"Should we Open?" by Marti Ronemus

Placing the contract in exactly the right place is like parallel parking. You have to mentally judge the size of both the vehicle and the space. In bridge, you have to mentally judge the size of the hands, and park in the right sized spot.

Once one of the partners has LIMITED his hand, the partner of the limiter is now in a position to "Do the Math" and place the contract. For example, you open 1♥ and I say 1 No-trump. You know I have limited my hand to exactly 6-9 pts, and you can add that to your own. Below 25 pts combined? Partscore. 25-plus? Game.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - As South, what is your rebid?

South	West	North	East
1♥	-	2♥	pass
?

A: Pass: Pard's 2♥ bid LIMITED his hand to 6 to 9 pts. We have 13 HCP plus 2 for distribution. Let's Do the Math: Pard's max of 9 plus 15 adds up to 24, and it could be as few as 21. There's no game, so partscore is the best place to stop.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - What happens now when you Do the Math? South...

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♥
pass

A: 4♥: We have 19 HCP plus 2 distribution for 21. This time Pard's 6-9 pts brings us to between 27 and 30. That is a HUGE parking spot and deserves a Game Contract parked in it, not a Smart Car.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - What now? South again.

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♥	pass
?

A: 3♥: This time we're not sure what to do. We've got 16 HCP plus 2 distribution. If Pard has 6, that adds up to 24. If Pard's got 9, that's 27. It matters what Pard is holding. Our 3♥ bid says, "Pard, if you are at the top of your bid, take us to game. Otherwise, Pass." We've make our problem, his. Nice job!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - As South, we need to Do the Math again.

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♥	pass
?

A: Pass: We've got a bad 15 and Pard has at most 9. That doesn't add up to game. Settle for the partscore. If the opponents get in the act, we MIGHT bid again because of our nice shape.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - One last chance to get it right. South?

South	West	North	East
1♥	pass	2♥	pass
?

A: 3♥: With distribution, we've got around 17-ish points. We could have game or not, depending on Pard's holding. Bidding 3♥ asks Pard to make the decision. Cowardly? No. Smart.

And we now get to play the hand. What will Pard do? Will he accept our invitation? Does he feel like dancing, or will he Pass? Let's find out.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

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

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Overall Results

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What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
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