"Crazy Cat People" by Marti Ronemus

We all know them-- those Crazy Cat People. When asked to define at what point someone joins those ranks, my father (a veterinarian) said "Anyone who has more than one cat for every 750 square feet of living space."

Some crazies you might not be aware of: Abraham Lincoln. Cats were said to be his only hobby, and he hugely upset Mrs. L when he fed them from the table, even at state dinners. Add Calvin Coolidge to the list. When one of his tabbies disappeared, he made a national radio plea for its return.

And how about Mark Twain, probably the wackiest of all. He had over 19 cats and was heard talking to them -- and often thinking they had responded.

Speaking of unbalanced... let's play with some balancing questions today. Should we pounce or not?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 2
♥ A K 8
♦ A 5 4 3 2
♣ Q 10 8 7

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♥	Pass	Pass	2♠
?

A: 3♣: We've got such a great shape, don't you think? Let's tell Pard about the rest of our story. When we bid 3♣, Pard will certainly have a choice of suits. With a Spade stopper, he may well bid No-trump.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♥	Pass	Pass	2♠
?

A: 3♥: We can't let this go. We have essentially a two-suited hand, with all our honors focused in two suits. Let's take one more bid. We deserve it.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A K 8
♦ A Q 3 2
♣ 10 8 7 6

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♥	Pass	Pass	2♠
?

A: Pass: We gotta let this mouse escape. We can't bid the Hearts again without a fourth card. We have no side suit to rebid. We can't bid No-trump. Sigh.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ A Q 7
♥ A K 9 8 2
♦ 8 7
♣ 8 7 6

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	1♠	2♦
?

A: 2♠: No reason to pass this one. We can't rebid the Hearts and without a stopper, No-trump is not an option. Let's tell Pard about our Spades. This is a discouraging bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 5 4
♥ A K 9 8 2
♦ 8 7
♣ K Q 5 4

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	1♠	2♦
?

A: Pass: Boy, we hate that bid, but in order to bid our Clubs, we'd have to "buy" the three-level and we just don't have the cash. We can't rebid the Hearts, and surely can't support Spades. Life is tough, and sometimes the mouse wins. Notice though that Pard still has a bid.

And now, 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.
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