Zhen the opponents make your life difficult by Bobby Wolff

A: 5♦: Your approach here may depend on the form of scoring and the vulnerability. I tend rarely to save at rubber bridge. At pairs or teams I think you should pass if vulnerable: A sacrifice rates to cost at least 500 (even if facing a decent hand such as six good diamonds and four clubs to the queen). Nonvulnerable, I bid five diamonds first and count the cost later; let the opponents make the last mistake.


Your result so far:

A: 4♥: Although you cannot be sure that your spade king is pulling its full weight, you certainly have enough to look for game here. The issue is whether to bid four hearts or simply raise to three hearts. (It surely cannot be right to consider no-trump here.) I believe your heart spots entitle you to bid game.

Your result so far:

A: Double: This boils down to a simple question: Should you make a negative double with average values for the call, but little support for partner's suit and decent defense of the opponents' suit? The simple answer is that if your side has a heart fit, you might make game, so that it feels right to bid. Switch the red suits and I would pass, feeling that if I'm facing a balanced hand, our best plus-score will come on defense.


Your result so far:

A: 3♥: Your hand may look as if it will play well at no-trump because it is so square, but the holes in all three of the side suits (and the soft cards) simply make it look like a hand without much future. With such square shape, I'd simply raise to three hearts and not make a cue-bid raise of hearts. Whether partner has one, two, or three small diamonds, this hand won't be pulling its weight.


Your result so far:

A: 2♠: Your partner's redouble sounds like an SOS redouble -- "Help, get me out of here." His likely holding is four spades and five or six hearts, and since you know spades is now the best strain, simply bid two spades rather than confuse the issue with further escape maneuvers. The rule here is that if you want to play a doubled contract, you don't need to redouble to get a good score.

Your result so far: