Dear Mr. Rigal: If you catch yourself pausing during the bidding or play when you have nothing to think about, should you say anything to the opponents?

Answer: In online games, I tend to mention when I am distracted by the phone or door. At the table, many simply say “sorry” in this situation, just to make sure the opponents are not misled by the hesitation. However, when declarer has just led up to the king-jack in dummy and has a guess, some defenders might not be ready to duck smoothly with the ace and will therefore fumble, only to claim they were not thinking. It may be hard to distinguish the honest players from the nefarious types!

Dear Mr. Rigal: A friend of mine held ? 6-5-3-2, ? 8-4, ? K-10-8-7-4, ? 9-7, no one vulnerable, and heard the auction start with four hearts on his left, four no-trump from partner and five hearts on his right. He passed, and that went back around to partner, who doubled. What does the double mean, and what should my friend have done?

Answer: Partner’s four no-trump showed the minors, so he cannot have a pure penalty double of hearts. His double merely shows a good hand in context; he has extra values. I would probably bid six diamonds on this hand, expecting it to go at most one down, but I admit that could easily be wrong.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Where do you stand on leading from small doubletons in unbid suits?

Answer: Some people disdain leading from doubletons, but these leads often strike the right balance between passivity and offense (setting up a third-round ruff). It is most attractive to lead from a small doubleton if you have a control in trumps or if there is no obviously better option. It is less attractive to lead from honor-doubleton (unless you have a sequence), but I am firmly of the opinion that generalizing here is fated to make one look silly in the long run.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Say you double an enemy one-of-a-minor opening and partner jumps to two hearts. Which bids are forcing by you now?

Answer: Raising to three hearts is non-forcing. Opinions differ about a rebid of two no-trump. (Some play it as forcing; others say it shows a balanced 14-15 with only three hearts.) Suit bids are forcing for one round, often the equivalent of a hand that was too strong to overcall the first time out. If you want to set up a force but you have no extra shape, start with a cue bid.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Say your right-hand opponent opens one no-trump and the next hand raises to three. What does partner’s double mean?

Answer: It is rare to pick up a power double after this auction, so experts tend to play double as lead-directing instead. It is an example of a Lightner double, asking for an unusual lead. For most pairs, this requests a lead of partner’s weaker major, but some partnerships stipulate which major instead. I am in the former camp.

Contact Barry Rigal, email him at barryrigal@hotmail.com