"End of the Road" - Placing the Contract by Marti Ronemus

The Boyz II Men 1992 hit "End of the Road" is the inspiration for today's lesson. It's one of those songs you just can't get out of your head once it's in there.

We all know the goal of bidding is to choose the best strain (suit or notrump = "strain") at the best level. But just where is the "End of the Road" and how do we get there? The answer is to DO THE MATH!!!

Once one partner limits their point count, the other is in a position to DO THE MATH. Let's practice finding the best "End of the Road."

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

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

A: Pass: Pard has shown only 6-9 pts. When we do the math, we see the "End of the Road" at a max of 18 pts. together.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
?

A: Pass: Once again, when we DO THE MATH we see a maximum of 24 pts. Our hand is a bit moth-eaten so we don't want to risk it.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	1♠	Pass
?

A: 4♠: We reevaluate our hand when we have trump agreement. We've got 17 HCP plus 2 pts for the singleton. 19 added to Pard's minimum of 5 adds up to game. Bid it.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - Where's South's "End of the Road" on this one?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	2♠	Pass
?

A: 3♠: We can't quite DO THE MATH yet. If Pard's holding 6 pts, we're just short of game. (We've got 16 HCP plus 2 short suit points). If Pard's at the top of his range, we've got what we need. By bidding 3♠, we're throwing the ball back at him, asking HIM to do the math. He'll know we've got 16-18 and park the car in the right spot.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
2♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
?

A: 4♠: Pard asked us to DO THE MATH, showing 16-18 pts. As dummy, our hand is worth 9-ish pts. We're at the top of our bid, so we go for game.

And now, it's time to find out where the "End of the Road" lies with our hand.

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!