ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Say you pick up ♠ K-Q-6-3, ♥ Q, ♦ 9-4, ♣ A-Q-J-9-8-2 at game all. You open one club and rebid one spade over partner’s one heart. He raises that to two spades. What now?

— Basher, Durango, Colo.

DEAR READER: I would bid three clubs, stressing the sixth club and concentrated suits. If partner signs off, I will respect his judgment. If not, it is off to the races. I would not criticize a jump to four spades too harshly. After all, you might make game facing as little as the spade ace, with some racing luck.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: You see partner open one heart in second seat at game all, and your right-hand opponent overcalls one spade. What would you do with

♠ A-K-8, ♥ A-2, ♦ 7-4-2, ♣ 10-6-5-3-2 and both sides vulnerable?

— High or Low, Worcester, Mass.

DEAR READER: One no-trump would be an underbid with some fit for partner’s long suit. A simple bid of two clubs or a jump to two no-trump is certainly possible. Alternatively, you can double, intending to bid two no-trump facing a one-no-trump or two-diamond rebid, but to cue-bid two spades, over the other responses.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: When my team is far behind going into the second half of a teams match, should we adopt any special tactics to make up the deficit?

— Swinging From the Trees, Laredo, Texas

DEAR READER: Do not go crazy; that is likely to make the hole bigger. Maybe you should just be more aggressive in the marginal situations. Sometimes, it might be enough to do the normal thing if your counterpart in the other room is expecting you to do something speculative. In the play, you may prefer to take a slightly anti-percentage line. For example, when trying to locate a queen in an eight-card fit, you would normally take the finesse through the length. By doing the opposite, you can create a swing.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: An opponent called the director last night during an online match. I never got to find out why. This strikes me as rude. What do you think?

— Pig Farmer, Janesville, Wis.

DEAR READER: All players are of course entitled to call the director after the hand (better, sometimes, than in the middle of the play or the bidding). When online, a player presses the “director” button to summon him. It is fine for a call to be made without speaking to anyone else at the table. In a live match, some discussion of what has taken place usually occurs first.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner raised me to game on the auction one diamond - one spade - four spades last night with only an 11-count. Granted, he had great distribution, but I was expecting more in the dummy. Am I wrong?

— Punter, Mitchell, S.D.

DEAR READER: This is a matter of agreement. If you have a way to show 18-19 balanced with fourcard support, then a jump raise to game can be based on good playing strength with long diamonds and four-card support, a punt of sorts. However, without that agreement, the double jump raise should simply show a powerful balanced hand.