"National Fill Our Staplers Day" by Marti Ronemus

If I hadn't seen it on the calendar, I wouldn't have believed it: "National Fill our Staplers Day"?! How gloriously trivial! BUT! We are going to turn it into something meaningful. Doesn't it seem that this is like the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared?" Isn't filling your stapler a metaphor for attending to every little detail for perfection? C'mon, work with me here.

In each of the next five bidding challenges and the following hand, we're going to strive for perfections, symbolized by the lowly staple.

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - As South, what's your rebid?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	pass
1♥	pass	1♠	pass
?

A: 3 No-trumps: You belong in game. You successfully eliminated any major suit fit. What are you waiting for?

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

Your Hand
♠ 9 3 2
♥ A J 9 3 2
♦ 5 4
♣ K 10 5

Q: 2 - Same bidding, different hand. What now?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	pass
1♥	pass	1♠	pass
?

A: 1 No-trump: You would never rebid that unsupported Heart suit, would you? Please! That's just not done in polite company. 1 No-trump shows your point count perfectly. Now you've limited your hand (notice it's the first limiting bid made) and it's Pard's problem.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

Your Hand
♠ 5
♥ Q 10 9 7 5 2
♦ 3
♣ K 10 9 7 5

Q: 3 - Let's see what happens with this hand. As South...

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	pass
1♥	pass	1♠	pass
?

A: 2♥: We're striving for perfection. We want a full stapler. You didn't try to bid the Clubs, did you? First, you don't have the money to buy the two-level. It costs 10. Also, bidding the fourth suit is forcing to game (for many players) and promises opening values. While 1 No-trump would be an option, we hate that with the two singletons. 2♥ shows your six-card suit. You aren't saying "good,"; you are saying "six." Not a perfect bid but better than the alternatives.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - Same bidding (last time, I promise!). How will you handle it this time?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♦	pass
1♥	pass	1♠	pass
?

A: 3♠: Invitational. Shows support (four-card, as Pard is only promising four) and promises 10-12 pts. Fills the stapler perfectly.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

Your Hand
♠ 2
♥ K Q 10 9 8 7 6
♦ K 4 3
♣ K 2

Q: 5 - As South, what will be your rebid?

South	West	North	East
-	-	1♣	pass
1♥	pass	2 no-trump	pass
?

*Showing 18-19 pts.

A: 4♣: We can see the stapler filling before our eyes. Pard holds 18-19 pts, and we've got 11, with a hugely rich suit. With us holding (almost) all the kings, Pard's gotta have aces. Let's ask and find out. When the first or last natural bid has been No-trumps, we use Gerber to ask.

We're going to play this hand now. We'll get to see how the bidding finishes up and what happens on the play. We'll try hard not to get our fingers caught in the stapler.

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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