"De-Clutter Day" by Marti Ronemus

The remote control was across the room and I was too busy writing my Vu-Bridge column to find it. The infomercial was all about de-cluttering closets. Did you know there is a whole industry built around helping us get rid of STUFF? Who knew.

Let's talk about de-cluttering our bridge game. When people find themselves in a slump, one excellent piece of advice is to immediately dump two of the conventions you are playing. Why? Too often we are relying on fancy bidding when what we SHOULD be doing is working on basics. There's no point trying to learn a back flip until you learn to swim.

So, to work!

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A 10 9 2
♥ K J 8
♦ 3 2
♣ A J 8 5

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	1♦
Dbl	Pass	2♥	Pass
?

A: Pass: Pard's got 8-11 pts, and may only have four Hearts. We don't seem to have game points, and we aren't crazy about game in seven card fits.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ A 10 9 3 2
♥ 8 4
♦ K 7 6
♣ 7 6 5

Q: 2 - South:

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

A: 2♠: We would rather drink bleach than let the opponents play in a fit at the two-level. Repeat. Our suit isn't dandy, but we are in the balancing seat and have already passed. Chances are very good Pard's got a fit with us, and he is indeed market with points. We can't let this go.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	2♥
?

A: 3♥: There are two answers (both correct) for this question. A cuebid promises a fit with Pard and 10-plus pts. Many would be perfectly happy with this answer. Others play that if your cuebid is at the three-level, you are promising four pieces of trump. Give yourself credit for Double also, because that would be your answer if you promise four. You would then bid Spades at your next opportunity. Talk it over with Pard.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♠	Pass	2♣	Pass
?

A: 3♦: We've got such a big hand. If we bid 2♦, would Pard pass? Not likely and it would give us more bidding room, but showing Pard the hugeness of our hand is more important, don't you think?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 1♠: We have to downgrade the hand because of the position of the ♥Q. Common sense tells us to treat this as a minimum. Declutter this hand!

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.
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!