Aces on Bridge

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I recently picked up ♠ K-9-8-7-5-2,

♥ A-9-8-3, ♦ A-10, ♣ 8, vulnerable against not, and saw my left-hand opponent open four clubs, followed by two passes. What would you do over that?

— High Reward, Selma, Ala.

Answer: The upside of bidding is too big to let this go. Still, I would not want to commit to playing in spades with this hand. I would make a takeout double, intending to convert four diamonds to four spades. In addition to finding hearts, this course preserves the possibility of defending. I do realize this isn't an underbid.

Dear Mr. Wolff: If partner preempts to the three-level in a minor, does a raise to four of their suit show anything in particular?

— Consultation Fee, Dover, Del.

Answer: If your right-hand opponent has acted, one can play these bids as encouraging partner to sacrifice over the opponents' game. There is little tactical upside in raising only to the fourlevel when the other side has already exchanged much information. If your righthand opponent passes, you may want to up the ante as a further preempt. In these situations, the preempter should generally not act again (though he may double, asking partner to save unless he has trump tricks).

Dear Mr. Wolff: With silent opponents, you open one spade. Partner responds one no-trump (forcing for one round), and you bid two clubs. Partner has ♠ 10-2,

♥ Q-6-5, ♦ 8-7-2, ♣ K-Q10-7-2. Should he bid two spades, three clubs or pass?

— Millstone, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Answer: Standard methods here do not allow you to distinguish between shapely and high-card club raises. (By contrast, after a one-heart opening bid, responder's two-spade call would show the high-card raise.) Here, I suppose I would bid three clubs. A solution that works well is called “Bart.” See larryco. com/bridge-articles/bart for more information.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Holding ♠ K-6, ♥ K-5-2, ♦ A-K-9-85-3, ♣ 5-4, with both sides vulnerable, you open one diamond in second seat. You hear one spade to your left, and your right-hand opponent advances with two hearts. Would you act again?

— Exposed, Great Falls, Mont.

Answer: I would pass. The two major-suit kings are likely to be worth more on defense than on offense, and my opponents have not announced a fit. We could go plus by passing anyway, while bidding could generate a penalty. Even if my partner has an appropriate hand, he might expect more high cards from me.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Is it acceptable to try to up the tempo of your partner or opponents when they are playing slowly?

— Anti-social, Portland, Ore.

Answer: Generally speaking, you should stay quiet during the hand. Speaking up will only break their concentration and cause more time to elapse. By all means, though, do say something civil such as “We need to speed up” when the hand is finished, or after you have laid down dummy. Slow play can be a problem, but it must be tackled politely.

Contact Bobby Wolff at bobbywolff@mindspring. com.