Happy New Year! by Marti Ronemus

And here we are, chock full of Resolutions, most of which will be broken by Monday. Is it the thought that counts? About 15 years ago, I made a resolution to give up finesses and It made a stunning improvement in my game. Too bad I can't stick to other resolutions!

Together, let's resolve to improve our game by avoiding the knee-jerk action and bids. Let's resolve to play with spirit and panache. We will take no prisoners! We resolve!

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 8
♥ A
♦ A K J 9 8 6
♣ Q 10 9 8 7

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	4♠
?

A: 4 No-trump: This is too good to pass out. Pard will certainly recognize this as the Unusual No-trump. It certainly couldn't be Blackwood. He will know we are at least 5-5 in the two lowest unbid suits and pick one. Since we're forcing Pard into the auction at the five level, he will know we have a darn good hand, also.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	2♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: Double: We need to balance. We really couldn't bid the first round because our hand is a wee bit weak, but now... Pard is marked with some values and now we're asking him to pick one of the unbid suits. We'll still be at the two-level, so this is a safe bet.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	2♣	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: What's the saying, "Discretion is the better part of valor?" We couldn't overcall 1♠ on the first round. A double won't work now because of the Diamonds. We don't like our Spades now... terrible suit to overcall even when balancing. The only good cards in our hand are the Hearts behind East. Our ♣K is bound to be a loser. We resolve to focus on our defense on this one.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♠	Pass
?

A: 2♣: It's our friend, the cuebid. We are telling Pard we've got at least 10 plus points and a fit with him. We don't know if he has 7 or 17 points, but he'll limit his overcall on his next bid. We resolve to use the cuebid more this year.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♠	Pass
?

A: 3♠: In a competitive auction, raising Pard's suit is the weakest bid we can give. We are showing a 4-card fit, with a minimum hand. What, you say? We only have 5 points? Nonsense. We've got a nine-card trump fit, two doubletons and the bridge gods' own suit. Remember, we resolved to be audacious this year.

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

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!