"Cat-in-a-Box" by Marti Ronemus

My BFF, my sister Pat and I were all enjoying a cuppa when Pat's cat Romeo declared war on a cardboard box. He was determined to defy the known Laws of Physics concerning mass and volume, fitting his entire body into a container the size of a Kleenex box. Shirley and Pat have five (!) cats between them, and assure me that if there's a box, there's gonna be a cat in it.

Further research reveals some of the theories about this: Back to the womb... the feeling of close confinement is calming and many others. The one that seems to make the most sense is that cats like a temperature between 86 and 97 degrees F., and cardboard is a great insulator. They can heat that box quickly... a warm cat is a happy cat.

Sister Pat says, "Forget your theories. Anyone who claims to be able to understand cats is a fraud." Let's ensure that our bidding isn't fraudulent. Ready?

Question 1

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

Q: 1 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	Pass
?

A: 1♠: In fourth seat, we need one of two things: Either a reasonably decent opening hand, or control of the Spade suit. Why? If you control the Spade suit (as in this example) opponents who've already passed, will have to enter at the two-level. So we use the "Rule of 15" (yeah, I know...) We add the HCP to the number of Spades, and if it hits 15, we open. Do not violate this rule, and use your common sense.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	Pass	Pass
?

A: 2♠: In third seat, we often preempt with a really nice five-card suit. Pard will not be advancing the preempt (unless he's got the car keys). It doesn't hurt to glance at the vulnerability, either.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	Pass	Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: The big difference here is that we are in fourth seat. This does not meet the "Rule of 15" or the rules of sanity. We don't preempt in fourth suit (usually). You can't fit this cat into a box. Sorry.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
-		Pass	Pass
?

A: Pass: The suit quality just isn't that good, so we are reluctant to bid 2♥. If we bid 1♥, Pard for sure is going to bid 1♠, and now we've got problems. Better to let this kitty go.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-		Pass	Pass
?

A: 3♦: If you are going to bid at all, fill the box! At least the opponents are going to have to struggle to enter the auction. They'll probably be reluctant to double too.

And now, let's scratch up some furniture with a nice hand.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Play this Hand

Now that you've bid five hands, let's see how your play goes.

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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