ACES ON BRIDGE
DEAR MR. WOLFF:
My partner and I play that a three-level cue-bid in an opponent’s suit is a stopper ask. How should we proceed when this bid is doubled?
— Method Madness, Houston, Texas
DEAR READER: In such auctions, most pairs play that a pass denies a stopper, in case partner has one and was just trying to get you to play the hand. Meanwhile, redouble shows a half-stop, something like jack-third or queen-doubleton. Bid three no-trump with a full stop. An alternative is to use redouble as the ace, to try to right-side no-trump facing the queen.
DEAR MR. WOLFF:
Do you have any general rules describing when four no-trump is Blackwood and when it is quantitative?
— Mix-Up, Panama City, Fla.
DEAR READER: When no suit has been agreed as trump but there was an easy forcing way to set trump by raising the suit, a jump to four no-trump should generally be natural and invitational. It should be invitational when raising partner’s no-trump. There are situations in which four no-trump is natural and discouraging as well, usually when partner bids something at the four-level over three no-trump. Otherwise, it tends to be Blackwood, of whatever variety you have agreed.
DEAR READER: I would bid two spades, natural and forcing. Partner is expected to bid on, whether or not he has a spade fit or a maximum. If he comes again with three hearts — or three diamonds, which suggests a reasonable hand and length or honors in diamonds — I will try three no-trump, relying on the clubs as a source of tricks.
DEAR READER: Some might double, showing hearts, but surely I do not have enough for that. Partner could have a big, balanced hand and keep bidding. Nor can I bid two diamonds with so little. I will pass and probably stay silent unless called on to compete at a low level. The meaning of a jump to three diamonds is open to discussion. This may not be good enough for a preemptive jump, even if that is the meaning you attach to the call.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Do you consider it obligatory to open all 12-point hands? If not, what criteria do you employ to determine whether or not to bid?
— Bean Counter, Grand Junction, Colo.
DEAR READER: There are some 4-3-3-3 12-counts with scattered values and no aces that I would pass with, but these days I tend to open with 12 points unless I have to open one club with three small clubs. The better the lead your opening minor suggests, the more inclined you should be to act on a marginal hand.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at bobbywolff@mindspring.com