ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF: You hold ; 9-3, k A-3, l Q-10-76-2, ' Q-9-8-2. Your left-hand opponent opens one spade, and partner overcalls one notrump. What should you do? — Color Coded, Huntington, W.Va.

DEAR READER: Partner’s range for a one-notrump overcall is a good 15-18. So, with 8 highcard points opposite, you should nearly always make a move. I would just bid game at teams or rubber when vulnerable, but I would content myself with an invitation when not vulnerable (the reward for a bid game being slightly smaller). At pairs, inviting is just fine here.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Just how important is it to count the hand as a defender?

— Into Focus, Dover, Del.

DEAR READER: The defenders are somewhat in the dark as to each other’s holdings, so it is essential for them to combine defensive signals with the fall of the cards to build a picture of the unseen hands, and thus form a plan. This is also true as declarer, but to a lesser extent. A declarer does not need to count every hand but should be in the good habit of doing so.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner and I were vulnerable against non-vulnerable. We play solid openings in first and second position, especially vulnerable. In third hand, we must open rather light at times to protect. After two passes, one of us had the following hand: ; A-Q-10-8-6-5-4-2, k 2, l 9-4, ' Q-4. What should the bid be? — Run of the Miller, Newark, N.J.

DEAR READER: The choice is between preempting to three spades or four spades. At any vulnerability but this, I’d go for four spades. Here, color me yellow as I bid three spades, feeling that I’ve achieved an adequate level of preemption. With hearts instead of spades, I’d open four hearts.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: If the auction starts with one club on my left, double from partner and one spade on my right, how do I show a good hand with length in hearts? — Jump the Gun, Tucson, Ariz.

DEAR READER: If double is takeout (personally, I play it as penalty), most would simply jump to three hearts with an invitational hand of about 10-11 points, or cue-bid opener’s suit with a game-force. With fewer points, they would bid two hearts. I believe that, in this auction, a better way to go is to play a two-spade bid as five or more spades (invitational), three hearts was shape (not high cards), and a twoclub cue bid as typically inviting in an unbid major, here hearts. This principle extends to when partner doubles in the sandwich seat.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: Sometimes when I have a bad board in a long set, I lose focus afterward, finding it difficult to concentrate and get the troublesome hand out of my head. Any advice to help keep me on the straight and narrow? — Next Hand, Atlanta, Ga.

DEAR READER: It is always important to concentrate on the hand in front of you. The last one is over; there is nothing to be done. The “might-have-beens” can wait until the postmortem. If you are struggling, I would advise excusing yourself from the table quickly (perhaps when you are dummy, if partner is fine with that) to provide a short break and a mental reset.