Should you let your opponents play? by Bobby Wolff

Should you let your opponents play or should you bid on?

And if not, should you double?

And when they don't interfer, how do you best describe yourhand to partner?

Test yourself in these five situations.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ A K Q 10 8 5
♥ Q 9 2
♦ K
♣ Q 10 2

Q: 1 - What do you bid next as South?

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

A: 4♠: Although the jump to three spades does not definitively lock in spades as the trump suit, it suggests at most a one-loser suit. The four-heart call is still technically consistent with a hand with 5-6 in the reds, but sounds more like a cue-bid for spades with no club control. So you should bid four spades now.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - What do you bid next as South?

South	West	North	East
-	-	-	2♦
2♥	3♦	Double	Pass
?

A: Pass: Your partner's double is value-showing, maybe a minimum of an eight-count? He typically has a doubleton heart and suggests length in the other suits. I would pass and lead a trump. Where are the opponents going to score tricks except in the trump suit?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ Q J 4
♥ K 7
♦ Q 10 8 5 2
♣ 8 6 4

Q: 3 - What do you bid next as South?

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

A: 2♥: Even though your queens are in the suits where partner seems to be short, and so may not be pulling their full weight, you are not ashamed of your hand. So it feels right to give false preference to two hearts, keeping the auction open in case partner is about to show extras. If the heart king were the jack, I might consider passing two clubs.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

Your Hand
♠ J 7 5 4
♥ A 9 6 5 2
♦ 8 6 3
♣ 9

Q: 4 - What do you bid as South?

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	1NT	Pass
?

A: 2♣: This is the perfect hand for Crawling Stayman -- also inelegantly referred to as Garbage Stayman. Your plan when you bid two clubs is to pass a response in a major, or to correct two diamonds to two hearts. That shows both majors and a weak hand, with something less than invitational values.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - What do you bid as South?

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

A: Double: The auction has worked out just as you hoped when you passed one club. You wanted the opponents to bid and raise hearts, letting you double for takeout. The ambiguity here is that when you back into a live auction (West being unlimited), you might be three-suited with short hearts or have a hand like your actual one. Regardless, your partner can pick from the three suits other than hearts now.

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 or Computer

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!