"Squirrel Awareness Day" by Marti Ronemus

Mark Twain said "A squirrel is just a rat wearing an Uptown coat." Those who have the little monsters raiding birdfeeders might agree, but others certainly appreciate the tenacity and creativity of this backyard resident.

As to bridge? A friend of mine, when I make a particularly risky bid is prone to saying (with a mild glare in his eyes) "It's hard to keep a squirrel on the ground."

Today's quiz is a little squirrely. We're going to take the same hand and present it in five different bidding scenarios. Then we'll tackle a hand with a nutty twist. Ready?

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - What should you do?

South	West	North	East
1♥	1♠	2♦	pass
2♥	pass	3♦	pass
?

A: Pass: Pard’s rebid of the same suit is not forcing. Pard knows you have 6 hearts, knows you have a minimum opener. With that info, Pard is in a position to insist on his suit. He has at most a singleton heart. He knows what YOU'VE got. You're not sure what he does (except for a plethora of Diamonds), so you need to bow to his captaincy. He's got the view from the top branch.

Your result so far:

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - Same hand, different scenario. What now?

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♦	pass
2♥	pass	3♥	pass
?

A: Pass: Pard’s bid is invitational showing no more than a skinny 12. You’ve got the barest minimum, and should not accept the invitation to climb this tree. With 13, Pard would have gone to game. And we barely squeaked out a Rule of 20 opener.

Your result so far:

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - Same hand, yet another bidding sequence. Your thoughts?

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

A: Pass: A rebid of 2NT by responder shows exactly 10-12 pts. He has limited his hand and shown a preference. Leave him to it. You have nothing extra. Live to tear up the neighbor's garden another day.

Your result so far:

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - Another chance. South says?

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

A: 2 No-trumps: Pard’s bid is forcing and still unlimited. That new suit demands you bid again. You already told your story, but now you can show a Club stopper and repeat that you have a minimum hand. What more can you say?

Your result so far:

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - One last chance at this hand. This time you say?

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♦	pass
2♥	pass	3 no-trumps	pass
?

A: Pass: You’ve described your hand. Partner has elected to play in No-trump, regardless of your minimum hand with a 6-carder. You have no reason to overrule your partner. To do so would be insulting, and might result in our tail being pulled.

Well, we're tired of this hand, so our hand challenge will be a new hand, with a nutty twist. Ready?

Your result so far:

Play this Hand

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

Play 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

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