Aces on Bridge
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I held this hand recently: ♠ 9, ♥ Q-108-5-2, ♦ J-9-3-2, ♣ K-Q-J. I heard my partner open two no-trump and then jump to four hearts over my transfer. I passed, and my partner quickly scooped up 12 tricks. Should I have bid on?
— Super Accept, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Answer: I think your hand is worth more. Your partner showed a suitable hand by jumping to game. He would not do so with any old minimum. Despite your having no key-cards, you could have enough for slam based on power. I would cue-bid four spades to keep the ball rolling.
I had ♠
Q, ♥ J-10-7, ♦ A-K-QJ-5-4-3, ♣ A-J at favorable vulnerability. I opened one diamond, my partner responded one heart and my right-hand opponent overcalled three spades. I doubled for takeout, partner bid four diamonds and I raised to five. Now my lefthand opponent tried again with five spades, passed back to me. I doubled and conceded 850. Partner had a 1=4=4=4 hand with just the heart king-queen. Was anyone to blame?
Dear Mr. Wolff:
— Big Fit, Greenville, South Carolina
Answer: The auction did not tempo well for you, but I think doubling was a bit much. If partner could not double, knowing you had extra values for your bidding, you could not expect to beat five spades by more than one trick. You actually had a poor hand, defensively speaking, for your bidding up to that point. Indeed, taking out insurance in six diamonds might conceivably have been right.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Should our honor-leads from the aceking change at high levels? — King for Count, West Palm Beach, Florida
Answer: I prefer to lead the king from ace-king, but even if your normal methods are to lead the ace, you should consider switching when leading against a five-level contract or higher because it is much more attractive to lay down an unsupported ace in an attempt to cash out. Thus, I would recommend leading the king from all ace-king and king-queen sequences here (partner giving a count signal, which may also help with the cash-out).
Dear Mr. Wolff: I am having trouble knowing how to react to my partner’s mistakes. Should I let them go or say something constructive (when there is something that might prove useful going forward), or even speak my mind?
— No Holding Back, Bremerton, Washington
Answer: It is best to say nothing at all while at the table. Leave any discussion about the hands until after the set. Then, I think, some constructive comments have merit. Letting the matter rest will not help when the same mistake could happen later on. Still, many do not take kindly to this sort of discussion. In that case, it might be better to approach the matter via a postmortem, going through the set board-by-board, when you will naturally come to discuss the deal in question.
Dear Mr. Wolff: When should a cue-bid in a slamgoing auction promise a first-round control, as opposed to a first- or secondround control?
— Pool Cue, Dallas, Texas
Answer: I think the default should be first- or secondround controls, with the exceptions of cue-bidding at the five-level or cue-bidding a suit that partner is known (or expected) to be short in.