ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: In a recent Bid With the Aces when an unopposed auction started with one club — one heart — one spade, why did you advocate raising two clubs with a 1-4-4-4 pattern, four small clubs and four decent diamonds, rather than rebidding no-trump? — Suitable Case for Treatment,

Boise, Idaho

DEAR READER: For me, opener’s sequence always delivers clubs (at least four), so I’d prefer to play clubs than no-trump here. We can always play the no-trump game if partner has extras, since he won’t pass me out in two clubs. For the record, with a 4-3-3-3 pattern as opener I would rebid one no-trump over one heart rather than bid one spade. I might miss a partscore in spades, but I’ll be far better placed facing a strong hand.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: What is your opinion on playing Fishbein or a defense such as Lower Minor over your opponents’ pre-empts? Do you recommend using a take-out double against every pre-empt, or is there some other defense that you consider preferable? — Catcher in the Rye, Trenton, N.J.

DEAR READER: The advantage of playing take-out doubles over your opponents’ pre-empts is that they are simple and arise more frequently than the penalty double, no matter what your opponents’ style might be. The world plays take-out doubles, so my guess is that this must be because it is best. I would say that one should double an artificial pre-emptive call initially just to show values, with a second double showing a strong, balanced hand. Pass, then double for take-out.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Can you tell me what is the meaning of the convention fourthsuit forcing? Does it apply by both passed and unpassed hands?

— Newbie, Winston-Salem, N.C.

DEAR READER: After an unopposed auction starts with three different suit bids, responder at his second turn as an unpassed hand can force to game by making his second call in the fourth suit. The implication of the call is that you have an opening bid or better. It asks opener to describe his hand by rebidding one of his suits with as yet unshown length, or to raise opener’s suit, or else to bid no-trump with length or strength in the fourth suit. Fourth suit is also forcing for one round by a passed hand, tending to deny support for opener’s suits.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Recently, the auction began with a call of one diamond to my right. Holding: ♠ 9-6-3, ♥ Q-32, ♦ A-K-5-3, ♣ K-J-4, I passed. Now came one spade to my left, two clubs to my right and two diamonds to my left. It looked like the auction was about to die, but what would a double by my partner have shown now? At the table, my partner bid two hearts, and my RHO re-raised to three diamonds. What should I have done?

— Gentleman Jim, Dallas

DEAR READER: A double of two diamonds would be take-out for the majors — partner’s failure to call at his first turn is surely based on spade length, and he might easily have only three hearts. At the table, over three diamonds, you surely have to bid, with maybe the best hand at the table. I’d double and lead trumps.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Can you suggest a suitable book that combines bridge and humor? My small sample has suggested that these two things seldom go hand in hand.

— Court Jester, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

DEAR READER: The funniest book I have ever read about bridge is called Tournament Bridge: An Uncensored Memoir by Jerome Machlin, which is long out of print. Eddie Kantar and Jeff Rubens are superb players who have focused in some cases on humorous stories along with excellent bridge hands, the former appealing more to the inexperienced tournament player, the latter to the expert.