"Slow Cookers" by Marti Ronemus

We've all got one somewhere in the house, our faithful Slow Cooker. We've all got the recipe book somewhere too, don't we? What could be better on a cold winter's night than a savory stew, bubbling away, waiting for us.

And what a metaphor for bridge partnerships, too. Think about how slowly the flavors develop in the cooker and how time helps mature a partnership. How much better we "click" as we get acquainted, just like ingredients in the Cooker. Not to say we can't have a great game with a pick-up partner, but time enables us to accept each other's foibles.

So let's develop our flavors as we work on our quiz today. And remember, no one wants us to win more than our Pards. So be kind.

Question 1

Your Hand
♠ J 8 5
♥ 3 2
♦ K Q 10 9 8 4 3
♣ 8

Q: 1 - South:

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

A: 3♦: We can't rebid the Spades, as we've already shown our support and point count. BUT!! Now's our chance to show our extreme distribution. Pard will know we couldn't bid them initially because we lack point count. Now's our chance to show our true ingredients.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 2

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

Q: 2 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	4♠	p
p	5♣	p	5♥
?

A: Pass: With 13 pts, it might seem we should double, but consider: Our ♥K is in front of the Heart bidder. Kiss that one goodbye. West is marked with at least 10 cards in the round suits, maybe 11. We just have no source of tricks. Were we to bid, we would go down for a phone number.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 3

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

Q: 3 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	-	2♠	p
?

A: 2 No-trump: We are close to game. Figure Pard for 5-1/2 tricks. We've got a nine-card trump fit, our nice trump honor, and some trick-taking values. Bidding 3♠ for most would just be an advance of the pre-empt. Bidding 2 No-trump asks for a feature outside of the trump suit, which would be very useful to know. Our other choice is to go right to 4♠. Give yourself an extra helping for either answer.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 4

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

Q: 4 - South:

South	West	North	East
1♥	p	2♣**	Dbl
?

**Game force

A: 3♣: Since Pard's bid is game force, there's no need to rush. Redouble won't give us anything extra. Why not show our Club suit, and then rebid the Hearts, which will show a 6-4 hand. If you don't play 2/1, then your bid would be 3♥, so give yourself credit for that also.

Your result so far:

Open Question

Question 5

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

Q: 5 - South:

South	West	North	East
-	1♥	p	2♥
?

A: Double: We can smell dinner beginning to burn over this one, so let's talk. East/West have shown probably only holding eight Hearts between them, so Pard is marked with five. He is also marked with at least 10 points. A double will enable him to Pass and convert the double to penalty if he wants. Does he have four Spades? We don't know yet, but his next bid will tell us. What if he bids 3♣? Correct to Diamonds. Most people play that a correction AT THE SAME LEVEL does NOT show a big hand. Talk it over with Pard.

Let's play 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.

Play on ANY Device

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!