"Send the Kids to Camp" by Marti Ronemus

It's 1913 and the Parcel Post Service has just begun. A few visionary parents, spotting a bargain, began mailing their kids. For just fifteen cents, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge sent their son to his grandparents. The five-year-old daughter daughter of J.W. Savis was sent 73 miles to granny's house for only 53 cents instead of the $1.55 by train.

Before outrage sets in... Were they taped in boxes with holes in the top? No. The appropriate number of stamps were affixed to their clothing, along with an address tag, and off the kiddies went, accompanied by postal workers who escorted them to their destinations. Sort of like putting them on a plane today, accompanied by flight attendants.

You can ponder all this later. For now, let's sharpen our skills.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 4 3 2
♥ 5 4
♦ K 5 4 3 2
♣ A K Q

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	1♥	Dbl**	p
?

**Negative double, promising four Spades and probably four Clubs.

A: 2♣: This is a real Hobson's Choice. We could bid 1♠, and that would be our second choice. We certainly can't rebid the Diamonds with that pile of cancelled stamps. No-trump is out because of lack of Heart stoppers. Pard should have four Clubs. If not, he will have Diamonds and will return to them.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 4
♥ K 10 4 3
♦ Q J 8
♣ A K Q 5 4

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♠	Dbl	p
?

**Negative Double, promising four Hearts and probably four Diamonds.

A: 3♥: Pard is an unlimited hand, so it's up to us to limit. We've got an intermediate hand in favor of Hearts and we know Pard's got four of them. Get this package in the mail.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Dbl	2♣
?

A: Double: "Pick your own major, Pard." This is also called a Responsive Double. The nice thing about this bid is that it ensures an eight-card fit. When Pard doubles a minor, he might have 4-3, and we don't want to land on the three-carder.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 6 5 4 3
♥ K Q 9
♦ 8 7 4 3
♣ A 9

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Dbl	2♣
?

A: Double: We could bid 2♠, but if the opponents get the bid, and Pard leads Spades, we're going to find ourselves in a box with holes in the top real fast! If Pard bids Hearts, we will certainly be proud to put those down. If it makes you nervous, follow our advice to slip a Diamond in with the Hearts.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 5 4 3 2
♥
♦ 5 4 3 2
♣ K Q J 7 4

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	p
1♠	p	3♣	p
?

A: 5♣: If we were to bid 4♣, that would be very encouraging over Pard's Jump Shift. We would be below 4 No-trump and would be following the Principle of Slow Arrival. With this hand we need Pard to know we have great trump support, no interest in the majors and no help for slam.

And now 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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