Aces on Bridge

Dear Mr. Wolff: Do you use any methods of hand evaluation besides the Milton Work point-count?

— Bean Counter, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Answer: There is no substitute for judgment. Use point-count for weighing up balanced hands, but when shape and fit are involved, go with your gut. I’m not a huge fan of Losing Trick Count either. The most valuable advice I can give is to keep re-evaluating your hand in the context of the auction. For example, look fondly on soft honors in suits that partner bids, and controls in the other suits, not the other way around.

Dear Mr. Wolff: I held this hand: ♠ K-10-4, ♥ 8-3, ♦ A-Q-J-10-5-3, ♣ 10-7, as dealer at love all. I had a weak two-diamond opening available. Should I have used it?

— Middle Ground, Houston, Texas

Answer: Your hand is too strong for that. Weak twos typically show around 5 to 9 points. Here, you have 10 with a great suit and a high card outside. It’s one diamond for me. Change the spade king to a queen and a jack in the short suits, and it becomes a better weak two. The extra defensive trick matters.

Dear Mr. Wolff: How many points should redouble typically show after your right-hand opponent doubles your partner’s one-of-a-suit opening? Should it set up a force? — Fetch the Axe,

Santa Ana

Answer: I play redouble as showing 9 or more points, enough to think our side has the balance of power. Subsequent doubles of unraised suits are for penalty, and we cannot let them play undoubled below two of partner’s suit. This makes it easier to catch them speeding without having to worry about partner’s passing the hand out in part-score.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Would you bid your own suit in response to a two-club opening with ace-king-fifth and nothing else?

— Positive Pam, Honolulu, Hawaii

Answer: I do not think positive responses should be restricted to a minimum number of points or a certain level of suit quality. It seems natural to me to show “where you live,” especially with two-level responses in the major, rather than slavishly responding two diamonds on every hand. Sometimes, when you know you are always going to investigate or drive to slam, you can start low, though.

Dear Mr. Wolff: I am part of a group of four senior citizens who get together to play bridge many afternoons. Because of the COVID-19 virus, we collectively think it is the right idea not to do this face-to-face. We all have computers and are computer savvy. Is there software that would enable us to play a bridge game together online? We are not looking for a teaching software, but software that just facilitates an online game. We are not expecting that software to be free and would be willing to pay for this capability. Any thoughts?

— Harley Davidson, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Answer: At Bridge Base Online (www.bridgebase.com), you can play online for free. There are all sorts of hidden treasures on the site, and you can also support your local club with designated charity games.