"Weasels--Unexpected Heroes" by Marti Ronemus

Thanks to the New York Times science section, I've had my consciousness raised about weasels. Folks, it's NOT an insult to be called a weasel. No! They are astounding animals. Born the size and weight of a paperclip, they have a long, hard road to maturity, but luckily they are great parents. Their hearts beat 400 times a minute, and they move like brown bolts of lightening.

Like coyotes and other formerly seldom-seen animals, they are beginning to show up everywhere, thanks to loss of habitat. They have huge brains for their size, are creative, get out of and into anywhere and anything, and are adorable. Unless they see you as prey... then NO ONE is safe, not even porcupines.

So let's mimic weasels, and show our creativity and will to win.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 10 6
♥ 3 2
♦ 5 4 3
♣ K 8 5

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	Pass	Pass
?

A: 2♠: In Eddie Kantar's words, "Bid 2♠ and join the world of thieves." A passed Pard should not be advancing this pre-empt, and like Godzilla, we have just eaten Tokyo -- er, two levels of bidding. Any balancing will have to be at the three-level.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A K J 10 4 3
♥ 8
♦ 5 4 3 2
♣ J 8

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
2♠	p	2 No-trump	p
?

A: 4♠: With no outside feature, our choices are limited to 3♠ or 4♠. We've got two reasons to want to go to game. First, we've got the simply outstanding suit. Second, great shape. There's nowhere else we'd rather be.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q J 10 4 3 2
♥ 8 5
♦ K 4 3
♣ 3 2

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
2♠	p	2 No-trump	p
?

A: 3♦: Pard has asked if we have a feature outside our big hand. We do, but our hand is very minimum. We make the cheapest bid possible.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Dbl	p
?

A: 1 No-trump: The temptation is to pass, hoping to convert to penalty. BUT!! This is bad thinking. First, we are in FRONT of the Heart bidder. Secondly, unless you are darn sure of taking at LEAST three trump tricks, don't even dream of converting to penalty. Our best bet is 1 No-trump. This tells Pard we've got Heart stoppers and no real suit of our own.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 7
♥ A 10 9 8 7
♦ Q 8
♣ A 7 4 3 2

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♥
?

A: Pass: There are those who would bid 2♣ with this, but the Club suit brings so little to the table. It only hurts a moment and we may likely enter the auction later.

So, we're now warmed up and ferocious as weasels. Let's try a 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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