ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I’ve often seen writers discuss when to assess a one- or twotrick penalty after a revoke. I’ve seen it asserted that in rubber bridge, if you did not bid game, adding the extra penalty trick(s) would not entitle you to the game bonus. Is the situation different for duplicate bridge or if using Chicago scoring? — Dazed and Confused, Sioux Falls, S.D.

DEAR READER: The revoke law never does anything except change the number of tricks actually won. The contract always remains unaltered. So, the penalty tricks from a revoke may produce over- or undertricks (or change a making contract into one going down or vice versa), no matter what form of bridge you play. But they do not change the contract.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Some of our opponents at my local club compete aggressively (on occasion frivolously) over our strong no-trump. Would you recommend we play penalty doubles in an attempt to teach them a sharp lesson? — Fetch the Axe, Janesville, Wis.

DEAR READER: Try to maximize the frequency of your double as opposed to trying to optimize the results from the call. Use double for takeout at your first turn to act, since you will have that hand more often than a penalty double. This applies both to responder’s and opener’s double — both under and over the trump. Double of a purely artificial call should be values by responder, showing that suit by opener.

DEAR READER: Four spades and four diamonds sound natural, the latter being forcing. So, four hearts should be an all-purpose good hand with club support without reference to heart control. I’d make that call and accept a sign-off in five clubs.

DEAR READER: My view of two-level overcalls is that a doubleton and a ruffing value constitute decent enough support. I try not to come in on bad suits here, and I expect the same of my partner! This hand is certainly strong enough to look for game with a two-heart advance. That shows values and asks partner to describe his hand further.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: When you have a choice of eight-card fits, is it better to choose a 5-3 fit or a 4-4 fit? — Breaking Badly, Spokane, Wash.

DEAR READER: With a 4-4 trump fit, it may be easier to generate discards and extra ruffing tricks with the 5-3 fit on the side. By contrast, if you play the 5-3 suit, it will not allow you to generate discards from the 4-4 side suit. It is hard to identify in advance where discards will not be relevant, so head for the 4-4 fit when you can.