The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, 22 March 2026
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Dear Mr. Rigal:
What should I do if I realize I have misbid immediately after making the call?
Mechanical Error, Edmonton, Alberta
If the next player has not already acted, alert the table to the situation and call the director (assuming it was a misbid, and you have not just changed your mind — in which case there is no redress). If the next player has made a bid or doubled (as opposed to passing), you should probably keep quiet. The director cannot reverse the auction without changing the implications of the bidding.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
If you are following suit in second chair and decide to split your honors, which card should you play from J-10?
Standard Procedure, Ketchikan, Alaska
The usual practice is to play the lowest of equals when following suit, but some pairs split with the highest from a three-card sequence. In this scenario, a sequence must contain at least the 10. With lower cards, you would normally just give count, if signaling.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
I held ♠ A-6-5, ♥ A-Q-J-9-3, ♦ J-10-3, ♣ J-4 and saw partner open one club. My right-hand opponent overcalled one spade, and I bid two hearts. My left-hand opponent raised to two spades, and partner bid three spades. What does this mean, and what should I have bid?
Good Raise, Huntington, W.Va.
Partner could have doubled for takeout if he had a good all-around hand and could follow up with a call of three clubs, or with a cue bid if he wanted to know whether you had a spade stopper, for example. (Support doubles do not apply when responder has bid at the two-level.) If you agree, then three spades should show a good hand with heart support. You have more than you need for a two-heart call, so I would cue-bid four spades, promising a good hand since you are going past game with no minor-suit control.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
How should third hand signal at trick one after a low card is led against no-trump and declarer calls for an honor from K-x or Q-x in dummy?
Blanket Rule, Corpus Christi, Texas
Paste the answer here
Dear Mr. Rigal:
If my left-hand opponent opens two spades, partner bids three hearts and my right-hand opponent bids three spades, is there a way I can show a good hand with heart support?
Slam Try, Portland, Ore.
In standard methods, no. You can only bid four spades, taking you past the safety level of game. However, some experts like to play four clubs as agreeing hearts here. They invert the meanings such that four spades shows clubs. Handle with extreme caution!
Barry Rigal
Barry Rigal is an English-born bridge player, author, commentator, and journalist who has won major national titles in both the UK and the United States and served as a VuGraph commentator for decades at European and World championships. He has written and edited numerous bridge books and articles and has been President of the International Bridge Press Association, contributing widely to the game’s literature and education.
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