Aces on Bridge

Dear Mr. Wolff: Say you pick up ♠ A-10-7-6, ♥ 9,

♦ 10-9-8-4-3, ♣ 9-3-2 and hear partner open one club. You respond one spade, over which partner rebids one no-trump. What now?

— Best Partial, Charleston, South Carolina

Answer: I agree with responding one spade.

I'd rarely pass partner's opening with an ace. Now, I must decide whether to pass or escape into two diamonds. The trouble is that the opponents are likely to get together in hearts over that. However, two diamonds might have a chance, so I would either bid two diamonds to play or two clubs as a puppet to two diamonds, depending on system. If playing New Minor Forcing, where two diamonds is artificial and two clubs natural, I'd have to pass.

Dear Mr. Wolff: What is the best way to handle the suit combination of 10-98-5-2 facing K-7-4?

— Percentage Play, Macon, Georgia

Answer: Take a combination finesse by running the 10 and then running the nine. This will pick the suit up for three tricks when your right-hand opponent has at least one of the queen or jack (unless it is ace-jack-fourth or ace-queen-fourth), or ace-doubleton. The alternative of leading to the king on the first round loses to ace-doubleton, ace-queen-low, ace-jack-low, a small singleton or a singleton ace offside. You could also run the 10andlater lead up to the king, but the Principle of Restricted Choice asserts that your left-hand opponent is less likely to hold both the queen and jack than the ace at this point; otherwise, he could have won the first round with the other honor just as well.

Dear Mr. Wolff: How much should I have to open a suit and then jump to three of my suit facing a silent partner in competition?

— Rock Crusher, Woodland Hills

Answer: You should have a better hand than you would for a jump-rebid if partner had responded, since you would just bid two with that now. Something like king-queen-jack-sixth and three tricks outside would suffice — a hand where you need little from partner to make game.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Would you bid with ♠ A-J-9-7-3, ♥ A-7-3, ♦ K, ♣ Q-6-3-2 facing partner's second-inhand unfavorable threediamond preempt?

— Solid Style, Selma, Alabama

Answer: I expect partner to have seven good diamonds at this position and vulnerability — at least ace-jack-10-seven. Facing that sort of hand, I could take a swing at three no-trump, but the trouble is that I would surely need to overtake my diamond king. If the suit does not run, I am in trouble, going down 100 at a time. I doubt I should look for a spade fit, as it would prove difficult to keep trump control and run the diamonds at the same time. So I suppose I would pass.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Is it impolite to start bidding before an opponent has taken their cards out of the board?

— Etiquette, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Answer: I would wait until everyone is ready; otherwise, it could be construed as rushing your opponents. The niceties should always be observed in order to keep the game sociable.