June 3rd, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 3 Comments
As a club director, I am occasionally faced with the problem of how to make rulings that involve pairs who may never return to the club if I rule against them! Is it acceptable to give average to one or both sides in such cases? What about late-play penalties?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Panama City, Fla.
You have to make a living, I admit, but you must weigh that need against the integrity of the event and the objective of being fair to everyone. If that means administering the occasional average minus, so be it. There is no room for negotiation in the laws on revokes, penalty cards or insufficient bids. Where you can be tactful is with unauthorized information, where you can discuss the players’ obligations after the event.
I’ve been told that when my partner opens one club and North overcalls one diamond, the bid of a major shows four; but when partner bids one club and the next hand overcalls one heart, bidding one spade shows five or more. What is the thinking behind these bidding rules?
Champion the Wonder Horse, Salinas, Calif.
The logic is based on the number of unbid majors. In the first instance, you can bid either hearts or spades with one suit but not the other, and double with either. If bidding a major showed five, you would have no way to introduce a four-card major. When one major has been bid, the double takes care of some hands with the unbid major; bidding the suit takes care of the rest. Thus, over one heart, since you double with four spades, one spade shows five.
I held ♠ Q-7-2, ♥ A-K-3, ♦ Q-8-7-5-4, ♣ 10-3, and my partner opened three spades. The next hand passed without a flicker, and I had to decide whether to raise at once or pass and reconsider if they bid four hearts. We were non-vulnerable, and my partner is relatively disciplined, by the way.
Tightly Wound, Montreal
You might easily go down three in four spades or find that game had decent play. So it is a toss-up, but since you want the opponents to have the last guess, not you, I would raise to game and give them the hardest decision I can.
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I’ve been out of bridge for a while and need clarification on the niceties of what to do when making a jump-bid. I thought it was right to say something or use a card when jumping. And I thought it was right to pause after a skip bid whether or not you intend to bid. I’ve been told the rules have changed; is that right?
Sitting Duck, Dayton, Ohio
You are still right in some regards, even though the rules have changed for reasons that remain unclear to me. The original idea was to draw your LHO’s attention to the jump to prevent him acting prematurely, and to force him to pause whether he had an easy action or not. Now, even though the ‘stop’ card has been dispensed with, the next player should still pause for 10 seconds whether you intend to bid or not.
I held this hand: ♠ K-5, ♥ 7-2, ♦ K-Q-10-8-7-4-2, ♣ 9-7. My partner opened one spade, and I felt I did not have enough to force to game or to invite game with three diamonds. So I responded one no-trump, and since my partner had a small doubleton diamond and no spade ace, we ended up going down. But three diamonds would have been easy. What went wrong?
Fox and Grapes, Seneca, S.C.
If your partnership style is to use three-level jumps as invitational, you must bid one here. It may not be perfect, but it is hardly an overbid at all. If that tool is not in your kit, you may have to bid one no-trump and play there. Not such a great recommendation for the methods!
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June 2nd, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 2 Comments
In our tenure on this planet, we’ve accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage — propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders, hostility to outsiders — all of which puts our survival in some doubt.
Carl Sagan
S |
North |
N-S |
♠ Q 7 3 2
♥ A K 7 6
♦ A Q 4
♣ 4 2 |
West |
East |
♠ K 9
♥ 10 4
♦ 9 7 6 3
♣ A 9 7 5 3 |
♠ 6 5
♥ Q J 9 8 5
♦ K J 8
♣ 10 8 6 |
South |
♠ A J 10 8 4
♥ 3 2
♦ 10 5 2
♣ K Q J |
South |
West |
North |
East |
1 ♠ |
Pass |
2 NT* |
Pass |
4 ♠ |
All pass |
|
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*Forcing spade raise
♦7
The sensible way to play in this auction (if not using three clubs as the Wolff signoff) is to make all calls forcing, except a pass. So you can bid three hearts to show five hearts and a forcing hand. If your partner had opened one club, you might have simply raised to three no-trump, but that small doubleton spade is a danger signal.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ 6 5
♥ Q J 9 8 5
♦ K J 8
♣ 10 8 6 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♦ |
Pass |
1 ♥ |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
? |
|
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June 1st, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 4 Comments
Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.
Friedrich Schiller
S |
North |
E-W |
♠ K Q 6 4 2
♥ K 7 2
♦ Q 10 8 6
♣ 8 |
West |
East |
♠ 10 8 5
♥ Q 9 5
♦ 7 3
♣ K 7 6 5 4 |
♠ A J 9 7 3
♥ 6
♦ 9 5 4
♣ A J 10 2 |
South |
♠ —
♥ A J 10 8 4 3
♦ A K J 2
♣ Q 9 3 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
1 ♥ |
Pass |
3 ♣* |
Pass |
6 ♥ |
All pass |
|
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*Limit raise with three trumps
♠5
East’s double of one club should not significantly influence your choice here. With a six-loser hand, you certainly have enough to try for game. The question is whether you should jump to four spades or make a game try of three diamonds. I could go either way on this hand.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ K Q 6 4 2
♥ K 7 2
♦ Q 10 8 6
♣ 8 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
Pass |
1 ♣ |
Dbl. |
1 ♠ |
Pass |
2 ♠ |
Pass |
? |
|
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May 31st, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 16 Comments
If economists could manage to get themselves thought of as humble, competent people on a level with dentists, that would be splendid.
John Maynard Keynes
S |
North |
N-S |
♠ K
♥ K 10 5 2
♦ A K Q 7 2
♣ A J 4 |
West |
East |
♠ Q J 10 6 2
♥ A J 4
♦ J 8
♣ K 8 7 |
♠ 9 8 7 4
♥ 3
♦ 10 6 5 4
♣ 10 9 3 2 |
South |
♠ A 5 3
♥ Q 9 8 7 6
♦ 9 3
♣ Q 6 5 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
Pass |
1 ♠ |
Dbl. |
4 ♠ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
4 NT |
Pass |
5 ♥ |
Pass |
6 ♥ |
All pass |
♠Q
It is tempting to pass for penalties, but the trump spots really do not feel good enough to me. Give me the heart 10 instead of a low heart, and I might consider that action. I’d prefer to bid one no-trump and try to win the event on the next deal.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ A 5 3
♥ Q 9 8 7 6
♦ 9 3
♣ Q 6 5 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
Pass |
1 ♥ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
? |
|
|
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May 30th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 10 Comments
No lesson seems to be so deeply inculcated by the experience of life as that you should never trust experts. If you believe doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe the theologians, nothing is innocent; if you believe the soldiers, nothing is safe.
Third Marquess of Salisbury
S |
North |
N-S |
♠ Q 9 8 5 2
♥ K 9
♦ J 5 4
♣ Q J 6 |
West |
East |
♠ J 7 6
♥ 10 8 7 4
♦ 10 3
♣ 10 8 4 3 |
♠ K 4 3
♥ Q J 6
♦ Q 9 8 7 6
♣ 9 2 |
South |
♠ A 10
♥ A 5 3 2
♦ A K 2
♣ A K 7 5 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
2 ♣ |
Pass |
2 ♦ |
Pass |
2 NT |
Pass |
3 ♥ |
Pass |
3 ♠ |
Pass |
5 NT |
Pass |
6 NT |
All pass |
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♥8
This hand is worth a jump to three spades, which should be played as invitational, not forcing. Note: Many people play two no-trump as artificial here, an extension of Lebensohl. If you do that, the jump to three spades shows five, while going through two no-trump to three spades shows four.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ Q 9 8 5 2
♥ K 9
♦ J 5 4
♣ Q J 6 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
2 ♥ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
? |
|
|
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May 29th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 3 Comments
Stealing, of course, is a crime. … But if you were very, very hungry, and you had no way of obtaining money, it would be excusable to grab (a) painting, take it to your house, and eat it.
Lemony Snicket
S |
North |
Both |
♠ J 5 3
♥ 9 8 3
♦ K Q 10 9 3
♣ Q 8 |
West |
East |
♠ K Q 4
♥ Q 10 4 2
♦ A 2
♣ K 10 7 4 |
♠ 10 9 8 7
♥ J 7 6
♦ 7 6 5
♣ 6 5 2 |
South |
♠ A 6 2
♥ A K 5
♦ J 8 4
♣ A J 9 3 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
1 NT |
Pass |
3 NT |
All pass |
♥4
Your partner has made a game try, and your hand is neither a clear acceptance nor rejection. A lot depends on whether your partner is short in hearts or in diamonds. Bid three diamonds to show this sort of diamond holding, and let your partner decide whether he wants to play game — and if so, which one.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ J 5 3
♥ 9 8 3
♦ K Q 10 9 3
♣ Q 8 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♠ |
2 ♥ |
2 ♠ |
Pass |
3 ♣ |
Pass |
? |
|
|
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May 28th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 6 Comments
You need to try to do the impossible, to anticipate the unexpected. And when the unexpected happens, you should double the efforts to make order from the disorder it creates in your life.
A.S. Grove
N |
North |
Both |
♠ A 10 9 6 4 2
♥ —
♦ 10 9 7
♣ A 10 7 6 |
West |
East |
♠ 3
♥ K Q 7 6 4
♦ K Q 8 5 4 3
♣ Q |
♠ K Q J 8 7 5
♥ A J 8 2
♦ J 6
♣ J |
South |
♠ —
♥ 10 9 5 3
♦ A 2
♣ K 9 8 5 4 3 2 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
Pass |
1 ♠ |
3 ♣ |
3 ♥ |
5 ♣ |
5 ♥ |
Pass |
Pass |
6 ♣ |
Dbl. |
All pass |
|
|
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♠3
The simple choice is between the red suits. With what looks like a natural trump trick, you don’t seem to need ruffs. My instinct is to lead the sequence and try to develop tricks in diamonds, since leading hearts may set up a slow winner for the opponents.
LEAD WITH THE ACES
♠ Q J 8
♥ 5
♦ J 10 9 6 2
♣ J 9 5 3 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
Pass |
1 ♥ |
Dbl. |
Pass |
1 NT |
Pass |
4 ♠ |
All pass |
|
|
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May 27th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 2 Comments
What should be the range associated with a jump overcall of a pre-emptive opener, or a jump in the balancing seat? And what about the situation when you are in sandwich seat, and the opponents open and respond, either in a new suit or with a raise of opener’s suit?
Leapy Lee, Augusta, Maine
Play strong jumps over pre-empts, while if the opponents pass an opening round to you, a jump should be something like an opening bid plus a good six-card suit. If the opponents bid and raise a suit, a jump by you at the three-level can by agreement be played as strong, not weak. However, if the opponents respond in a new suit, I’d advocate still playing weak jump overcalls. Next month, I’ll expound on the subject of Leaping and Non-Leaping Michaels.
Please clarify the meaning of bidding a suit an opponent has bid. I take it to mean a cue-bid, showing strength and asking partner to bid. When should one make this bid rather than doubling? I would only consider it following an opening bid; should it ever be considered over a response or an overcall?
Burton Ernie, Dallas, Texas
Let’s assume that, as an overcaller over an opening, you play Michaels or whatever two-suiter you agree. As third hand, your cue-bid of RHO’s suit shows fit and high cards, whereas a jump shows shape, not HCP. As fourth hand, the cue-bid shows a raise of overcaller’s suit. Once opener and responder haven’t set a trump suit, a cue-bid by either player below three no-trump tends to be a probe for three no-trump until proven to be a slam try with implicit or explicit fit.
Just about everybody I play bridge with has a different opinion on how to respond to a possibly short opening bid of one club. Some partners invent a one-diamond response with a weak hand. How do you feel about that?
Cave Canem, Grenada, Miss.
Even if you regularly open one club with a doubleton, I don’t see any reason to alter the structure of natural responses and to bid with fewer than, say, 4 HCP. As before, major-suit bids show four or more cards, while one no-trump is 6-10. It is only if you chose to play the one no-trump call as showing 8-10, rather than 6-10, that you might opt to invent a one-diamond response from time to time.
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I picked up ♠ Q-8-4-2, ♥ K-9-2, ♦ 10-7-4, ♣ Q-8-3, and heard my partner open one club. I bid one spade, and my partner then bid three spades. Was I wrong to pass, as opposed to raising to four spades? My partner had a singleton diamond, so game was good — but if he had had three diamonds and one heart, game would have been hopeless.
Just-So Stories, Durango, Colo.
This hand is on the cusp. Two of your three honors are surely working, but it is a 50-50 shot as to whether the heart king will play a part in the hand. I guess I would pass because of the lack of spade intermediates. Had partner opened one diamond instead of one club, I would pass three spades more happily.
We had a dispute in my regular partnership. I held ♠ Q-10, ♥ 10-8-4-2, ♦ K-5-3, ♣ J-9-8-3 and heard my LHO open one diamond; my RHO responded one spade. When my LHO rebid no-trump, this came back to my partner, who doubled. What should this show?
A La Mode, Honolulu, Hawaii
Your partner’s double can sensibly be played in two ways. The first is my choice: It is a penalty double of spades with at least an opening bid. The second is to play the double as limited and take-out, but your spade shortness argues against that. I suppose you could even play it as either one or the other, requiring you to work out from your spade length which it is. Here, I would pass and lead the spade queen.
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May 26th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 11 Comments
They constantly try to escape From the darkness outside and within By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.
T.S. Eliot
N |
North |
N-S |
♠ 9 5
♥ 10 2
♦ K Q 6
♣ A K 10 9 4 2 |
West |
East |
♠ K Q 3
♥ Q
♦ A J 9 8 7
♣ 7 6 5 3 |
♠ J 2
♥ K J 9 6 5 3
♦ 10 5 4
♣ Q 8 |
South |
♠ A 10 8 7 6 4
♥ A 8 7 4
♦ 3 2
♣ J |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♣ |
2 ♥ |
2 ♠ |
Pass |
3 ♣ |
Pass |
3 ♠ |
Pass |
4 ♠ |
All pass |
♥Q
In a game-forcing auction, every partnership must agree whether a jump to four spades here is minimum or indicates fitting cards in spades and diamonds; both treatments are playable, of course. In either event, a jump to four hearts by you should be shortage. If it shows extras, the hand might not be worth the call, but my instincts are that you should make it even with a minimum hand here.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ K Q 3
♥ Q
♦ A J 9 8 7
♣ 7 6 5 3 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♠ |
Pass |
2 ♦ |
Pass |
2 ♠ |
Pass |
? |
|
|
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May 25th, 2018 ~ Bobby Wolff ~ 12 Comments
Does the end justify the means? That is possible. But what will justify the end? To that question, which historical thought leaves pending, rebellion replies: the means.
Albert Camus
N |
North |
Both |
♠ A K Q 9 8 7 4
♥ 5
♦ 5
♣ A J 9 2 |
West |
East |
♠ J 10 5 3 2
♥ 8 3 2
♦ 9 6 4
♣ K 4 |
♠ 6
♥ Q J 9 7 6
♦ A 10
♣ Q 8 7 6 3 |
South |
♠ —
♥ A K 10 4
♦ K Q J 8 7 3 2
♣ 10 5 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♠ |
Pass |
2 ♦ |
Pass |
3 ♠ |
Pass |
4 ♥ |
Pass |
5 ♣ |
Pass |
6 ♦ |
All pass |
|
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♣K
While your hand might not be worth a call of two hearts, you expect the opponents to bounce to at least the three-level in spades, and you therefore need to get your hand off your chest at your first turn. Bid hearts, then raise clubs, which will at least get the basic nature of your hand across to your partner at the cost of a mild overbid.
BID WITH THE ACES
♠ 6
♥ Q J 9 7 6
♦ A 10
♣ Q 8 7 6 3 |
South |
West |
North |
East |
|
|
1 ♣ |
1 ♠ |
? |
|
|
|
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On this deal from the Cavendish pairs, it was demonstrated that the downsides of opening light are not limited to getting too high once in a while. Where I was watching, Amos Kaminski passed the South hand, and a transfer auction to four spades saw Piotr Gawrys (North) have no problems on a club lead.
By contrast, both Geir Helgemo and Fred Stewart opened the South hand, the former fueled by youthful exuberance, and the latter by a strong club system. After a game-forcing trump raise, both played four spades on a diamond lead to the jack.
It looks normal to go after clubs now as East, doesn’t it? Think again — there is no hurry to lead clubs. Partner’s tricks in that suit won’t go away, so now is the time to look for something better.
Both Alain Levy and Roy Welland, at their respective tables, found the devastating trump shift. Declarer took his ace (if he finesses, he is sunk on a second diamond play), but in doing so, lost his only fast entry back to hand.
Each South now tried the club king from hand, but both Wests continued the good work on defense. They ducked the first club, won the second and played a second diamond. Declarer rose with the ace and now only needed to return to hand in order to discard the diamond loser on the clubs.
So they played the heart ace and king, and ruffed a heart high as their hand entry. No such luck! The defense could over-ruff and cash the diamond king for down one.