"Wardrobe Malfunction" by Marti Ronemus

When in 2004, Janet Jackson's costume collapsed at her Super Bowl performance, a new phrase entered our lexicon: "Wardrobe Malfunction." This allegedly accidental happening has, for many, come to represent a staged "disaster."

Sadly, we who play bridge don't have to "stage" our disasters, do we? Often we feel like fugitives who hear the Bloodhounds baying in the distance: disaster is at our heels.

Let's sharpen our skills so we don't find ourselves like Janet.

(BTW-- a personal plea. I got the nicest email from a woman in British Colombia, and I lost it before I could answer it. She was going to take me to Hawaii! Please, would she write again?)

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A Q 10 7
♥ Q 9 4
♦ A 9
♣ 5 4 3 2

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	Dbl
Redbl	3♦**	p	p
?

**Weak

A: 4♥: Pard passed like he's supposed to. East's double has shown he's holding four (at least three) Spades.. GREAT! West's weak bid is even more encouraging. We've got a dandy fit with Pard. A game bid will surely leave us with our clothing intact (unlike Janet).

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A K Q J 4 3
♦ 9
♣ A Q 10 9

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	p	p	1♦
?

A: 4♥: We won't spend much time on this. We don't need much at all from Pard to make this.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 2
♥ A K Q J 10 9 8
♦ J 4 3 2
♣ 2

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	p
?

A: 4♥: It can be argued that a 1♥ opener is appropriate for this hand, but why not tell your whole story with one bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ Q J 8
♥ K Q J
♦ A K 10 7 5
♣ Q 3

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	1♠	Dbl**	p
?

**Negative Double, guarantees four Hearts and should also have Clubs.

A: 2 No-trump: Pard's Negative Double could be made with as few as 7-ish point, so let's not go crazy here. A nice invitational bid should do the trick. Because of Pard's Negative Double, we're looking at that ♣Q with a little more respect. An invitational bid shouldn't leave us with too many body parts exposed.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ J 4 3 2
♥ Q 6
♦ K Q J 2
♣ 8 5 4

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	p
?

A: 3♠: Give yourself credit for either answer, as we can discuss this one all day. Many would make a limit raise with this hand, despite its "only" 9 pts because of the quality of the Diamonds. Others don't like that ♥Q-doubleton and will downgrade the hand even further. We flipped a coin and it landed on its edge, so we looked at the vulnerability and went with 3♠.

We are going to play a very similar hand but with an easier decision. Will it be a good one, or like "poor" Janet, will we end up exposed on stage.

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:

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