Aces on Bridge

DEAR MR. WOLFF: What are your favorite cities for the national and regional tournaments in the U.S.? I have decided to try to play seriously, but am not sure where to get my feet wet.

— Pizza Man

ANSWER: You just missed out on Philadelphia, a great venue and a city my wife loves. Hawaii this fall is an atypical venue, but a great locale nonetheless. Seattle and Vancouver for West Coast fans are certainly worth considering. And New Orleans (if not in midsummer) has much to recommend it because of the food and music.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Can you give me a general approach to responding to a strong no-trump with an 8-count and zero, one or two majors? Should you invite game — and does it matter whether you use Stayman or raise to two no-trump?

— High Heels

ANSWER: I try to avoid using Stayman to invite game without a major. It gives so much information to the hand on lead that I tend to pass with 8 and drive to game with a decent 9-count. With both majors, using Stayman has some upsides: finding a fit in either suit or reaching game facing a maximum. With only one major, especially at pairs, I tend to pass unless short in clubs. In that case, I could pass and play diamonds or the 4-3 fit in the other major.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: What is your view on opening two diamonds, holding: SPADES 10-8, HEARTS Q-7-4-2, DIAMONDS A-J-9-5-3-2, CLUBS 4? Does your opinion change depending on whether you are in first, second or third seat, and does the vulnerability matter?

— Silent Speaker

ANSWER: My arbitrary cutoff point for opening a weak two with a side four-card major is Q-10-3-2. I would not want to lose a fit with a side suit that good, but if I did conceal the major, my minor suit would have to be a good one. That means either two top honors or one honor with great intermediates. This applies in any seat or at any vulnerability, but the expected high-card point count in second seat, or vulnerable, is slightly higher.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I’m confused by responsive doubles, when the opponents have bid and raised a suit around a double from my partner. What does the call say about bid and unbid majors? I’m especially flummoxed by what happens when the opponents bid and raise spades.

— Muddling Through

ANSWER: After a minor is bid and raised, double typically shows both majors, and all calls (including two no-trump) are natural. After hearts are bid and raised, double for the minors, but bid spades if you have them. After spades are bid and raised, bid hearts if you have them, using a direct call of three hearts as a mild invitation, and double for the minors. You can, if you want, consider using two no-trump as artificial when the majors are bid and raised. This would be an extension of the Lebensohl concept. I’ll get into that next month.