Blasphemy Day by Marti Ronemus

On my calendar of strange observations, today is listed as "Blasphemy Day." Now, I'm not sure if we're supposed to be FOR it or AGAINST it, but I DO know that as bridge players, we sure hear a lot of it, most muttered under the breath. We hear everything from a mile "RATS" to language that would have mom running for the bar of soap.
So let's keep the nasty words to a minimum as we work our way through five bidding challenges and one thought-provoking hand. Let's get started.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - Your choice as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	1♠
?

A: Double: We love those Negative Doubles. We only need responding points, a fat 6 plus, and it's like a Two-For-One Sale. We're promising 4-card support for any unbid major plus tolerance for any other suit. We frequently get to name a suit that we normally could not (not enough money to buy the two-level). The bid is unlimited, but with this hand, we plan to pass whatever Pard bids.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - Same bidding as last hand. What will South do this time?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	1♠
?

A: 3♦: Why a jump to 3♦ with only 5 pts? This is a bid that will have your opponents muttering for sure. You are raising your partner's suit according to the Law of Total tricks. You know Pard has four Diamonds (there's only a 3% chance he has three--story for another day), and you've got five. That's nine. The point to be remembered: In a competitive auction, a raise of your partner's suit is the weakest response you can give, no matter the level. Repeat that three times. If you had a forward-going hand, you'd do something else... a new suit, a Negative Double, a back-flip. Something. You are telling partner you have a weak hand with five-card support.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 9
♥ 5 4 8
♦ K 8 5 3
♣ A J 10 5 4

Q: 3 - And South says?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	2♣
?

A: Pass: Stop with the nasty words! You have no bid. You cannot double for the two unbid suits. Wrong shape. You cannot afford the two-level. You cannot bid No-trumps. And with that holding in the opponent's suit, you should be staring innocently at the ceiling anyway! Pass for now, as there's a darn good chance you'll get another opportunity later.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - With the same bidding as last hand, but different cards, what should you say this time?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	2♣
?

A: Double: Another perfect opportunity for a Negative Double. This is such a terrific bid, in that you get a BOGO (buy one get one free) two-suits-for-one-bid, unlimited, and it doesn't take up any bidding room. We know that opposite an opening partner, we've got game. Now we can find the perfect spot. No blasphemy needed here.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - As **NORTH**, what is your bid?

South	West	North	East
1 no-trump	pass	2♦*	pass
2♥	pass	?

*Transfer to Hearts

A: 3 No-trumps: A common mistake with this holding is to bid 4♥, because of the quality of the suit. Your rebid of 3 No-trumps protects your partner from holding a worthless doubleton in the suit. Is the decision a good one? You're about to find out. You'll be playing this hand, but as South, the poor partner you just put in game. Will he be blaspheming you after the play? To be announced...

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

Play on ANY Device

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

Rate yourself:

0 - 40%	We applaud your effort. Review the subject and try again. You'll be surprised how much better you'll do. We're here for you!!
41 - 50%	Buy your mentor a cuppa and ask for clarification on the ones you got wrong. No mentor? Make finding one a priority!
51 - 60%	Nice improvement! One more review and you'll have this down solid!
61 - 80%	What a good job! All that's left is some fine tuning
Over 80%	Wow! It's time for you to become a mentor. Find someone who needs help and share your knowledge!