"Sparky for President" by Marti Ronemus

Last month when we had "Dogs in Politics" day I received an amazing amount of emails supporting my little dog Sparky's candidacy. He even has a campaign war chest of $1.32. Folks, in Dog Dollars, that's a fortune. We foresee victory.

Sparky is a serious student of history and Teddy Roosevelt is one of his favorites, especially Teddy's maxim "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Since Sparky weighs in at only 5-1/2 pounds, he has modified it to: "Speak loudly and carry a tiny twig." As you might imagine, he is a fan of preempts.

And that's what today is all about. (With thanks to Eddie Kantar for many of the ideas in this column. Visit www.kantarbridge.com for knowledge and fun.)

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 8 5 4 3
♥ 7
♦ 4
♣ Q J 9 4

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
?

A: 4♠: Eddie Kantar reminds us that people often open at the three-level when they should be opening four. The difference with this hand is the outside four-card suit and Sparky entirely agrees. More with less! Usually we wait for the eighth card in the suit to open four, but not with the extra suit. By the way, let is know when you get a 7-4 hand. Sparky and I are still waiting.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 9 4 3
♥ K Q 10 8 5 4
♦ A Q 8
♣ 4

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	Pass
?

A: 2♥: In any seat except fourth, you would open 1♥. In the Pass Out seat however, a preempt shows an opening-ish hand. Pard is a passed hand and should not be heard from. An opening bid in fourth seat is like the Little Dutch Boy taking his thumb out of the dike... everyone will be in the action. Good idea to take up as much room as you can.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 8
♥ A Q J 10 3 2
♦ 6 5 2
♣ 8 5 4

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
?

A: 2♥: Same as if you were opening. Weak Jump Overcalls make life very hard on the other candidates... er, players.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♠
?

A: 3♦: We actually don't have enough to overcall at the two-level, so naturally, we're going to jump in at the three-level. Sparky approves!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 9 8 7 4 2
♥ 8
♦ 8 4
♣ 8 5

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
?	-	-

A: 4♠: Some feel that a four-level preempt should hold some outside defensive values, but with God's suit, you can own this hand. With this spectacular shape, we need take action, BIG action, now.

And now let's play a hand together. Sparky will lead the way. Be careful not to step on him.

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.
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