ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Could you clarify for me what sort of values you would need to back into the following “live” auction? Say you pass over a oneclub opening bid, but then after LHO bids one spade and RHO raises to two spades, you step in with a double. Does this show a good hand or just balancing values? And is it take-out for the two unbid suits or a three-suited hand short in spades? — Re-entry Permit, Fredericksburg, Va.

DEAR READER: This sort of sequence provokes much discussion. Since your LHO could be about to jump to four spades, I think you need a good hand to come in here. So a three-suiter with full opening values is most likely, since two no-trump might show the unbid suits. In balancing seat, of course, I’d expect this double to be two-suited, and not necessarily a good hand.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Please discuss the technical merits in a reasonable standard pair game of the thirdseat opening of one spade as opposed to one club with: ♠ A-Q-3-2, ♥ Q-5-3, ♦ K-10, ♣ J-9-4-2. How important is vulnerability in the equation? — Planning Ahead, Albuquerque, N.M.

DEAR READER: In third seat, the logic of opening a lead-directing major suit on hands where you intend to pass the response, whatever it is, does make sense. Here, you are not ashamed of opening one club and rebidding one spade or one no-trump, while the spades are not quite good enough to look forward to a lead from shortage — or a raise on three. Change the spades spots to include the 10, and you’d persuade me.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I’ve read many snooty comments about ace-asking gadgets, specifically about Gerber, though many experts seem to favor cue-bidding over Blackwood. Where do you stand? — Bashful Basher,

Levittown, Pa. DEAR READER: Two points: Cuebidding requires judgment, Blackwood requires the ability to count up to (or down from) four, and even key-card Blackwood only involves five key-cards and the trump queen. That said, don’t ever use Blackwood or Gerber if you can calculate that you won’t know what to do over a normal response. I’m not as concerned as some about asking for aces with two losers in a side-suit; the opponents don’t always cash them.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: In first chair with ♠ A-9-7-2, ♥ 7, ♦ A-Q-10-5-2, ♣' K-Q-4, I opened one diamond and heard my partner respond one spade. Without intervention, this feels like a simple bid of three spades. But, in fact, I heard my RHO skip to three hearts. Was I right to bid three spades now, or should I have done more? — Competing Forces,

Edmonton, Alberta DEAR READER: As you correctly imply, a three-spade bid in competition might be distinctly shaded by comparison with one in an uncontested auction. That might persuade you to jump to four spades now, since your partner could reasonably assume that you would compete to three spades with a balanced minimum opener and four spades. Clearly, you do have a much better hand than that.

DEARMR.WOLFF: I believe you are not the world’s biggest fan of playing inverted minors, but if they are used, how forcing should they be: to game, or for one round?

— Raising Arizona, Corpus Christi, Texas DEAR READER: I’m not opposed to playing inverted minors, although I’m not their greatest fan, and I do not play them in competition. I think at teams one should play the raise as forcing to three of the minor, but at pairs, if opener or responder rebids two notrump or three of the agreed minor after the inverted minor, I play this can be passed.