ACES ON BRIDGE

DEAR MR. WOLFF:

What is your style? Would you open a strong no-trump with ♠ 9-3, ♥ A-K-Q-7-3, ♦ A-Q-7, ♣ J-9-7, or is one heart preferable?

— Opening Salvo, Tucson, Ariz.

DEAR READER: One no-trump gets the strength and balanced nature of the hand across in one call, so I would choose that. If I opened one heart, I would have a rebid problem facing the likely one-spade response. It is of little consequence that I hold a small doubleton on the side, though I admit that it is by no means an advantage.

DEAR MR. WOLFF:

I had this hand recently: ♠ 9-8, ♥ A-8-4-3, ♦ 10-9-8-5-3, ♣ A-5. Partner opened one spade, I responded one no-trump and he raised to three no-trump. I passed, but he thought I should have bid four spades. It did not really matter on the hand. What do you think I should have done?

— Choice of Games, Lakeland, Fla.

DEAR READER: If partner had a hand in the balanced 18-19 range, he would have raised to two no-trump. His jump shows a hand with six spades that is too good to rebid three spades. He typically has 6-3-2-2 shape here. With a doubleton in support, a potential ruffing value and two aces, I think it is prudent to convert to spades, if only because a club attack could beat three no-trump.

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I have seen more people opening wacky, off-shape preempts lately. Some are even opening weak twos with 6-5 shape. What do you make of this trend?

— Strike One, Durango, Colo.

DEAR READER: I think modern players are too liberal in terms of the shape requirements for preempts. There are moments when you can act with a weak hand, but if you start bidding two-suited hands as one-suited ones, then unless the primary suit dominates the shorter suit in terms of suit quality, you are too likely to lose a better trump suit or misjudge how far to compete. I would argue in favor of leaving the gambling actions to the juniors!

DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner mutters to himself while he counts his points, to the extent that everyone at the table knows what he has before he bids! What should I do?

— Nervous Nellie, Elmira, N.Y.

DEAR READER: A quiet word with your partner should suffice. I doubt he is trying to convey any illicit information to you. After all, it would not be very effective to tell one partner what you have for the price of two opponents!

DEAR MR. WOLFF: I have seen different notations in bridge literature regarding hand shapes, most commonly hyphens or equals signs. What do they all mean?

— Notary, Charlottesville, Va.

DEAR READER: The most common style, which is also used in this column, is for equals signs to denote hand shapes ordered by suit. For example, 4=3=3=3 would describe four spades and three cards in each other suit. Hyphens signify no particular suit order, so 4-3-3-3 would be four cards in one unspecified suit and three in each of the others.