Beyond First Round Bids "Timing..." by Marti Ronemus

Two little "this day in history" events. Singly, they are interesting. Juxtaposed however, they are thought provoking.

1. In 1994, comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, while appearing on Leno, set his chair on fire because he thought "the show is moving too slow." He certainly speeded up the action with THAT little trick!
(Bridge Directors: Take Note!!)

2) In 1879, a constitutional amendment to prevent congressional pay raises was proposed. 139 years later, this week in 1992, it was finally passed. Where is Bobcat when you need him?

SO!! Let's move THIS along with a few quiz questions. Most less-experienced players can make it through the first round of bidding, but then get a tad confused. Let's work on it.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	p
1♥	p	2♥	p
?

A: Pass: Pard in North has shown a minimum opener, no more than 14 pts. We've only got 10 pts, which might be worth an invite, BUT!! We are flat, and don't have more than 24 pts. between us. Congressman everywhere would pass with this.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ J 6 5 4
♥ Q 10 5 4
♦ K 7 2
♣ 4 3

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	p
1♥	p	3♥	p
?

A: Pass: Sigh. This time, Pard's showing 16-18 pts which will include some distribution points, most likely. We have been invited to the party, but we have nothing extra and sadly must pass again.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♠	p
2♣	p	3♣	p
?

A: 3 No-trump: Pard has shown a minimum hand with 12-14 pts. We've got enough for game. Should it be in Clubs? Pard has shown support, but Bobcat Goldthwaite is lighting a fire under our chair. We've got stoppers, so it's No-trump for us.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	p
1♠	p	4♠	p
?

A: 4 No-trump: Pard's jump to game over what might only be a 6 pt. Pard shows 19-21 pts. We have slam values. We need to know about minor suit controls. Less experienced players only have one took in their kit for that, and that's using Blackwood. We don't have first- or second-round control of Clubs, and down the road, we'll be control-bidding this hand rather than Blackwood. For now, two choices: Either going directly to 6 Spades (we have a combined points of 33-35) betting Pard's got the Club winner we need, or bidding Blackwood. That's up to you, so give yourself credit for either 4 No-trump or 6♠.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 7 6 5
♥ A Q 4
♦ A J 7 2
♣ 5 4 3

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	p
3♦	p	3♠	p
?

A: 3 No-trump: Pard named a new suit, below game, after we have minor-suit agreement. What's that all about? Picture Bobcat with a blowtorch. Pard's wants action. He's showing us he has Spade stoppers and is begging for a Heart stopper. How do we know Hearts? His points have to be somewhere, right? If he's trying to find stoppers, he must have Clubs covered. We've got the Hearts, so we bid the No-trump game he wants.

And now, 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.
More informations on our website: www.VuBridge.com

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