ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner and I disagree about the meaning of a call here. I responded one spade to one heart, and my partner jumped to four diamonds. I thought that showed shortness, but he thought it was simply a cuebid. I held ♠ K-Q-8-5, ♥ Q-4, ◆ 10-7-2, ♣ A-9-5-3, and we ended in a no-play slam when my partner had a balanced 18-count. Who would you side with?

— Feuding Fred, Rockford, Ill.

DEAR READER: Most pairs play these “unnecessary jumps” as splinter bids, denoting shortness in the suit bid and agreeing the last suit shown. With a strong balanced hand, most players simply jump to four of the agreed major. Here, after a four-diamond rebid, I would ask for key-cards, assuming partner was sure to have a heart control. All your honors are working, and good trumps and good controls mean it’s time to go slamming.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I see the USA2 team won the 2017 Bermuda Bowl by a mere two IMPs over France. Did any of your world titles get that close?

— Keen Observer, Mitchell, S.D.

DEAR READER: We won a world title when our opponents bid a slam missing two aces right at the very end — though there were a few twists and turns even after that! That one might have been the most nerve-wracking. I’ve also won a few matches when far behind and lost a few in the same way.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: To what extent should you go out of your way to be ethical in the face of a break in tempo from partner during the auction? How severely do you have to punish your side?

— Lawful Louis, Winston-Salem, N.C.

DEAR READER: By all means, make the bid you would normally make, and do not try to punish yourself if you believe your action is clear-cut. If there has been an infraction, the directors will deal with it — that is their job. Of course, you must not take advantage of the unauthorized information you have, and you should lean away from an action suggested by your partner’s tempo; but that is sometimes easier said than done!

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner wants us to play game-try doubles. I’m hesitant. Are they a good idea? — Double Trouble, Pittsburgh

DEAR READER: Gametry (or maximal) doubles are a useful tool. They apply when the partnership has agreed a major suit and has no other invitational bids below game. In such auctions, we normally play three of our major as merely a competitive maneuver,

so in auctions such as one spade - two hearts - two spades - three hearts, one has to double to invite game. Had the opponents bid and raised diamonds, three hearts would be available as a non-descriptive try, so double would show a strong balanced hand.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I saw the term “elopement” mentioned in one of your columns, but I do not understand what it means. Please enlighten me.

— In a Daze, Manchester, N.H.

DEAR READER: Eloping in bridge involves scoring your small trumps separately. This often occurs in the context of forcing an opponent either to waste a high trump or to make a discard that will cost him an eventual trick. As Justice Felix Frankfurter said in a slightly different context, you will know it when you see it.

If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com