Bridge

Dear Mr. Wolff: What is a safety play? Does it differ from a gambit — or is “gambit” just a chess expression? — Sorry Florry, Corpus Christi, Texas

Answer: A gambit involves a sacrifice of a trick to get more than one trick back in return. For example, you might ensure an entry to dummy by giving up a trick or by winning a trick unnecessarily high. A safety play may involve an unnecessary surrender of a trick in a suit but is usually an attempt to insure the contract even if that suit breaks badly. It is therefore more useful in rubber bridge than in duplicate.

Dear Mr. Wolff: Recently, while I was playing at my local club, my partner opened one diamond. I held •A-10-8, •J-9-5, •10-7-6-3, •Q-4-3. I responded two diamonds, but my partner says I should have said one no-trump. Who is right? — Raising in the Sun, Phoenix

Answer: Some people play inverted minors so that a raise of partner’s minor opening promises invitational values or better. Obviously you do not. That said, I agree with your partner that with a balanced hand and honors in at least two of the side suits (and poor trumps to boot), the no-trump call looks right to me.

Dear Mr. Wolff: How should I have shown my balanced 21-count when my RHO opened one club? I had a completely balanced hand with only three clubs to the jack. — Strong Poison, Greenville, S.C.

Answer: Traditionally doubling then rebidding no-trump shows 18-20 points, so doubling and jumping in no-trump shows 21-22 points. You should not be too worried about your relatively weak clubs. If partner has shape, he will surely be able to describe his hand over the two-no-trump call.

Dear Mr. Wolff: My partner – a member of the old school – tells me that when you are holding a strong hand and length in the suit opened on your right, the correct way to show the hand is to double first, then bid the opponents’ suit to show length there. Is that really so? — Suspicious Mind, Memphis, Tenn.

Answer: Bridge has changed in many ways over the past 40 years — not always for the better. But in this respect things have improved. The auction of doubling then cue-bidding is artificial and is used to show a strong hand, generally with support for partner’s suit. It is forcing and asks responder to clarify his range and shape.

Dear Mr. Wolff: What is the best ace-asking convention to use after the bidding has reached three no-trump and two suits have been mentioned – for example, one heart, two diamonds, three no-trump, showing 18-19? If responder has a flat hand and 14-15 points, should he just take a chance and bid six no-trump? — Superfluity, Huntington, W. Va.

Answer: If there is really a need to ask for aces over three no-trump, some people play a jump to five clubs (assuming clubs to be an unbid suit) as ace-asking: so-called Super Gerber. But absent that agreement, I’d just bid the slam directly.