ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: What do you think is the best way to learn how to play bridge? Did you start by playing pairs or team games, or did you learn rubber bridge first? Which would you recommend?

— Tyro Tyrone, Worcester, Mass. DEAR READER: Rubber bridge used to be far more common than it is nowadays. I think your chances of learning quickly would be improved by playing in a duplicate club, where you can take classes as well as playing in events. Teams is easier to learn than pairs, I would say. If you can’t find a local club, the American Contract Bridge League will help. Try them at (800) 264-2743.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: The following hand kept me up at night. My partner opened one spade, and I responded with one notrump, holding ♠ J, ♥ K-10-65-4, ♦ K-Q-10-3, ♣ J-3-2. Now my partner bid two clubs, and I could think of nothing intelligent to say. What would you have done?

— Curious George, Battle Creek, Mich. DEAR READER: There is no good answer here. Passing may be disastrous facing a good hand with only four (or even three!) clubs, while bidding two no-trump may send you overboard. Correcting to two spades also looks very dangerous, so I’d try two hearts, hoping to end up in a contract where I have more trumps than the opponents.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Please explain what happens when a player makes a slow bid, and his partner seems to take advantage of that unauthorized information? What are the criteria for awarding an adjusted score?

— Blinky Bill, Charlottesville, Va. DEAR READER: Say a player’s tempo for a call suggests a particular action, and his partner subsequently takes the action that might have been suggested by that tempo. If so, the director may adjust the result, depending on whether there were logical alternatives to the action chosen. In other words, you can bid as fast or as slow as you like, but your partner must not be influenced by your tempo.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: How would you respond to a three-spade pre-empt at unfavorable vulnerability, holding ♠ J-9, ♥ K-10-5-2,

♦ A-J, ♣ A-Q-7-3-2? I elected to raise to game, and though I wasn’t expecting to be facing solid spades, I did expect more than queen-seventh of spades and queenfourth of diamonds.

— Unimpressed,

Seneca, S.C. DEAR READER: Preempts vary enormously, according to position and vulnerability. Your partner seems to have had considerably less than what I might expect for a second-seat pre-empt at unfavorable vulnerability. In first or third chair non-vulnerable, I might even open this hand at the three-level.

DEAR MR. WOLFF:

I assume you would open one diamond with ♠ A-7-3,

♥ K-J-4-2, ♦ Q-10-5-2, ♣ Q10. You then hear a two-club overcall, and your partner bids three clubs to show a limit raise or better in diamonds. You sign off in three diamonds, but partner presses on with three hearts. What would you do now?

— Marquis of Mirth,

Torrance, Calif. DEAR READER: Your partner is looking for a club stopper, and you do not have one. Since his call is forcing, your choice is to raise hearts and hope the 4-3 fit plays well. (Partner could still have four hearts, I suppose.) You could also temporize with three spades, but I’m not sure what that would achieve. So four hearts it is.