ACES ON BRIDGE

Dear Mr. Wolff: What would you recommend we do after interference over our two-club opening?

— Ill-defined,

Huntington, W.Va.

Dear Reader: I would say responder should double to show nothing and pass to show some values. Bids are natural and show good suits but can definitely be shaded. Opener can double for takeout or bid naturally. There are more sophisticated methods available, but this works well enough by helping establish whether your side is in the game (or slam) zone at an early stage.

Dear Mr. Wolff: When is a redouble for rescue, and when does it show values or a desire to play?

— Toil and Trouble,

Winston-Salem, N.C.

Dear Reader: SOS redoubles apply when your partner has opened or overcalled and one opponent has either made a penalty double of that suit or passed a takeout double for penalty. When using this, you should not have implied a fit for the suit in question. If you had shown some sort of support, the redouble would be to play or to show values and perhaps an interest in penalizing the opponents.

Dear Mr. Wolff: I picked up ♠ K-Q-6, ♥ K-10-9, ♦ K-3, ♣ A-Q-7-5-3 opposite my partner’s one-diamond opening. I responded two clubs, game-forcing, and partner bid two diamonds. I bid two no-trump, and he raised to three no-trump. What now?

— Strong Hand,

Tucson, Ariz.

Dear Reader: I think this is worth another bid. Partner could have a little extra, perhaps with six diamonds, in which case we may easily belong in slam. Raising to four no-trump would be practical, but I think four diamonds is the better bid. I might have raised diamonds a round earlier with three of them, so this just shows a doubleton honor and interest in slam. A straightforward four no-trump might cause us to miss diamonds or lead partner to misevaluate his hand.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Tablets are being used in some faceto-face events. What do you make of that?

— New Age,

Kansas City, Mo.

Dear Reader: I realize that it is slightly safer in terms of public health to play on individual tablets rather than with communal cards, but if the cards are cleaned properly before being dealt, there is not much of an issue. I think that if you are going to travel to a venue to play, you should play in the traditional manner, not with an electronic device. Leave that for the online events.

Dear Mr. Wolff: We have been left waiting for our opponents twice recently. The directors said they would give us average plus for any boards we could not play. Is there any onus on us to play more quickly to avoid this?

— Lightning Fast,

Little Rock, Ark.

Dear Reader: Do not feel under pressure to play artificially fast. That might cause you to make mistakes, and it is not your fault that you started late. However, do not linger so as to gain 60% on any unplayed boards. You are there to play bridge. Usually, you will finish in time anyway, since your opponents will (you hope) be playing at a rapid pace to avoid any artificial scores.