ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF:

In duplicate bridge, when should third hand (the partner of the opening leader) break the rule of third hand high? Is there a simple set of guidelines to follow?

— Gasoline Alley, Grand Forks, N.D. DEAR READER: You must try to avoid finessing against partner unnecessarily, so when dummy has nothing, third hand must almost always play high to keep declarer from scoring a cheap trick. But say, for example, in a suit contract, dummy has J-7-2 in the suit partner leads and you have K-9-3 or Q-9-3. When dummy plays a small card, you should surely follow with the nine (which is the right play whenever partner has the 10). Of course, if your holding were Q-10-2 or K-10-2, you’d insert the 10 without needing to think about it.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I was dealt ♠ K-10-9-7-2, ♥ KJ-5-3, ♦ A-8, ♣ 9-4, and my partner opened one diamond, which was doubled on my right. I redoubled to show 10 HCP, thinking that I could bid my suits later on, but my LHO jumped to three clubs, meaning it as pre-emptive. I could still bid my spades, but we never got hearts into play. What are your thoughts on our bidding? — Quick Fix, Syracuse, N.Y. DEAR READER: It is a good rule to bid out a one-suiter after a double, regardless of strength. Only redouble when you can handle all likely actions by your LHO in response to the double. Having said that,

I do have sympathy with redoubling here, since the opponents tend to bid the majors after this start.

DEAR MR. WOLFF:

In a suit contract, what factors should I consider when faced with the choice of leading the top of a small doubleton or leading from four to an honor?

— Just the Fax, Bay City, Mich. DEAR READER: I tend to be slightly more in favor than most of leading from the doubleton here, regardless of my trump holding, if I think passive defense is called for. Four to an unsupported honor is less appealing, but give me a suit headed by a two-card sequence, and I tend to go for that instead. Of course, a ruff may be counter-effective if I surrender a trump trick, or trump control, in the process.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I was in third seat when my partner opened one heart. The next hand bid two hearts to show spades and a minor, and I had ♠ K-5-4,

♥ A-K-10-9-2, ♦ 8-5, ♣ 10-83. What were my bidding options?

— Rocking Rooster,

Phoenix DEAR READER: The logic here is that a bid of three hearts is competitive, not a limit raise. This means that you have to use the cue-bid of two spades to show a good hand with hearts. Double by you shows a good hand, typically without real fit, but that wouldn’t be suitable in this case. The real issue is whether you will stay out of game if partner signs off over your cue-bid. I’m on the fence!

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner explained to me that all jump bids by opener at his second turn are forcing to game. If the bid is a jump-shift, then I can understand it being forcing to game; but if the jump is in a bid suit, I don’t believe that rule applies. Do you? Also, is the jump shift in a new suit forcing for one round or game forcing?

— Truly Scrumptious, Shreveport DEAR READER: A jump-shift shows a game force. But as opener, it is important to distinguish such a thing from jump rebids either in your own suit or in support of partner’s suit, neither of which is forcing. Once responder has shown limit-plus values, perhaps by something like a two-level response, these auctions do become forcing.

One further caveat:

In response to a negative double, jumps in a new suit show extras, but are not forcing. A cue-bid sets up the game force.