ACES ON BRIDGE
Bobby Wolff
Dear Mr. Wolff:Is it worth looking for partner’s five-card major when he opens one no-trump? How might I do this?
— Puppet Muppet, Monterey, Calif.
ANSWER: Various tools are available, but the most common is five-card Stayman, whereby typically a three-club response asks opener to show a five-card major if he has one; otherwise, bid the next step. Responder can also locate a more traditional 4-4 fit via the same route.
Dear Mr. Wolff:After Fourth-Suit Forcing, should delayed support of partner’s major promise three cards? Say you open one diamond and rebid two clubs over partner’s one-spade response. When he comes again with two hearts, how many spades would two spades show? — By Agreement, Boise, Idaho
ANSWER: I would tend to raise spades immediately with three on that auction, unless I had extras, in which case I would jump to three spades over two hearts. This means two spades would show only a doubleton for me. There are auctions in which raising partner takes up more space, though. In those sequences, the raise more strongly suggests three trumps.
Dear Mr. Wolff:As dealer, I held SPADES 6-5, HEARTS J-7-2, DIAMONDS J-2, CLUBS A-K-Q-J-8-5. Bidding one club with nothing better than a jack outside of my suit seemed wrong, so I opened three clubs. This did not work out well, as partner held a 13-count with 4=5=4=0 shape, and we were cold for four hearts. All three of the other players said they thought it was clearly a one-club bid, but I hate to open one club with no outside defense. Your thoughts?
— Great Scott, Trenton, N.J.
ANSWER: Here is my take on the marginal hands as to whether to open one, two or three: Starting with the HCP, I count an extra point for a four-card suit. If the total comes to 13 and I have a trick and a half on defense, it is a one-level opener. With clubs, I might stretch to open one, not three, even more frequently, since I do not have a two-level preempt available.
Dear Mr. Wolff:I picked up SPADES 4, HEARTS Q-J-8, DIAMONDS A-7, CLUBS A-10-6-5-4-3-2 at game all and opened one club in second chair. The next player overcalled four spades, and partner doubled. I passed, and we racked up 200 with six clubs making. Should I have bid on?
— High Level, Galveston, Texas
ANSWER: Partner’s double showed values and did not promise any club support. I would pass as you did, expecting to score both of my aces on defense. Preempts make life hard, and this one certainly succeeded.
Dear Mr. Wolff:I am building a new partnership and am unsure how many conventions to add. Would you recommend keeping things simple or going all-out?
— System Junkie, Portland, Ore.
ANSWER: My style has always been to play straightforward methods with an emphasis on accurate card-play and honing bidding judgment. For some, however, bidding is the main attraction of the game, and their creativity should not be curbed. It also depends on your aspirations. I would argue for simplicity and blanket rules at first and see how that works out.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, e-mail him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com. Copyright 2023, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS