ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held five clubs to the aceking-jack and four hearts to the queen-jack, with two small doubletons, and heard my partner open one diamond. I elected to respond two clubs, and when my partner raised to three clubs, I tried three hearts — and played there! Did I do something wrong? Should I have responded one heart or two clubs initially?

— Polar Vortex, Harrisburg, Pa. DEAR READER: You did nothing wrong here. New suits by responder are absolutely forcing, and here three hearts showed hearts (typically four) and a game-forcing hand looking for no-trump, hearts or a reversion to clubs. Incidentally, unless playing two-overone, passing three clubs on your hand would also have been possible.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Recently, I read a deal where a player as a passed hand responded two clubs to one heart with a singleton club and nine points. Do people use this call as a cuebid after passing?

— Gold Rush,

Little Rock DEAR READER: The response of two clubs is part of a popular convention called Drury. As a passed hand in response to a major-suit opening in third or fourth seat, you play one no-trump as natural, a simple raise as 5-9 HCP, and give up the call of two clubs as natural. Instead, it shows a maximum pass with three or four trumps in support.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Somebody told me that there was a top bridge player who had won a Nobel Prize. Is this true?

— Mary Poppins,

Albany, Ga. DEAR READER: Until recently, the closest I knew that bridge players had gotten to a Nobel Prize were Jan Martel and the late Henry Bethe, children of Milton Friedman and Hans Bethe, respectively. However, Icelander Magnus Olafsson was part of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning U.N. team a decade ago. He now lives in New York.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner opened one spade, and I held K-10-2,

Q-2, K-6, A-Q-J-7-3-2. Playing two-over-one, I responded two clubs and rebid two spades over his call of two diamonds. Now he jumped to four clubs, and I was unable to guess what he might have for this action. Is there a logical way to deduce what he was showing?

— Guessing Game, Woodland Hills, Calif. DEAR READER: Your partner cannot have four clubs, or he would raise at once; and he cannot have three clubs, or he would support at the three-level instead of jumping now. So, unlikely as it might seem, perhaps he has a club void, setting spades as trump. I think you have just enough to bid four diamonds as a cue-bid.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: With K-J-10-7-3, Q-2,

A-10-6-4, Q-2, I assume you would open one spade and rebid two spades over a response of two hearts. What should you do over a three-club continuation — would you raise hearts or bid no-trump?

— Selfish Giant, Bremerton, Wash. DEAR READER: I would suggest a different answer to the ones you propose. Here, three notrump seems wrong with such good hearts, but raising hearts might persuade partner I have three. I prefer to bid three diamonds, the fourth suit, suggesting doubt as to where we belong. I’ll raise my partner’s hearts if he rebids them.