call. So I would either raise to three notrump or, if feeling scientific, I might experiment with a call of three diamonds, which I believe should be reserved for a forcing hand with 5-5 shape. A rebid of three hearts here shows a 6-4 pattern, and would also be forcing.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: What is the right approach to playing the combination of four small cards facing A-J-9x-x in dummy, assuming you have plenty of entries back and forth? I can see three sensible ways of playing the suit: starting with the ace, leading to the jack or leading to the nine. Which is the odds-on play? — Math Observation,

Little Rock DEAR READER: Cashing the ace loses to a void or singleton small card to your left. Low to the jack loses to a void or singleton honor to your left. Low to the nine and finessing a second time loses to the singleton 10 or K-Q doubleton on your left, but not to the 4-0 break, so it is the right play.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Do you prefer to play jump raises of partner’s opening bid or overcall as weak, mixed or invitational? Does it matter whether the opponents have bid (either to your left or right)? Is the vulnerability critical?

— Razor Sharp, San Luis Obispo, Calif. DEAR READER: In noncompetitive auctions, a raise to three seems best as a limit raise (though playing it as mixed is acceptable). I don’t like a pre-emptive raise with silent opponents. After partner opens and you hear a double or an overcall, I can understand having the raise as pre-emptive — as long as you have a way to show a mixed raise. If partner overcalls, using the raise as pre-emptive makes sense.