Dear Mr. Rigal: If your left-hand opponent opens a suit, you double in the balancing seat and opener rebids his suit, how would you interpret double from partner?

Answer: For me, this is a penalty double. Some like to play a responsive double, but having failed to overcall the first time, I am more likely to have a penalty double than a takeout. With a takeout hand, I would bid a suit.

Dear Mr. Rigal: A friend of mine was dealt SPADES 10-6-5, HEARTS A-K-8-3, DIAMONDS A-Q-7-5-4, CLUBS 7 and opened one diamond. He raised his partner’s one-spade response to two and heard his partner jump to four hearts. He signed off in four spades, and they missed a good slam. It turned out that his partner held SPADES A-Q-J-9-4, HEARTS 7, DIAMONDS J-10-2, CLUBS A-K-4-3. Please assess the blame.

Answer: Opener’s feeble spades argue for going low. However, responder should have at least five spades for his splinter bid of four hearts. Thus, the short trumps are not disqualifying a positive action, given opener’s great controls. The heart king may not be pulling its full weight but might provide a discard. The strong diamonds and singleton club are powerful assets. Opener should have shown signs of life, perhaps via a five-club cue bid.

Dear Mr. Rigal: What would you do with SPADES A-J-6-2, HEARTS 5-4, DIAMONDS K-8-3, CLUBS Q-4-3-2, vulnerable against not, after your partner bids one spade over your left-hand opponent’s one diamond, and the next hand jumps to three hearts, natural and preemptive?

Answer: I would bid three spades. I have a little more than I need for this action, but there is no invitational call available, and I can hardly jump to game with such a poor heart holding facing a mere overcall. Some pairs play double as a game-try agreeing spades to overcome this problem.

Dear Mr. Rigal: How strong do I have to be to make a positive response to a two-club opening?

Answer: Some pairs are so strict on the requirements for a positive that it never comes up! While I think that most hands should make a waiting response of two diamonds to allow the strong hand to show his shape, I would show a positive with 8 or more points and a reasonable five-card major, say king-queen-fifth as a minimum, or a strong six-card minor of king-queen-10-sixth or better. The minor-suit positive should be better defined than the cheaper major-suit positive. I will bid two no-trump with a balanced 8-10 if I don’t mind being declarer.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Which do you think is better, four-card or five-card Stayman after a two-no-trump opening?

Answer: I prefer normal four-card Stayman. It is simpler, and it gives the opponents fewer chances to double for the lead than the five-card variant. The advantage of playing a 5-3 fit in a suit contract rather than no-trump is not so great. You can, however, use a three-no-trump response to Stayman to show five spades without losing anything.

Email Barry Rigal at barryrigal@hotmail.com