Aces on Bridge
Dear Mr. Wolff:
I heard of a case where one defender said, “It does not matter,” toward the end of a hand, whereupon the other said, “It does.” This could have woken his partner up when he would otherwise have let the contract through. Is this allowed?
— Bad Form, Texarkana, Texas
Answer: I believe a defender can refuse his partner's concession, but it is not acceptable to say anything that might influence partner's play. In this specific circumstance, I think the offending pair should be given a procedural penalty or the director should rule against the offender (or both).
Dear Mr. Wolff:
Say you pick up A-J-10-6-3, 7-5, A-K-4-3, 9-4 and hear partner open one no-trump. You transfer to spades, but then what?
— Concentrated Values, Waterbury, Connecticut
Answer: I really want to play in spades whenever partner has three here, as I have two unstopped suits. I would therefore bid three diamonds, game-forcing. I can then pass a continuation of three no-trump from my partner, but I will raise three spades to four. If partner bids three hearts, he is looking for a club stopper and I do not have one, so I bid three spades.
Dear Mr. Wolff: Would you ever deal with an irregularity at the table rather than calling the director?
— Rule Breakers, Levittown, Pennsylvania
Answer: Some players waive penalties for revokes and simply tell their opponent to pick up their card, but this is as far as I would go without seeking a proper ruling. If you decide to enforce a revoke, do not attempt to levy the penalty yourself — call the director. Calling the director is not akin to tattling on someone at school or accusing them of wrongdoing. It is merely the correct way to restore equity on a hand. Do whatever you like in a social or casual game.
Dear Mr. Wolff: What would you say is the most important attribute for an able bridge player?
— Psychology, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Answer: You must focus to do well at bridge. If you lose touch with what is going on in the play, you will make many silly mistakes in the endgame, which can cost you dearly. So, while there are many other ingredients to make a successful bridge player, the main one is concentration. When you are playing a hand, there should be nothing but you and that hand in the room.
Dear Mr. Wolff: What is your style here? I had Q-J6-5-2, K-Q-J, K-Q-10,
Q-5and heard my righthand opponent open one club. What would you bid, vulnerable against not?
— Poison Chosen,
Calgary, Alberta
Answer: I could overcall one no-trump to get the hand off my chest in one go, but queen-doubleton is not the most robust of stoppers even when my right-hand opponent has only promised three cards in the suit. If the defenders hit my weak spot, they will probably have plenty of entries to set up and enjoy their tricks. I would opt for one spade because of the absence of quick tricks; I can always double at my next turn if they raise or rebid clubs.
Contact Bobby Wolff at bobbywolff@mindspring. com.