"Happy Bachelor's Day!" Placing the Contract by Marti Ronemus

Only once every four years does this day occur. How did this all start? Back in 1288 In Scotland a law was passed that on Leap Year day, a woman could propose to a man. If the man refused he could be fined! One wonders how many men were hiding in the woods when this day came around.

AND!! What an inspiring, albeit small, step toward Women's Lib that was.

Just to balance that first step toward freedom for women, we'd like you to know that the first Playboy Club opened this day in 1960 in Chicago. Don't get me started!

Let's liberate our minds with a quiz. We're going to get the last word and have the responsibility to place the contract.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	p	1♥	p
2♣	p	2♦	p
?

A: 2 No-trump: First, let's visualize what Pard is holding. It sounds like he's got a minimum hand and is settling for Diamonds as a preference. He might only have three Diamonds and four Hearts. He could NOT bid 2 No-trump, so we know he has no more than 9 pts. With our 17 pts., we need to invite, and we've got the Spade stoppers. Let's ask him to marry us... after all, it's Leap Year Day.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 4 3 2
♥ 4
♦ A Q 8
♣ A K 8 5 4 3

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♣	p	1♥	p
2♣	p	3♣	p
?

A: Pass: This is tough. Pard has shown no more than 10-12 pts. We have 13 HCP. We have a max of 25 pts. Game in Clubs is highly unlikely. What about 3 No-trump? If Pard has a Spade stopper and a real Heart suit, it is possible, but we have so many losers and no real source of tricks. We have two choices... once a suit has been agreed on, a new suit, like 3♦, shows a stopper and is forward going. Problem? If Pard has no Spade stopper, we well may find ourselves in a dreadful 5♣ contract. While not against 3♦, we prefer the Pass in this case.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ K Q 5 4
♥ 9
♦ K Q J 8 7
♣ A 10 9

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	p	1♥	p
1♠	p	2♠	p
?

A: 3♠: While we aren't crazy about singletons in Pard's first-bid suit, we feel this 15-16ish pt. hand is worth an invitational bid. Some players might bid 3♣ to show that stopper once trump has been agreed on, so if you bid that, give yourself credit also.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♠	p	1 No-trump	p
2♣	p	2♦	p
?

A: Pass: Pard has limited his hand to a max of 9 pts. We have 14. We are going nowhere. Pard's bid AFTER limiting his hand tells us he has a very long suit he couldn't bid before because he can't afford the two-level. We need to pass this marriage proposal. Never mind the fine.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♦	p	1♥	P
2♦	P	3♥	P
?

A: Pass: Pard has limited his hand to 10-12 pts. It's our job to place the contract. We do the math. We have a very ratty 12, and that does not add up to a successful wedding. We need to pass and let Pard play in our eight card Heart fit.

And now on to 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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