Responding After Overcalls "And You Thought You Could Multi-task" by Marti Ronemus

President James A. Garfield, our 20th, was assassinated after less than a year in office. We don't hear much about him because of his short tenure, and what a shame that is.

Listen to this: Garfield could simultaneously write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other! Isn't that dazzling? For those of us who've failed at the party game of rubbing our tummy with one hand and patting our head with the other, this is a jaw-dropping accomplishment. Think about it for a minute, and then let's spread the word about this most overlooked president.

Today our bridge focus is on responding to Pard's opener when there's an overcall. We have four choices: Pass (yuck), raise Pard, name a new suit or double. What will we ever do?

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	1♠
?

A: 2♥: We've got a minimum raise. We have a eight-card trump fit and nothing else to say. In a competitive auction (where both sides are bidding), with a minimum hand we raise Pard to the number of trumps in both hands... a trick per trump. We have eight trumps, so eight tricks.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	1♠
?

A: 3♥: With a minimum hand, we follow the Wonderbra Rule: Support Pard with support. We've got a nine-card trump fit and some ruffing values, so we raise Pard according to The Law of Total Tricks... nine trumps, nine tricks, three-level bid. Easy.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	1♠
?

A: 2♠: Our last two questions we saw how with a minimum hand we raise Pard to the level of our fit. BUT!! What when we've got a fit and a NICE hand? We begin by bidding the opponent's suit, a cuebid. That tells Pard we've got a fit, and a more than minimum hand. Great bid. We get to multi-task our meanings.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	1♠
?

A: 2♥: Some would pass with this, and we wouldn't necessarily fault them, but just as many would make a Law of Total Tricks bid to compete. Up to you. Give yourself credit for whichever you choose.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	1♠
?

A: 4♥: It's our old friend, the Weak Freak. We're promising a ten-card trump fit, plus a singleton (or void). Live a little!

And now 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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