ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I’m considering taking up inverted minors. The textbooks present different approaches; would you recommend they be played as constructive, forcing for one round or forcing to game? — Weird Science,

Sioux Falls, S.D. DEAR READER: Inverted minors apply only in noncompetitive auctions, but they are in play for either passed or unpassed hands. They are forcing for one round if made by an unpassed hand. I suggest that if either opener or responder limits their hand with a rebid of two no-trump or three of the agreed minor at their next turn, that can be passed; otherwise, the partnership is in a game-forcing auction.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: A recent deal included an opponent making a Michaels cue-bid, allowing the opponents to find the right line to make a grand slam. What are your thoughts regarding the proper kind of hand for the cue-bid? I wonder whether a hand with K-J-10 in the red suits is enough to bid two spades over one spade. The opponents have the boss suit, so your hearts and diamonds will probably be outbid in any case.

— Junebug, Midland, Mich. DEAR READER: Terence Reese was scathing in his criticism of using two-suited calls on weak hands. (He said it was drawing a road map for the declarer.) I do not mind acting when nonvulnerable with skimpy suits, as long as you have offense, not defense. Vulnerable, you need chunky suits, and what you most want to avoid is getting on offense when you should be defending. But I suspect I would have bid here, too!

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Last week when we went to the wrong table, we started playing a board before the error was corrected. When we began it at a new table, we got a top — but the director said that because the opening bid was different by our opponents, the result would be canceled. Was this legally correct?

— Chain of Fools,

Richmond, Va. DEAR READER: While the director will try to let a partially played deal be tackled by the proper pairs, here it sounds like your second opponents might not have had a fair crack at the board. That is because you knew extra information from the two opening bids you heard, so it is at the director’s discretion as to whether the result should stand.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I picked up ♠ Q-J-9-4, ♥ K-6,

♦ A-9-3, ♣ Q-J-4-2 and opened one club. Over my left-hand opponent’s overcall of one diamond, my partner doubled to show both majors. Naturally, I bid one spade, eventually ending up in two spades. We had 24 high-card points between us, and we made game easily enough. Should I have bid two spades at my second turn, as my partner suggested?

— Punk Rocker,

Fort Worth DEAR READER: This is a complex issue. A jump to two spades suggests four spades, in response to the known four-card suit; you might have to bid one heart or one spade with a threecard suit if you don’t have a diamond stopper. In the same way, when you open a minor and hear your partner double one heart, you jump to two spades with four trumps in anything but a dead-minimum balanced hand.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I opened one diamond with ♠ Q-8-2, ♥ A-Q-6, ♦ A-9-4-2, ♣ Q-9-3 and heard my lefthand opponent overcall one heart. Now my partner bid two clubs, and my righthand opponent bid two spades. It feels like I have some extras and fit, but should I pass, raise or bid no-trump now?

— Musical Chair,

Jackson, Tenn. DEAR READER: Two no-trump suggests a nonminimum hand and reasonable stoppers in the majors. Unless your left-hand opponent has good spades (in which case partner may be short and might not raise to three no-trump), I like the idea of getting no-trump in now. But change the club queen to the jack, and I might pass.