"Festival of Owls Day" by Marti Ronemus

Did you know that a swooping owl can hear a mouse breathing under one foot of snow? Were you aware that if there were an owl in your house it could hear your heart beating? They are magical creatures with almost super-hero abilities. No wonder they are associated mythically with wisdom and uncanny knowledge. We can thank the Harry Potter series to help us respect owls.

You've faced opponents like that, haven't you. Me too. Sigh. Maybe if we brush up on our skills, we'll be better equipped to match them feather for feather.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♥	Pass	3♣	Pass
?

A: Pass: We've got points galore, but a classic misfit. We hear the sound of snapping beaks. Pard's rebid of Clubs at the three-level is a real rejection of our suits. Let's allow Pard to play in a seven-card fit, and hope there's some transportation.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ J 10 7 3
♥ J 9 4 3
♦ K Q 8
♣ Q 2

Q: 2 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
1♥	Pass	3♣	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: Our 1♥ bid is forcing, unlimited, and Pard swoops in with a 3♣ bid, showing a six-card suit and 16-18 pts. He has limited his hand and it's now up to us. Our decision isn't as easy as you might think, but what enables us to grab the little mousie is the enhanced value of the ♣Q. Game on.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South's in the hot seat again:

South	West	North	East
1♣	Pass	1♦	Pass
1♥	Pass	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2 No-trump: First, know that Pard's 1♠ bid is NOT 4th Suit Forcing, because the bidding is still at the one-level. Pard is still searching for a fit. Now, here this with your owl ears: Our No-trump bid does NOT say "I don't like any of your suits." If we had a minimum hand, we'd either pick a suit, any suit, and play in a part-score or seven-card fit or even bid 1 No-trump. No, our JUMP to 2 No-trump says we've got a fat invitational hand. This is the first opportunity ANYone has had to limit their hand. Now it's up to Pard. Whew.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - Your chance, South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	Pass
1♥	Pass	3♥	Pass
?

A: 4 No-trump: When Pard jumps to 3♥, he limits is hand to 16-18. We have first or second round control of every suit, and we found our fit. We've got enough points for slam. All we need is to know how many aces Pard has. If we don't like the answer, we can stop at 5♥. A sparrow might just bid game, but today we are owls.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - As South, would you open this hand? What would you bid?

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1♣: In the pass-out seat, most players use the "Rule of 15" which says that you add your HCP to the number of Spades in your hand. If it adds up to 15, open. If it doesn't? Don't. The reasoning is that you either have enough points to rebid and/or control the auction OR you control the Spades. On this hand, if the opponents happen to enter the auction, you may rebid, or if they get into Spades, you've got a nasty surprise.

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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