"Laugh-In" by Marti Ronemus

My calendar of whacky observances is rather tattered after all the years of hard use, so I'm changing my themes. We will now be sharing lesser-known "This Day in History" events.

Today, for example, in 1968, was the debut of Rowan and Martin's "Laugh-In". Those of us of a certain age remember all the strange characters (Arte Johnson's Old Man comes to mind) and the fun of talking about the wackiness the next day around the water-cooler.

Kind of like talking about that last hand you played, no?
And on to our quiz.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A K 10 9 4
♥ Q J 9 5 4
♦ 2
♣ 8 4

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	2♦
?

A: 3♦: We like Michael's cuebid for this hand. Yes, we'll be shoving Pard to the three-level, but we've got fabulous distribution and two nice suits. We don't need much from Pard for this to be a success.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A 10 5 4 3
♥ 8 7 6
♦ K 9
♣ 6 4 3

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	1♥	Pass
?

A: 2♥: Pard is an overcall and can have as few as 7 points. We have a minimum response and a fit with Pard. When we have a minimum hand, we follow the Wonderbra Rule: Support with support. Pard will know we have exactly three trump (with more, we'd raise to the level of trumps in our combined hands) and 6-9 points.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 9 6 4 3 2
♥ 9 7
♦ 8 6 5
♣ 8 7 6

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Dbl	Redouble
?

A: 1♠: Ouch! Talk about "Sock it to 'em!" Our side could be in trouble if we pass. This is NOT a "free bid." This is an attempt to find a safe landing place. Pard will NOT play us for points, but he WILL know we have a five-card suit. If we don't bid, we are telling Pard we don't have any suit at all, and can support all. If we pass, and Pard bids Hearts, won't THAT be awful!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ Q 8 7 6 5
♥ K 7 2
♦ Q J 9
♣ Q 2

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1 No-trump	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: We'd like to balance, but our suit is just too wretched. Sadly, we're going to pass.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ K J 10 8 7
♥ K 8 7 6
♦ J 5 4
♣ 2

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	1 No-trump	Pass	Pass
?

A: 2♠: This time, we are going to balance. Our suit is quality (well... certainly better than last hand), and we like the placement of our ♥K. Pard is marked with some points, also, so this is a good time to enter the auction.

Ready for 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.
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