"Better Conversation Day" by Marti Ronemus

Is this a Red Letter day for bridge players or what! The whole purpose of bidding is to "conversate (I have actually heard people use that non-word!)" with each other accurately. Today we will look for ways to accomplish that goal. The other half of Better Conversation is Better Listening. Do you hear me? Let's get started.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - As South, how will you advance the conversation?

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♥. O, the dreaded reverse! Such a great bid, striking terror into the hearts of many players. A reverse promises the following things: a nice 16 hand. It also names a suit that Pard BY-PASSED in responding at the one-level and if responder returns to the original suit, it will be at the three-level.

The second-named suit is HIGHER RANKED than the first. Pard should not play you for more than four hearts, tho’.

Remember a reverse is forcing for one round. It is the perfect conversational gambit for this hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - And South says?

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♣. You aren’t quite strong enough to jump shift with this hand. Your ♠K has picked up a little value tho'. With a Heart stopper your bid would be simple, but for now, show your “bottom heavy” hand and up to 18 points.
We do need to converse a little more. There are many players who are making Jump Shifts with a fat 16-plus points, finding it gives them much more flexibility. This is something to discuss with your partner.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K 9 4 3
♥ K 4 3
♦ 9 5 4
♣ 7 6 5

Q: 3 - Your Pard makes a "reverse." What sayeth you?

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

A: 3♦: Pard reversed and showed a strong hand with more diamonds than hearts. It’s forcing. You’ve got a weak hand, and are probably better off taking pard back to a known 8-card fit. What you cannot do is end the conversation with a Pass.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K Q 9 5 4
♥ 8 4 3
♦ 8 2
♣ J 8 4

Q: 4 - How will you (South) "conversate" on this one?

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

A: 3♦. Very tough one. Same answer as last hand, but we're not nearly so sanguine about it. No fit for either of pard’s suits. At least the Diamond fit is five-two, which is better than a four-three. Another line of conversation might be bidding 2♠, since this is one of those times when a rebid of a 5-card suit is permissible. Give yourself half score if that's what you bid.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 7 6 4 2
♥ A J
♦ 6 2
♣ A Q

Q: 5 - One final chance to get your message across. South?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♣**	Pass	4♦***	Pass
?

**Shows first-round control of Clubs
***First round control of Diamonds

A: 6♠: You have a partner with 10-12 HCP, four Spades and first round control of your only questionable suit. Your hand in Spades is worth 20-ish points. What are you waiting for? What does Pard have to say to make you bid slam? This conversation is OVER!!

And now... let's put our money where our mouth is. You're going to get to play this hand and see if you've made the right decision.

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

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!!
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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
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