"Rock On" by Marti Ronemus

So, I overheard a snippet of argument between a teen-ager and his (I suppose) mother while in a restaurant (alright, I was eavesdropping). The speaker said that "even termites like rock music." He had heard it in science class.

Well, you can imagine the fun I had researching THAT one. It turns out it is TRUE!! Yes, it has been scientifically proven that termites chew approximately twice as fast if rock music is being played.

And, just so you're fully prepared to drop this into the conversation with authority, here's the reason why. It seems that termites use the vibration of the wood when they chew it to determine the size of the wood. The bigger the wood, the faster they chew. Rock music, because of some of the characteristic instruments.

Let's see if we're on the same frequency as Pard and bid some hands.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ 7
♥ 4 3
♦ Q J 10 9 7 5 4
♣ A 9 4

Q: 1 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	4♠	Dbl	Pass
?

A: 5♦: We've got a good suit and some "stuff" outside. We might consider passing Pard's double, but we don't have enough Clubs or tricks. Any additional action is Pard's problem. This is scary enough.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ K Q J 10 3 2
♥ A J 7 5 4
♦ 2
♣ 2

Q: 2 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	4♣
?

A: 4♠: This situation is exactly why we LOVE preempts when WE are the ones who "commit" them, and HATE them when we are the victim. It's tempting to bid 5♣, Michaels Cuebid showing the majors, but it does push things up a bit high. In disgust, we bid our longest suit, with a willingness to bid Hearts if those termites ... er, opponents ... continue with their wretched Clubs. Grrrr.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Pass	1♥
?

A: Double: We use those "two-fer" bids whenever we can. The double promises four Spades and support for the fourth suit. We like this hand a lot. It's got great texture with the shape, and honors all in the two longest suits... no wasted values. A safe bid at any frequency.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 9 8
♥ J 9 8 7
♦ 6
♣ Q 6 5 4 3

Q: 4 - South?

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	1♠	Dbl
?

A: 2♠: This is a Law of Total Tricks hand. Normally we would (gleefully) Pass with this miserable pile of cards. BUT!! In a competitive auction, raising Pard to the level of trumps in our combined hands is a great defensive action. We've got an 8-card fit. Let's bid it. Pard won't be encouraged, because raising Pard's suit in a competitive auction is the weakest bid we can give.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♣	Dbl	Pass
?

A: Pass: The question is, when can you Pass Pard's Takeout Double? And not be chewed into sawdust? This is the hand. What's the guideline here... If you can see THREE trump tricks and one outside trick, convert the Double to penalty. Otherwise, you simply must bid. Otherwise they'll never find your body.

Ready to try our luck with 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.
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