Dear Mr. Rigal: I have a partner who says, “Down one is good bridge.” I’m not sure I agree, but maybe I don’t understand. Is that true?

Answer: This is a sort of joke, not to be taken too seriously. Down one when you could have made your contract is obviously not good bridge. The subtext of the saying is similar to the advice that if your opponents don’t make an occasional contract you have doubled, you are not doubling enough. There is a grain of truth, but don’t live or die by these adages.

Dear Mr. Rigal: As dealer at unfavorable vulnerability, what would you bid with ? K-Q-10-8-5-4-2, ? 3, ? 7-6-2, ? 10-5?

Answer: I usually open at the three-level with a good seven-card suit. I see no reason to do otherwise here, though I admit I would bid two spades with the same honors in a 7=2=2=2 shape at this vulnerability.

Dear Mr. Rigal: If the bidding starts with one spade on your right, double from you, two spades on your left and three hearts from your partner, what does it mean if you bid four clubs now?

Answer: This is natural and forcing, showing a hand that was too good to overcall two clubs initially. You have to start with a three-spade cue bid and support hearts later if you have a slam try for hearts. After a double, assume that if your next call is in a suit (except the one bid to your right), it is natural.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Over partner’s one no-trump, is it obligatory to transfer to a five-card major regardless of the strength of your hand?

Answer: If your hand is just below invitational strength, transferring might get you to game when your partner breaks the transfer. If your hand is even weaker, transferring often makes it harder for the opponents to come in, while playing with a trump suit will allow partner to make tricks from your major. The only hand type you might consider passing a no-trump with is a 5-3-3-2 with 6 or 7 high-card points and a weak major. This smattering of values might be enough to make one no-trump by brute force, whereas the weak 5-2 fit may prove troublesome. However, it may be rare to make seven tricks without relying on your long suit. Additionally, though, you might occasionally use Stayman if you have the values for a game and an honorless five-carder.

Dear Mr. Rigal: Say you hold ? 8-7-6-4, ? K-J-8-6, ? K-8-4, ? Q-3, and your partner opens one club. You respond one heart, and partner rebids two no-trump, 18-19. What now?

Answer: We have more than enough for game. The question is whether we should probe for a 4-4 spade fit: I say we should not. With surplus values, no side-suit weakness to speak of and four small cards in what would be our only plausible trump suit, I prefer to try for the nine-trick game by raising to three no-trump. This also gives away less information if partner does not have four spades. On hands like this, the spade game can easily go down against bad breaks when the no-trump game would have made.

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