The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, 24 May 2026
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Dear Mr. Rigal:
What would you do with ♠ 10-9-7-6, ♥ K-Q-J, ♦ A-9-7-6-5, ♣ 5 after partner has opened one club, you have responded one spade and he has raised to two spades?
Power of Fil, Doylestown, Pa.
I would take a shot at game if I knew partner had four spades. However, in my style, partner can often have three-card support for this raise. So, I would ask with two no-trump, to find out if partner holds a minimum or maximum and how many spades he has. I agree with the original one-spade response. It is correct to bypass a longer diamond suit for a shorter major unless you have enough to issue at least a strong invitation to game.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
Why do so many people shuffle their cards at the end of play?
Shaken Up, Newark, N.J.
If you put the cards back without shuffling, they remain in trick order, so a wily player who is about to play the board at another table might be able to infer something about the events at your table. This is unlikely, but it is considered good practice to shuffle regardless. Even if you are about to redeal, shuffling is desirable.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
I saw in a previous article that you recommend playing Texas transfers in competition. Can you suggest what methods are best when you open one no-trump and the opponents intervene with two no-trump, three clubs or three diamonds?
System On, Greenville, S.C.
I like to play transfers when my opponents have bid three clubs. Three diamonds and three hearts show hearts and spades respectively, invitational or better, while three spades denotes a game-forcing hand with diamonds. Over intervention of three diamonds, I keep three hearts as a transfer to spades, so three spades has to show hearts (game forcing). A two-no-trump overcall is entirely different. I just use Stayman and ordinary transfers there.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
Should I consider bidding with ♠ 10-9, ♥ 9-4-3, ♦ A-K-9, ♣ A-Q-J-8-6, vulnerable against not, after my left-hand opponent opens three hearts and my right-hand opponent raises to four?
Intrepid Explorer, Twin Falls, Idaho
I would think about bidding five clubs since it looks like partner is short in hearts, but I doubt I’d have the guts to do it. After all, my right-hand opponent ccould be raising on a good hand with a doubleton heart, and my left-hand opponent might easily have six hearts at this vulnerability. In that case, five clubs could incur a sizable penalty. I admire the gall of anyone who would bid here.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
Would you ever underlead an ace against a suit contract? If so, when?
Taboo, Waterbury, Conn.
I don’t make a habit of it — even if you find the winning lead, partner will seldom expect it, and the defense may go awry. However, if I know dummy is going to be strong, I might try an ace underlead — when I can infer that declarer is unlikely to have the king. On occasion, it can be effective to underlead against slams too, most commonly if you know declarer does not have a control in the suit. This might force a king-jack guess at trick one.
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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