"Jesse James" by Marti Ronemus

This week in 1882, Jesse James was shot to death. It turns out that Jesse James wasn't killed by a lawman, but rather by a member of his own gang, hoping to collect the $10,000 reward. He not only didn't collect, but gave us a new standard to prove "no honor among thieves."

It also turns out that Jesse James' "robbed the rich and gave to the poor" reputation was unfounded. He did no such thing.

To commemorate Jesse, we're going to look at bids designed to rob the opponents of any victory at all. We've got our guns blazing and our horses saddled.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♦	Double	2♦
?

A: 4♦: What? You don't think your hand is worth a game-force bid? Really? Pard made a vulnerable Double, promising four cards in the unbid majors (possibly 4-3) and a nice opening hand minimum. Our bid in effect is saying "Pick your own darn major suit, Pard." This is protection against picking Pard's three-card major, if he happens to have one. If you picked 4♥ or 4♠, give yourself some credit also.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1 No-trump	p
2♥**	p	2♠	p
?

**Transfer to Spades

A: 5 No-trump: We must insist on Slam. Pard has a minimum of 15, and we've got 17 plus a lovely Spade suit. This bid tells Pard to place the contract in either 6♠ if he has three pieces, or 6 No-trump with only a doubleton. Pard will get the message.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 3 2
♥ 7
♦ A K 9 4 3
♣ A K J 9 6

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	p
1♦	1♥	Dbl**	p
?

**Negative Double promising four Spades and probably Clubs in the unbid suits and at least 6-7 pts.

A: 3♣: The only forcing bid after a "Bid, darn it, BID!!" double is a cuebid of the opponents' suit. This is an invitational bid. We don't know what Pard has, so let's tell him what WE have... an intermediate opening hand, made even more terrific because of our singleton in West's suit. Let's make our problem our Pard's.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	p
1♦	1♥	Dbl**	p
?

**Negative Double promising four Spades and probably Clubs in the unbid suits and at least 6-7 pts.

A: 2♥: Unlike last hand, we need to force this to game, which is what a cue-bid does. On his next bid, Pard will tell us more about his hand. We well may end up in No-trump, but now that we've forced to game (not promising any particular shape, by the way), we can take our time finding the perfect fit.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	p	2♥
?

A: Pass: Even paid-up members of the Clint Eastwood School of Bidding must pass this mess. We HATE this hand. It's flat, which is a danger in a competitive auction. Yes, we have 15 HCP, BUT!! The honors are scattered, our ♥Q is likely a loser, we have no Honorettes, no source of tricks. If there is any balancing to be done, trust our Pard. The sheriff is after us on this one.

And now it's time for 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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