"What Will They Think of Next?" by Marti Ronemus

In 1872 two patents were awarded on the same day: One for a machine that manufactured toothpicks and a machine that made square-bottomed paper bags. Most people don't think about the little things and how they make it into our hands. Look what's around you this minute, and take a second to marvel.

Now that you've done that, let's marvel at some bridge hands.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

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

A: 2♠: There are so many treatments for this auction you can almost give yourself credit for any answer. Here's our thinking on this one: If we had 10-plus points we would have cue-bid (when Advancer cue-bids, it doesn't guarantee a fit, just 10-plus points), which leaves you free to name a new suit, non-forcing. We've got a six-card suit and a bad hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A J 10 8 6 3
♥ 4 3 2
♦ 9 8
♣ 8 7

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
?

A: Pass: This is not the hand you want to pre-empt with. Our shape isn't that great and neither is the vulnerability. No patent granted for this.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ A J 10 8 6 3
♥ 4 3 2
♦ 9 8 2
♣ 8

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
?

A: 2♠: NOW we're talkin'!! We've got the singleton and the vulnerability is goin' our way. We are going to gobble two levels of bidding with impunity.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	2♠	p	p
?

A: 2 No-trump: This bid will tell Pard we've got a VERY strongly invitational hand and want to hear from him if he can even squeak. West is weak and East didn't extend the preempts. Pard is rated to have something, don't you think?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ A 5 4 2
♥ A 10 9 5 4 3
♦ 2
♣ K 4

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	p
1♥	p	1♠	p
?

A: 4♠: In Spades, this hand re-evaluates beautifully. A singleton in Pard's first-bid suit isn't our favorite thing, but we like our chances for game. AND!! No contract is too high if Pard has to play it.

Did we make a bad decision? We'll find out in a minute, because we're going to play this 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!