"Bathtub Party Day" by Marti Ronemus

How "Bathtub Party Day" became an observance on our calendar of (real, actual---I promise!) observances boggles the imagination. My first thought when I discovered it was "Well, that certainly does limit the number of guests one can invite."

A little further research shows that our "holiday" harkens back to the Prohibition Days, when there was something called "bathtub gin." Ugh.

Will Bathtub Parties become a big part of our holiday season? I would imagine they'll be a hit among those who only know one or two people. But for bridge players? I see no future.

And so, on to our quiz. Today we look at bidding parties... where both sides are involved. We need a couple of tubs here, folks.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 9 6 5 3 2
♥ A 9 4
♦ 7 4 3
♣ 5 4

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♥	Dbl
?

A: 2♥: Yes, yes, yes. You've only got 4 points and you're off the hook. Why would you bid? BECAUSE you've only got 4 points and you're off the hook! We gotta get in the tub too! East's Negative Double. We're being obstructive and bidding to the level of trumps in our combined hands.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ Q J 10 4
♥ A 9 4
♦ K 4
♣ Q J 5 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♥	Dbl
?

A: 2♦: In a competitive auction, any raise of Pard's suit shows weakness with a trump fit. Our best bet on this hand is a cuebid of the opponent's suit, which promises a fit with Pard and 10 plus points. We could Redouble promising 10 plus points, but the cuebid is more informative in that it promises a fit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	2♣
?

A: 3♥: Once again, we're going to get in the tub, and this time, we're making a big splash. With a weak hand, and a nine-card trump fit, we're raising to our combined level of trumps. This is pre-emptive for sure. Pard will know we are weak and will proceed with caution, if at all.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 1♠: Well, Pard asked for a major, and we're gonna give him one. We'll bid it as cheaply as possible. We'll make barely a ripple in the water.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 2♦: When Pard doubles a minor, he might be 4-3 in the majors rather than 4-4. Our cuebid asks Pard to "pick his own darn suit!" If we had the A-Q-9 of Diamonds, the suit they bid, rather than a worthless doubleton, our choice might be No-trump, but we'll let Pard choose. Our bid is very forward-going and we will end up in game somewhere.

And now, let's dry off and go play 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.

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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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