Aces on Bridge
DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held SPADES K-9-4-3, HEARTS 10-5-3, DIAMONDS Q-104-2, CLUBS J-4 and raised my partner’s opening bid of one spade to two. What is the right continuation over a call of three diamonds from my partner?
— Phoenix Rising
ANSWER: My partnership style is to use new suits here as a game try. Typically, the call is based on length, with a holding of three or four cards to an honor, so your hand has two big plusses: one based on your decent long trumps, and the other your useful diamond holding, which rates to cover some of your partner’s losers. So I would bid game. By the way, with the club ace instead of the jack, I would raise to four diamonds or cue-bid four clubs, in case partner has a slam try.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner suggested to me that we play fit jumps, which
I am happy with. He also suggested that new suits in response to pre-empts be based on fit, not a singlesuited hand. I’m not sure I buy into that. Do you?
— Assister Sledge
ANSWER: I will say that as a passed hand (which has therefore almost denied a decent one-suiter), a new suit in response to a pre-empt ought to be leaddirecting. By an unpassed hand, especially if your RHO has passed, I think a new suit should be natural and forcing.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held: SPADES K-4, HEARTS A-9-8-3-2, DIAMONDS 9, CLUBS A-Q-7-5-4 and opened one heart, then rebid two clubs over a one-spade response. Now I heard my partner rebid two no-trump, and I was not sure whether to bid or pass. If I did bid, what call would describe my hand best? — Flower Power
ANSWER: I wouldn’t pass, but I believe that three clubs should show a minimum hand with 5-5 shape, a nonforcing call. So I would either raise to three no-trump or, if feeling scientific, I might experiment with a call of three diamonds, which I believe should be reserved for a forcing hand with 5-5 shape. A rebid of three hearts here shows a 6-4 pattern, and would also be forcing.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: What is the right approach to playing the combination of four small cards facing A-J-9-x-x in dummy, assuming you have plenty of entries back and forth? I can see three sensible ways of playing the suit: starting with the ace, leading to the jack or leading to the nine. Which is the odds-on play?
— Math Observation
ANSWER: Cashing the ace loses to a void or singleton small card to your left. Low to the jack loses to a void or singleton honor to your left. Low to the nine and finessing a second time loses to the singleton 10 or K-Q doubleton on your left, but not to the 4-0 break, so it is the right play.