"Nat'l Zoo Keeper Month" by Marti Ronemus

There are over 3000 bridge clubs affiliated with the ACBL in the US. My husband, my nephew and I owned and ran one of them for over 17 years. Please forgive me for pointing out that "National Zoo Keeper Month" simply MUST be OUR month.

In a bridge club, the lion does indeed lie (lay?) down with the lamb (but you better keep your eye on that lion!), all the odd creatures (yes, I'm talking about YOU!) deserved to be cherished and catered to. And food? Everyone likes different treats, some are vegan, glucose intolerant or allergic to seafood. Picky, picky, picky.

With all that said, I add that for 17 years, there was never one day that I couldn't WAIT to get to work, and I still miss it terribly. The nicest people ever populated our menagerie and Zoo Keeping is the best job in the world.

On to our quiz:

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

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

A: 4♥: Pard's limited to 10-11 pts and our decision to go to 4♥ can be argued with. The lambs will point out the ratty trump suit and minimum HCP. The lions (who are all members of the Clint Eastwood School of Bidding) will point out the nine-card trump suit, the beautiful shape and the fact that preempts are an attempt to steal and are effective. However, hear us roar.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♥	Pass
1 No-trump	Pass	3♥	Pass
?

A: 4♥: Pard is roaring like a lion with his 3♥ rebid. It's forcing, and although reluctant to do so, we bid 4♥. We've got an eight-card trump fit, and would rather have our hand on the table than Pard's.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K Q
♥ Q J 10 2
♦ A K Q J 10 9
♣ Q

Q: 3 - South?

South	West	North	East
1♦	2♦**	Pass	2♠
?

**Michaels, showing 5-5 in the majors

A: 2 No-trump: This would be so much easier if Pard had so much as squeaked. We've got the majors stopped, and can see eight tricks in our hand. Not to say the singleton Club doesn't scare us a wee bit. We certainly expect a Spade lead. If you bid 3♦, give yourself credit also. It's probably the safer bid, but...

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	3♦	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 5♣: Another lion-esque bid. Pard's double is really for the majors and we could chicken out (yes, there are chickens in the zoo too) with a Spade bid at some level. BUT! Why play in a seven card fit when we know Pard has at least three Clubs. We don't like playing game in minors, but Pard's double guaranteed shortness in Diamonds, and we have no protection.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	2♠	2 No-trump**
?

**Over a preempt, 2 No-trump shows a solid 1 No-trump bid with Spade stopper(s)

A: 3♠: Although we certainly picture ourselves as lions, sometimes caution prevails. We don't have the HCP to bid 3♠, but in a competitive auction like this we are bidding our number of trumps. Remember that any raise of Pard's suit is the weakest bid we can give and shows the number of trump. We have a nine-card fit, so we show that by bidding at the three-level.

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!