"Unintended Consequences" by Marti Ronemus

In 1978, Jim Davis introduces the world to his lasagna-eating cat Garfield, and the funny pages were never the same. Jim came from a marketing background, and immediately saw the opportunities his bad-boy cat offered. One of the earliest was his idea to put Velcro on the stuffed version of his creation so people could stick them on their curtains.

The factory misread the instructions, and put suction cups on the feet instead of Velcro. Jim sold them anyway, and was astonished when people put them on their car windows instead of house windows. They were such a hit they generated $750 MILLION!!

Another unintended consequence however was a triple-digit increase in car burglaries, with broken windows, and nothing stolen but the Garfield. Really? Leave the stereo and take the toy?

Today, we're going to look at the consequences (intended!) of our bids. They are often too many to count, but we gotta try.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

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

A: Double: With dummy points, we've got a 12 pt hand and Pard rates to have a bunch of points. We need to balance. Now, here's the REAL question: Why didn't we double the first time we had a chance? Hmmm. Many would regardless of the vulnerability. Many wouldn't BECAUSE of the vulnerability. Talk to Pard. There are consequences for either action.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	Pass	1 No-trump
Pass	2♥	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: Let's visualize Pard's hand. He didn't overcall or Double. He's definitely got points. It would seem he's got Spades and short Hearts. Why hasn't he bid? Now, the opponents. We suspect East is a Crummy Dummy, and is praying we'll bid so he can name a long minor. If the opponents had found a fit, we'd be delighted to enter the auction, but with this sequence, the consequences of entering now could be terrible. Let's work on setting them instead.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

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

A: 2♠: Sometimes the nicest hand at the table has to Pass, and that was our original bid. We couldn't overcall and couldn't Double, so with a sigh we passed. Now we have another chance, BUT!! We must be cautious. It's very tempting to bid 2 No-trump with our Heart stoppers and balanced hand, or 3♠ with the anticipated Spade fit. When we Do the Math, we see Pard isn't rated to have much more than 6 pts, and we well may find ourselves in a seven-card fit. Let's play it smart and safe. If the opponents act again, who knows what might happen though!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 10 8 7
♥ A 7
♦ K 10 2
♣ 8 4

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	4♥
?

A: 4♠: The reason we all love pre-empts is they do their job... they rob the opponents of room to bid and prevent them from reaching good contracts. Well, not today! Pard is rated to have some points and we've got such a great hand. We will not be robbed!!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	4♥
?

A: 5♣: These people are infuriating, but we are members of the Clint Eastwood School of Bidding, and as big as their gun is, we're not afraid. The only problem is we may be missing slam. We do have a Pard though, and he's still got a bid. The consequences will be on him if he goes further.

And now, the hand of the day...

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!