ACES ON BRIDGE
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Yesterday, my opponent held ♠ —-, ♥ Q-10-7-6-4-2, ♦ 9-7-2, ♣ Q-10-8-3. At unfavorable vulnerability, he heard his right-hand opponent open one spade. He passed, and his left-hand opponent raised to two spades, back to him. Would you act? The player in question bid three hearts and was raised to four, making five!
— Bowled Over, Spartanburg, S.C.
DEAR READER: I would probably pass, albeit unhappily. At these colors when partner is known to hold spade length, the real risk is that your side will end up defending against a doubled (and making) spade contract. Certainly, bidding hearts is better than doubling two spades, because partner rates to pass a double, expecting much more defense from you.
DEAR MR. WOLFF:
How far forcing should one play the sequence of opening two clubs and bidding two spades over a waiting two-diamond response?
— Bygone Age, Great Falls, Mont.
DEAR READER: I play this as forcing for one round, but not to game. After a second negative response (a bid of three clubs over two spades), repeating opener’s suit is non-forcing. For the sake of completeness: After a strong and artificial two-club opening, opener’s rebid of two no-trump after a negative two-diamond call shows 23-24 balanced, non-forcing.
DEAR MR. WOLFF:
When you have a hand like ; K-4, ♥ J-9-2, ♦ A-7, ♣ Q-109-8-4-3 and hear a suit bid opened to your right, would you make a jump overcall, as opposed to a two-level overcall? Would the vulnerability matter?
— In the Action, Flagstaff, Ariz.
DEAR READER: When vulnerable, I prefer my jump overcalls to be closer to intermediate than weak (so I’d need the club king instead of the three in this example). Non-vulnerable, I’d be concerned this hand had too much defense for a pre-empt. I’d settle for a simple overcall at any vulnerability, except perhaps in third seat non-vulnerable.
DEAR MR. WOLFF:
I picked up ♠ K-10-8-2, ♥ 8-6-5, l J-9, ♣ A-J-8-7 on my most recent jaunt to the local club. With no one vulnerable, my left-hand opponent opened one club, my partner overcalled one heart and my right-hand opponent bid two diamonds. I raised to two hearts, and my left-hand opponent competed to three diamonds, passed around to me. I bid again, but got doubled and went two down for a bottom. Was I wrong to act again? — I Fought the Law, Lakeland, Fla.
DEAR READER: It is rarely right to over-compete with a balanced hand, especially with poor trumps and a doubleton in the opponents’ suit. I would definitely not bid three hearts here. With a singleton diamond or a fourth trump, it would be reasonable to bid on.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: One of my opponents held ♠ Q-J-75, ♥ A-10-9-6-4, ♦ 9-4, ♣ Q-7. He heard his partner open one diamond, and he bid one heart, then passed the one-no-trump rebid. They missed their 4-4 spade fit when declarer was 4=2=4=3 and could not make one no-trump. What went wrong?
— Came in Spades, Danville, Ill.
DEAR READER: Some players avoid rebidding their spades with a balanced hand and 4-4 pattern. To me, though, this seems sufficiently shapely to rebid at a suit — unless all your values are in your short suits. Responder might have been reluctant to repeat his hearts, but his good heart spots might point toward the suit rebid.