"Losing Weight" by Marti Ronemus

It seems our obsession with weight loss really took off in the late 1800s. Those early advertisements are worth looking at.

How about "Fatoff?" It advertised "no dieting, no dosing, external use only!" And the fat would melt off. Sadly, it was 10 percent soap and 90 percent water.

Then there was "Dr. Walter's Famous Rubber Garments", with their patented medicated coating. He had one for every conceivable problem area, including a truly terrifying facial mask. Could this have been the inspiration for Spanx?

Another popular item was "Dr. Lawton's Fat Reducer," a suction cup device. It was backed up with a full money-back guarantee if the customer didn't see results in exactly 11 days.

And then there were the truly dangerous. "Silph Reducing Chewing Gum" contained a laxative and poisonous pokeroot as its secret ingredients. "Dr. Graham's Neutroid Tablets" would reduce weight alright... they contained 50 percent iodol, a distinctly deadly compound that caused emaciation, with death as a side effect.

While the challenge of losing weight seems to be eternal with no solution in sight (except that tiresome diet and exercise stuff), let's turn our attention to something we CAN change! Our bad bidding!

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ Q J 10 3
♥ 8
♦ K Q J 10 9
♣ 5 4 3

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	2♥
?

A: 3♥: This hand is just too darn nice to bid any level of Spades. We could jump to 4♠, but this is one of those hands that is so much more than the sum of its points. Look at the tricks available in Diamonds. Look at that Heart singleton. A cuebid of the opponent's suit is the bid we need.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ Q J 9
♥ A K Q J 8
♦ 7 5 4
♣ 3 2

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
2♥	Pass	3♦	Pass
?

A: 4♠: Pard doesn't yet know that we're going to end up in Spades, and his 3♦ bid is most encouraging for a No-trump contract ... if only we hold a Club stopper. We don't. We're very tempted to go for a slam attempt, but without holding a first- or second-round control of every suit, we don't have the right to do that. Our jump to 4♠ gives Pard the right to take it further if he wants to.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - NORTH!! PAY ATTENTION!!!We are now the partner of the hand we saw in the last question.

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	Pass
2♥	Pass	3♦	Pass
4♠	Pass	??

A: Pass: As we saw in the last question, Pard jumped to 4♠, leaving us with the problem of what to do now. We could control-bid our ♦A but with two quick Club losers, we decide to Pass. Our hand has lost value, as the ♣Q-J are virtually worthless. Guess what They are going to lead?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ A 8 4
♦ A J 10 6 5
♣ Q 9 4

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	2♠
Pass	Pass	2 No-trump	Pass
?

A: 3 No-trump: What does your Pard's 2 No-trump mean in the balancing seat? Have you talked about this? In the direct seat, it would be a full-blown 1 No-trump opening hand, with stoppers in "Their" suit. In the balancing seat, most agree it might be a little lighter, 12-14ish pts, but still with the Spades stopped. We're going for it!

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	Pass
?

A: 1♦: While we have the points and shape for a 2 No-trump response, it would suggest stoppers everywhere. We don't like the bare doubleton in the unbid suit. Let's make a forcing bid.

And now, are you ready for your hand? Audacity will be required.

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

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