Aces on Bridge
Dear Mr. Wolff:
When it is really close, how do you decide the best line of play at the table? Do you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the odds?
— Close Call, West Palm Beach, Florida
Answer: It is sometimes impractical to try to calculate the odds at the table. We only have so much time to plan, after all. It is rare to have a purely odds-based choice to make — there are often inferences from the table action to point in one direction or the other. When grasping at straws, though, a prior knowledge of the basic suit breaks can help. When it gets as close as you describe, I say, “Go with your gut.”
Dear Mr. Wolff: My partner and I are discussing our response scheme to a oneno-trump opening. We have agreed on simple Stayman and four-suit transfers, but we cannot decide how to bid with a balanced invitational hand. Please help.
— Promissory, Portland, Oregon
Answer: Some partnerships use Stayman on all invitational hands. In my opinion, it is better to have Stayman promise a major. So a twospade response is a balanced invitation without a major or some strong hand-type (perhaps both minors, or one minor with invitational values). Opener bids two notrump with a minimum and three clubs with any maximum. Direct two-no-trump and three-club calls are transfers to three clubs and three diamonds, respectively. These would be sign-offs or game-forcing.
Dear Mr. Wolff: I just wanted to thank you for the no-trump bidding series in your recent newspaper columns. I spend a lot of time researching bidding, and it is extremely difficult to find information about bidding subtleties like the ones you covered.
— Nelson Ford, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Answer: That is very gratifying. It is a little late in the day at my advanced age to be varying the mix on my columns, but I have been happy with the reception of this new approach to passing across a message, as well as giving a nice deal.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Would you recommend using Flannery instead of a weak twodiamond opening?
— Don Jon, Sequim, Washington
Answer: My advice is atypically equivocal here. I like Flannery but will not necessarily recommend it for anyone who has learned weak twos. Playing Flannery, you find your spade fits easily with a minimum opener including hearts and spades, and you do not need to respond one spade with four spades when partner opens one heart. That said, it is more about personal choice than a clear advantage one way or another.
Dear Mr. Wolff: In standard methods, how much should the following bid show? You open one club and hear a one-spade overcall on your left, passed back to you. Now you rebid one notrump.
— Balancing Act, Union City, Tennessee
Answer: That typically promises 18-19 points, the equivalent of a two-notrump rebid if partner had responded at the one-level; however, it could be a little off shape if you have length in spades. If you have a minimum balanced 12-14 hand, you should probably pass one spade out — that is, unless you hold a small doubleton in your left-hand opponent’s suit, where doubling would be an option, in case partner has a penalty pass.