"April Fool's Day" by Marti Ronemus

The first written mention of April Fool's Day was in Geoffrey Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES, published in 1392. Imagine all the pranks that have been perpetrated in the ensuing years. This is a day just for us bridge players!

And in case you think this is the only April 1 event, here are two more for you to drop into today's conversations:
In 1963, GENERAL HOSPITAL debuted on TV... and lives on!
In 1970, then-President Nixon banned cigarette ads on TV. Do you think those two events were linked in any way?

And so our quiz. Let's not be fooled...

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K J 9 8 7
♥ A J 4 3 2
♦ K 8
♣ 9

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
?

A: 1♠: We love entering this auction. If the opponents do end up with the contract, we have quite the April Fool's prank for them. Pard rates to be short on Hearts, and if we have a fit in Spades, life will be good.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A 10 8 7
♦ 9 8 7
♣ K Q J 9

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
?

A: Pass: We can't double. We can't make an overcall at the two-level with only a four-card suit. We can't bid No-trump with two "naked" suits. Rats.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 8 4
♥ A J 2
♦ K J 10 8 3
♣ A K 7

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	p	1♥
?

A: 1 No-trump: Unlike the last hand, we have BOTH their suits stopped. We do have one "naked" suit, but... Our other real option is 2♦, but don't you think 1 No-trump is more descriptive? Let's await further developments.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K J 9 4
♥ 6 5 4 3
♦ 5 4 3
♣ Q J

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Dbl	p
1♠	2♣	p	2♥
?

A: 2♠: Someone is trying to trick us here. East's delayed support is a weak attempt to balance. We've got more than Pard might expect, as we would have bid 1♠ with zero points. Pard is marked with no more than two Hearts. We paid to play. Don't let them trick us out of our rightful contract.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ Q 9 4 3 2
♥ J 8 2
♦ 5 4 3
♣ 3 2

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Dbl	p
1♠	2♣	p	2♥
?

A: Pass: Same auction, but much different hand. Yes, we've got a nine-card Spade fit, but Pard rates now to have three Hearts and our hand is really rotten. Pass and live to fight another day.

And now, on to 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

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