Aces on bridge
DEAR MR. WOLFF: I held five clubs to the ace-king-jack and four hearts to the queen-jack, with two small doubletons, and heard my partner open one diamond. I elected to respond two clubs, and when my partner raised to three clubs, I tried three hearts — and played there! Did I do something wrong? Should I have responded one heart or two clubs initially? — Polar Vortex
ANSWER: You did nothing wrong here. New suits by responder are absolutely forcing, and here three hearts showed hearts (typically four) and a gameforcing hand looking for no-trump, hearts or a reversion to clubs. Incidentally, unless playing two-over-one, passing three clubs on your hand would also have been possible. If unwilling to risk forcing to game here, an initial response of one heart would also be possible, but I prefer your route with such concentrated values.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Recently, I read a deal where a player as a passed hand responded two clubs to one heart with a singleton club and nine points. Do people use this call as a cue-bid after passing? — Gold Rush
ANSWER: The response of two clubs is part of a popular convention called Drury. As a passed hand in response to a majorsuit opening in third or fourth seat, you play one no-trump as natural, a simple raise as 5-9 HCP, and give up the call of two clubs as natural. Instead, it shows a maximum pass with three or four trumps in support.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: Somebody told me that there was a top bridge player who had won a Nobel Prize. Is this true? — Mary Poppins
ANSWER: Until recently, the closest I knew that bridge players had gotten to a Nobel Prize were Jan Martel and the late Henry Bethe, children of Milton Friedman and Hans Bethe respectively. However, Icelander Magnus Olafsson was part of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning U.N. team a decade ago. He now lives in New York and has taken up the game seriously again.
DEAR MR. WOLFF: My partner opened one spade, and I held SPADES K-10-2, HEARTS Q-2, DIAMONDS K-6, CLUBS A-Q-J-7-3-2. Playing two-over-one, I responded two clubs and rebid two spades over his call of two diamonds. Now he jumped to four clubs, and I was unable to guess what he might have for this action. Is there a logical way to deduce what he was showing? — Guessing Game
ANSWER: Your partner cannot have four clubs, or he would raise at once; and he cannot have three clubs, or he would support at the three-level instead of jumping now. So, unlikely as it might seem, perhaps he has a club void, setting spades as trump. I think you have just enough to bid four diamonds as a cuebid, with the idea of letting partner take over from here on in.