"Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" by Marti Ronemus

Is anyone besides me old enough to remember that great 1944 song? I'm using that today as another way of asking, "Do we have game or not?" The answers today will be (wait for it!) EASY! We are going to tackle responding to an opening 1 No-trump bid.

Responding to No-trump is a snap. You know your Pard has 15-17, and you Do the Math. 7 or less points? The MOST you can have is 24. No game (which is 25) so Pass. 10 plus? The LEAST we can have is 25 so, bid 3 No-trump.

But what about 8 or 9 pts? We might or might not have game. So we bid 2 No-trump, asking "Is you is or is you ain't my baby?"

As this series of quizzes continues, we'll get into dealing with major suit fits and stuff like that, but today we keep it simple. 7 or less, Pass. 10 or more, bid 3 No-trump. 8-9, invite with 2 No-trump. Ready?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K 6
♥ A 2
♦ Q J 8 4 3
♣ 9 7 5 3

Q: 1 - Pard opens 1 No-trump. Is you is, or is you ain't?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: We have 10 pts, Pard's got 15-17. Do the Math and we have 25-27 pts. GAME! We also like our long Diamonds.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 8 6
♥ 5 2
♦ Q J 8 4 3
♣ Q J 9 3

Q: 2 - Pard opens 1 No-trump. Is you is, or is you ain't?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	Pass
?

A: Pass: 6 and 17 is only 23.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K 6
♥ 5 2
♦ Q J 8 4 3
♣ Q J 9 3

Q: 3 - Pard opens 1 No-trump. Is you is, or is you ain't?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	Pass
?

A: 2 No-trump: We could only have 24 if Pard has 15. So we ask Pard "Is you is..." If Pard has a very nice 16 or 17, he'll bid game. Not our problem any more!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K 6
♥ 5 2
♦ Q J 10 8 4 3
♣ Q J 9

Q: 4 - Pard opens 1 No-trump. Is you is, or is you ain't?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: We get to add a point for our distribution. Our long Diamonds make a game bid worthwhile with this hand. If Pard doesn't make it, we might come under a little criticism, but it's a great hand opposite a 1 No-trump hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K 6
♥ A 2
♦ Q J 8 4 3
♣ Q J 9 3

Q: 5 -

A: 3 No-trump: No question game points are there! Our 13 pts added to Pard's minimum of 15 is game every day.

Now, we get to play the hand. We're going to be the No-trump opener and we're ready to take nine tricks!

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!