At pairs with nobody vulnerable your LHO opens three diamonds, partner doubles, and RHO bids six diamonds. You hold ♠ K-10-8-5-4, ♥ Q-8-7-6-2, ♦ —, ♣ A-10-4. Would you bid, pass, or double, and what should be your partnership agreements about forcing passes?

—  Stymied, Texarkana, Texas

ANSWER: It is fair to assume that if the opponents are not vulnerable, their jumps to game or slam here set up a forcing pass. That said, what is right now? I’ve no idea! You could persuade me to pass or to bid. (If I did act, I think my spade 10 suggests bidding that suit. We might be able to avoid a loser against a bad break in spades, but not in hearts.)

Dear Mr. Wolff:

When playing pairs, my partners and I have significant disagreements about how to bid in third seat with moderate values and a decent four-card major. Say I have four clubs and four hearts (or spades), each suit headed by one top honor. Should I open the major or the minor? And why?

—  Chain Reaction, Fayetteville, N.C.

ANSWER: It is impossible to generalize, but I would open the minor on almost any hand where I planned not to pass any response by my partner in a new suit. Having said that, with a really bad minor or good major, I might open the major. If I’m making a tactical opening bid with 9-12 high-card points, I’d open the suit I wanted led.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

I was in three no-trump on a low heart lead to my RHO’s king. Dummy had 8-5 while I had A-J-6 in hand. To make game, I had to bring in the diamonds for only one loser. (Dummy had K-J-10-7-2, while I had nine-fourth.) Should I lead to the king, hoping to find the queen on my right doubleton or singleton? Or should I play to the jack, hoping to drive out the ace and find hearts were split 4-4? Does the size of the spot-card and thus the likelihood of my LHO having five-plus hearts make a difference? What if the game were IMPs?

—  Riddler, Worcester, Mass.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

Is there a specific way show a void suit during the auction? I’m worried that a splinter bid in clubs might be misunderstood, particularly if it may be confused with the Gerber convention.

—  Plenty of Nothing, Honolulu, Hawaii

ANSWER: First, I’d encourage you NOT to use Gerber except after no-trump openings or rebids.Blackwood does the job just as well. Meanwhile, do not abandon splinters or cue-bids.

A simple rule about splinter bids is that in any sequence, if a bid in a new suit would be natural and game-forcing, a higher bid in that suit is not natural but shortage. Just remember that principle and see where it gets you.

Dear Mr. Wolff:

Holding ♠ K-9-8-2, ♥ K-10-4-2, ♦ 10-3, ♣ 4-3-2, I responded two diamonds to my partner’s two-club opening. He rebid three clubs, and I was not sure what to do next. How do you feel about temporizing with three diamonds, hoping partner will bid a major, or raising clubs, as opposed to committing the hand to three no-trump right away?

—  Stuck, Trenton, N.J.

ANSWER: I do not like the three-no-trump bid. After all, the diamond suit could be wide open. I’d prefer a four-card major to have more internal solidity than either of your suits here. So the choice is between the temporizing three-diamond call (consistent with a second negative) and the raise of clubs. I like the slam potential of this hand, and since clubs rates to be your best slam, a four-club call is best.