"Oatmeal for Breakfast" Day by Marti Ronemus

What could be more boring (and good for you!) than oatmeal for breakfast? Yuck. Beige glop. Not so fast, Binky. My friend Shirley's dad used to elevate his oatmeal with a scoop of ice cream on it. Sounding pretty good NOW, isn't it! Then another friend took it one step further and drizzled Chambord over it. Resist that if you can.

Our lesson tie-in... no hand is so humble it can't be raised to usefulness. You just have to be creative. Let's see how you do.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - What are you going to do with this little oatmeal South hand?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
1 No-trump	Pass	3♣	Pass
?

A: 5♣: The minute we saw our hand, we knew Pard would open Spades. We made out Oatmeal response of 1 No-trump--- just don't have the money to buy the two-level --- and are surprised by his jump shift into Clubs. Wow. He's got at least a fat 17 pts and a nice Club suit of at least four cards. Our hand is suddenly valuable and nothing but a game-level bid will do. While No-trump is the cheapest game, transportation is bound to be a problem. We don't like game in a minor, but we've got a note from our mother. Go.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - As South?

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♥: Pard could be holding only four Spades, so we don't want to raise them. While we have 14 HCP plus some distribution, this isn't the most attractive hand we've had lately. Our shape makes No-trump a back-up plan. Our suit is ratty, but we do have six of them.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - Now? South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	1♥	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♠: Yes I know. You've got 14 HCP elevated to 17 with distribution. BUT!! There's no ice cream on this oatmeal. The Heart bidder is behind your ♥Q J. Downgrade. Your Diamonds aren't going to be great as a Dump suit. You don't have a ninth trump. The good news is that Pard's Spade bid, after the overcall, promises five Spades. So, we give a simple raise.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ Q 10 8 7 6 4
♥ 9
♦ A K J 3
♣ 10 9

Q: 4 - What do you think? Oatmeal with or without ice cream? South:

South	West	North	East
?

A: 1♠: Our first glance isn't encouraging, but then we see the scoop of buttered almond ice cream. We've got a great Rule of 20 opener: 10 cards in two suits, two quick tricks, and a great rebid. Oatmeal, anyone?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ A 5 2
♥ K 10 6 5 3
♦ K Q 2
♣ K Q

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
1♥	Pass	2♥	Pass
?

A: 4 No-trump: Such a no-brainer. Pard opens and we've got 17 HCP plus a nine-card trump fit. We've got first- or second-round control of every suit and if we don't like the answer, we can bail out at 5♥. Chambord, anyone?

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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