Aces on Bridge
DEAR MR. WOLFF: If declarer has revoked in a doubled vulnerable contract and is set one trick, which becomes two after the penalty, how much will that cost him? Are both undertricks calculated based on the double? In addition, if the doubled contract had been made, how would the revoke trick penalty be handled? — Score Keeper
ANSWER: Revokes are tricky things (generally a onetrick penalty, but occasionally two), but you did not ask me that question, so I won’t answer it! First of all, calculate the result of the contract in terms of making or going down, after the revoke penalty. Then look at the score. The answer here is down one, plus a revoke penalty to make it down two; that is 500, and the number goes above the line — hopefully on your side.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Ina duplicate pairs event, as dealer I held SPADES A-J, HEARTS K-9-8-62, DIAMONDS A-Q-4-3, CLUBS A-J and opened one heart. My LHO overcalled one spade, and my partner doubled. When I jumped to three diamonds, thinking it was forcing, we played there and missed a game. Should I have bid no-trump on the second round? Was my sequence invitational?
— Missing Parson
ANSWER: A jump in a new suit to three diamonds in a noncompetitive auction would clearly be natural and forcing. But once your partner suggests the minors, the jump is invitational (your actual hand if the spade ace were the two), since you are essentially raising him, not bidding a new suit. Cue-bid two spades, then bid three diamonds to set up the force. When you can get directly to a spot or go through a cue-bid, fourth suit or the new minor, the latter tends to be forcing, the former invitational.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Holding SPADES J, HEARTS Q-7-42, DIAMONDS A-9-7-3-2, CLUBS A-Q-4, I opened one diamond and rebid one no-trump over my partner’s one-spade response. It seemed wrong to me to repeat my diamonds, but my partner said that a response of one no-trump guaranteed a balanced hand and denied a singleton spade. What are your views here? — One for the Road
ANSWER: Your choice was a practical one: Two hearts would be a reverse because it would force preference at the three-level and promise extras. Since repeating diamonds would overstate your suit, your only choice is to bid one no-trump unless you feel like fabricating a club suit. When strong, partner should have the New Minor Relay available to find out whether you like spades before committing the hand to play in that suit.