Bridge
Dear Mr. Wolff: Would you please tell me the guidelines for scoring Chicago Bridge, especially the rules about carrying over partscores and building on them. – Summing Up, Selma, Ala.
Answer: For Chicago, partscores carry over to the next deals from boards one to three, so you can augment them to make a game. If you don’t, there is no bonus for the partscore at the end of the rubber. A partscore on board four counts an extra 100 points, compensating, perhaps, for the fact there are no deals left on which to convert it into game. No other incomplete partscore counts for anything. Games count 300 or 500 depending on your vulnerability.
Dear Mr. Wolff: My partner opened one diamond, and I responded one spade with ♠ Q-7-3-2, ♥ 9-5-2, ♦ K-Q-7-4, ♣ K-10. What would you do over a rebid of one no-trump? I tried two no-trump because of my diamond fit, but this was not a success. – Princess Pushy, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Answer: With 10 points, never invite game facing a balanced minimum. It is just too easy to turn a plus score into a minus. I think I would pass your hand at just about any form of scoring. It is tempting to retreat to two diamonds, but that might invite the opponents in, and I’m not sure I want that.
Dear Mr. Wolff: An uncontested auction went one club – one heart – two hearts – three hearts. What is the strength requirement for responder’s last bid? – Heart Monitor, Cartersville, Ga.
Answer: Before I answer, I’d point out that some people play this last call not as constructive, but pre-emptive. But let’s assume it is invitational. When do we bid it instead of making other tries? If we needed help in a side suit, we’d bid that suit. So one could play this sequence as needing help in trumps. If not, then a three-heart bid should be 10-11 points with five-plus hearts.
Dear Mr. Wolff: If you hold ♠ 10-8-7-3, ♥ A-2, ♦ Q-4, ♣ K-J-7-5-3, what do you respond when your partner opens one club? Is one club always asking for a major, or in this situation would raising clubs be right? When this came up; I bid two clubs, which worked very well. But afterward, there was a fierce discussion on the merits of this approach. – Barbara Seville, Edmonton, Alberta
Answer: When partner opens one club, it delivers a four-card suit or longer three quarters of the time or more. In responding to it, you should tend to introduce any four-card major. I assume that if I bid one spade here, my partner would bid one no-trump without spade support. Now I can pass, or can raise clubs as seems appropriate. Raising to two clubs initially tends to deny a four-card major; it may work sometimes, but I would not recommend it.