"Someday We'll Laugh About This" Month by Marti Ronemus

It has been said that the difference between tragedy and comedy is -- time. I can remember my father telling me, "Someday you'll laugh about this, so why not start now?" Such good advice, especially for bridge players.

And to have a whole month devoted to this philosophy! That gives us lots of time to practice keeping things in proportion. Number one on my list of Perfect Partner Characteristics is a sense of humor. They will need it!

It's all about a sense of proportion and balance. And speaking of balance... ready for a quiz about balancing?

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A 8 3
♥ Q J 5
♦ A K 9 7 6
♣ 4 3

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	1♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: Pard didn't overcall, respond, Negative Double. He didn't even squeak. You've got nothing special.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: Double: Heaven knows you've got the shape, and you're still at a very low level. Plus... is it possible that Pard has a Heart stack and couldn't double? If so, he'll pass this double. You can't lose. And if you do? Well, now's the time to laugh.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q 10 9 5
♥ A 3 2
♦
♣ A K J 7 6 4

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1♠: We're torn. We can't double because that would be promising at least tolerance for Diamonds. We need to take some action, we can't just sit here and do nothing, so we show our second suit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 8 7
♥ A K 9 8 7
♦ K 10 6
♣ A 4 3

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	3♦	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: Let's think this through. Pard, with three-plus Hearts, would have made a defensive raise, so he's gonna be short in Hearts. Can we get a ruff? With Pard passing, we know he's weak, so any bid by us can only get us in trouble. A brief glimpse at the vulnerability is further discouraging. We'll live to fight/laugh another day.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: With 18-19 points, a jump to 2 No-trump would be appropriate, but not over a passed Pard. A reopening 1 No-trump shows the same.

We're balanced nicely now, don't you think? Let's try 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.

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!