Aces on Bridge
Dear Mr. Wolff: I play Drury in my regular partnerships, but I do not know what to do as a passed hand when I have a maximum pass with long clubs. What do you recommend?
— Skip Bid, Duluth, Minnesota
Answer: You are referring to playing a passed-hand two-club response to a major-suit opening as a good three-card or longer raise, about nine or more points. In this case, you have to put club hands through one no-trump, which is wideranging in this context or jump to three clubs. I do not recommend jumping without a real invitation and a six-card suit, though, as partner may have opened light.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Do you think it is bad practice to play a hand out in the hope that an opponent will throw the wrong card?
— Pressure Play, Richmond, Virginia
Answer: Unless it is really obvious — say you have just shown out of one suit and all the defenders need do is keep a winner in the other suit — I do not think there is anything wrong in refusing to claim. What is obvious to you may not be so clear to your opponents. As one of my friends used to say: If one of your opponents wishes to make a mistake, it would be rude not to offer them the opportunity to do so.
Dear Mr. Wolff: How would you interpret this double? Your right-hand opponent opens one club, your lefthand opponent responds one heart, partner overcalls four spades and lefty bids five clubs, doubled by partner. I held ♠ 7, ♥ 10-6-5-4-2, ♦ 9-5-4-2, ♣ 8-7-6 and failed to find the killing heart lead (partner was void). Was the double Lightner?
— Father Ted, Memphis, Tennessee
Answer: No, I think partner’s double simply showed extras. I, too, would lead my singleton spade and concede the doubled game. Lightner doubles, which ask for an unusual lead, should only apply when double can have no other meaning. In essence, you could call them “out of the blue” doubles.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Say you hold ♠ 3, ♥ K-10-6-5-4,
♦ 8, ♣ A-K-J-5-3-2. What would you open, and what would your rebid be?
— Come Alive, Dover,
Delaware
Answer: I open my longest suit unless it has a good chance of leaving me badly placed for the rest of the auction after the most likely responses (typically a hand with 5-6 pattern and touching suits). Here, I would start with one club, intending to rebid two clubs over a one-spade response. If we can make game in hearts, partner will be able to mention them, I hope. Weaken the clubs and my resolve to bid my long suit also weakens.
Dear Mr. Wolff: I recently picked up ♠ Q-10-8-7-3,
♥ K-9, ♦ 4-3, ♣ A-9-5-3. I passed as dealer at love all and heard my left-hand opponent open one diamond. Partner bid four hearts, my right-hand opponent doubled and his partner bid five diamonds, back to me. I passed and we conceded 400, with five hearts going two down. Should I have bid on?
— Guessing Game, Salinas
Answer: I could not be sure how many tricks we had on defense here, but I would not imagine five hearts being a profitable sacrifice, either. I would pass and not worry too much about the three IMPS lost. There are bigger fish to fry.