"Train Your Dog Month" by Marti Ronemus

I was cleaning out a drawer and found a pamphlet from our veterinarian "Welcoming and Training Your New Puppy." Here's some advice from the pamphlet. Substitute the word "partner" for "puppy."

1. Keep training sessions short, otherwise your puppy will lose interest.
2. Your puppy cannot learn a new command right away. Repetition is the key.
3. Catch your puppy doing something RIGHT.
4. Never use harsh words.
5. After a good training session, have a nice cuddle with your puppy.

A word of caution: Not all bridge clubs would allow #5 in the club. (A friend of mine said this pamphlet would also be very good for newlyweds.)

'Nuff said. Let's look at some bids you might want to review with your Pard. And we've got a whole month to practice our Partner skills!

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 9 8 7 5
♥ 2
♦ A K 9 6
♣ K

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
?

A: Double: This hand is too big to bid any level of Spades. We're going to start with a double. Our next question will continue the bidding.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 9 8 7 5
♥ 2
♦ A K 9 6
♣ K

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
Dbl	Pass	2 No-trump*	Pass
?

*10-12 points

A: 4♠: Isn't Pard wonderful? Give him a dog biscuit (aka cookie). He limited his hand and told you he's got Heart stoppers. Game in No-trump is tempting, BUT!! With our two singletons, transportation might be a struggle. Let's bid what we can make.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ A 9 7 6
♥ J 7
♦ J 9 8
♣ A Q 10 7

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	1♦
?

A: Pass: You and your pup (er, Pard) can have many words about this one. It's tough. Sometimes the nicest hand at the table should pass. Were you to name a suit, you'd be promising five. Some would bid the Spades, saying that "after all, it's the ONE level." We won't argue. Pard will not let the auction end since he can Do the Math and know you are holding points, but didn't have the right shape to bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 9 8 7
♥ K
♦ A Q J 9
♣ Q 10 8 7

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
1♦	4♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: Double: Another tough one. Pass is certainly an option also, but darn it! Pard opened and this is our hand. We want to hurt these people. What if Pard pulls it? Well, that's okay too. We trust our Puppy (er, Pard?) to do the right thing.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 8 4 2
♥ Q 9 2
♦ A K J 9
♣ 9 8 3

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	3♣
Pass	Pass	3♠	Pass
?

A: 4♠: Trust your Pard. If he's willing to enter the auction at the three-level, he's got a good hand and a lovely suit. We're bringing our share to the table, with 2-1/2 quick tricks and a nice trump fit.

And now, time for our hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

Overall Results

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

Rate yourself:

0 - 40%	We applaud your effort. Review the subject and try again. You'll be surprised how much better you'll do. We're here for you!!
41 - 50%	Buy your mentor a cuppa and ask for clarification on the ones you got wrong. No mentor? Make finding one a priority!
51 - 60%	Nice improvement! One more review and you'll have this down solid!
61 - 80%	What a good job! All that's left is some fine tuning
Over 80%	Wow! It's time for you to become a mentor. Find someone who needs help and share your knowledge!