The Aces on Bridge: Sunday, 26 April 2026
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Dear Mr. Rigal:
With everyone vulnerable, you pick up ♠ A-10-2, ♥ 7-5-4-3, ♦ A-10-4, ♣ K-7-3, and your right-hand opponent passes. Say you pass and your left-hand opponent opens four diamonds, doubled by partner. What would you do now?
Going Plus, Honolulu, Hawaii
I agree with passing a mundane balanced 11-count in first or second position. As for your second decision, four hearts is the most normal call, but partner might not always have four of them, and the suit is likely to be splitting badly anyway, after West’s preempt. There is a good case for passing the double. With your top cards, you will surely beat the diamond contract, probably by more than one, but you might not have a game on.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
I had ♠ 4-2, ♥ Q-7-6-4, ♦ 10-7-4-2, ♣ A-5-3, no one vulnerable, when my partner opened one heart and my right-hand opponent bid one spade. Is this the right type of hand for three hearts?
Jump Raise, Levittown, Pa.
Yes, the jump here is preemptive since you could bid two spades with a good hand for hearts. The questions are: How weak could this be, and is partner expected to bid on with a balanced 18-19? Some play this as wide-ranging, while others prefer a “mixed” raise of 7-9 or so. I think it is sensible to have it wide-ranging when nonvulnerable, since the cost of missing a game is less and the upside of preemption is greater. Vulnerable, I would want to promise enough values that partner would be free to bid again.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
When switching around to three small cards in dummy, which card should I play from Q-x?
Through Strength, Grenada, Miss.
It seems natural to lead the queen in order to unblock the suit, and this could even be the right defense sometimes, but it might work better to lead small lest partner win and return the suit from A-10-x around to declarer’s K-J-9, playing you for the Q-J.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
You hold ♠ 6, ♥ Q-9, ♦ 7-5, ♣ A-K-Q-J-9-7-5-4. At love all, your left-hand opponent opens one diamond. Partner bids two diamonds to show the majors, and the next hand passes. What is your call?
Self-supporting, Memphis, Tenn.
I want my eight-card suit to be trumps. I would bid three clubs, which I play as constructive and nonforcing. I am aware that some pairs use three clubs as an artificial raise of some sort. In that case, you would have to stretch to four clubs instead.
Dear Mr. Rigal:
Why is it common practice to hold your card face down before leading?
Any Questions, Vancouver, Wash.
This is to allow partner to ask about the auction before the dummy is revealed, while also giving nothing away by asking questions in the middle of play. If instead he were to ask before you had chosen your card, that might give some unscrupulous individuals the chance to signal their desired lead to their partner. So, obviously, you cannot change your card after putting it face down unless misinformation (or a failure to alert) comes to light from partner’s questions.
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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