"What a Party!" by Marti Ronemus

Fats Domino in 1961 sang "What a Party!" perfectly describing our game. We love the excitement, the fun, the people, the snacks.

And today, we're going to explore a subject that sometimes can ruin the party. What bids are forcing? What aren't? Let's talk.

Caution: You don't get to see hands today, just the bids. Think carefully about what you're seeing and decide if the last bid is forcing or not.

CLUE: Remember that the auction cannot end until a limit bid has been made.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠
♥
♦
♣

Q: 1 - Is the last bid forcing or not?

South	West	North	East
1♠	2♣	3♠

A: Not forcing: In a competitive auction, raising Pard's suit is usually shows a weak hand of no more than 9 points. North is following "the Law" and showing four card support, bidding to the level of trumps in their combined hands.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠
♥
♦
♣

Q: 2 - Is the last bid forcing or not?

South	West	North	East
1♦	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♥

A: Forcing: Did you recognize The Dreaded Reverse? When North bid 1♠, he had BYPASSED Hearts, so why would South bid them? He is showing five Diamonds and four Hearts, and 16 plus points. No on in this auction has yet limited their hand, so it must continue.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠
♥
♦
♣

Q: 3 - Is the last bid forcing or not?

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	2♣

A: Forcing: A new suit by an unpassed responder is forcing. Why? No one has limited their hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠
♥
♦
♣

Q: 4 - Is the last bid forcing or not?

South	West	North	East
Pass	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♣

A: Non-forcing: South originally passed. He can't have more than 10-11 points. North will do the math and make a decision.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠
♥
♦
♣

Q: 5 - Is the last bid forcing or not?

South	West	North	East
1♥	Pass	2 No-trump

A: It depends: Some play 2 NT to show 10-12 points in which case it would not be forcing. Others, 13-15 in which case it WOULD be forcing. Others still play this as Jacoby 2NT, a very nifty convention, and it would be forcing. The point is, talk to your partner and make a decision.

And the party's not over yet! Let's play a hand.

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

Your results: out of Average:

What next? You may enjoy playing our prepared hands series.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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