Can you tell me what my options are with the following hand: ♠ K, ♥ A-3, ♦ A-Q-10-5-4, ♣ K-Q-7-3-2? I opened one diamond, and over my partner's one-spade response, I rebid two clubs. Now he bid two no-trump, suggesting invitational values, and I was not sure if I had to give up on slam altogether and just bid three no-trump, or if I should force with three clubs?

Still Hoping, Salinas, Calif.

Beware! Rebidding your second suit would show this pattern, but would be weak and nonforcing. Three no-trump now is reasonable; four no-trump is natural, quantitative, and optimistic. The advance to three hearts is the only other sensible option. It should suggest real extras, including heart length, though in the days that I played on the Aces team, we used the sequence for a strong 5-5 pattern. Maybe the simple way to have gotten your extras across was to bid three clubs at your previous turn.

Although I now live in the United States, I was born in Asia. Do you think there will ever be a world-championship winning team from that continent?

Here's Hoping, Sunbury, Pa.

For the record, both the Chinese women and Japanese seniors have won world titles, and the Indonesian men and women have both reached the finals of world-championship events. The Chinese men probably offer the best current chance of a title — though I would be somewhat surprised if they make it in the next decade.

When opener reverses, what should responder do? How do you distinguish between good and bad hands with support? Specifically, I held ♠ Q-4, ♥ 10-8-7-4, ♦ Q-10-5, ♣ Q-7-3-2 and responded one heart to my partner's one-club opening. What should I have rebid when he reversed to two diamonds?

Braking Hard, Helena, Mont.

A convention called Blackout is in common use here by tournament players. This says that the cheaper of fourth suit (two spades here) or two no-trump is conventionally consistent with a weak hand; meanwhile, raising partner directly is game-forcing. Rebidding your own suit shows five or more cards and is forcing for one round. So here I'd bid two spades and hope to raise clubs in nonforcing fashion at my next turn.

Should one play a change of suit as forcing when partner overcalls over a weak two- or three-level pre-empt? What happens if you are a passed hand (or have passed over the pre-empt at your first turn to speak)?

Pre-emptive Strike, Kenosha, Wis.

A new suit is forcing here, though not necessarily to game. But as a passed hand, a new suit should be played as nonforcing but constructive. Having said that, since an overcall of a pre-empt guarantees a good hand, many would play a new suit at the three-level as forcing to suit agreement. That certainly makes sense.

Playing pairs, I opened one diamond, my LHO bid four clubs, and my partner doubled, leaving me to decide if I should act again with ♠ 10-4, ♥ A-J-7-3, ♦ K-Q-8-5-4, ♣ Q-3. I passed and hoped that my bits and pieces would be enough to set four clubs. In fact we did beat it a trick, and my partner did have only three hearts, but five diamonds would have made comfortably enough.

Fading in the Stretch, Charlottesville, Va.

You are supposed to take out your partner's takeout doubles if you can. So with shape, and especially when you do not have trump tricks, strain to remove partner's double, in this case to four hearts. If partner doesn't have hearts, he should know what to do.