bridge

June 7, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

bridge

Answers to weekly quiz:

Q. Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

xA Q uK 9vQ 10 8 7 4 2 wA J 6

What is your opening bid?

A. Pretend one of your diamonds is a heart or a spade and open one no trump with your essentially balanced hand.

Q. As South, vulnerable, you hold:

xA Q 6 2 uK Q 5 vA Q J 5w9 4

Partner opens the bidding with three hearts. What do you respond?

A. Rule one of pre-emptive bidding is that an opening pre-empt denies possession of two aces. Bid four hearts.

Q. Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

x9 7 6 uK Q 8 7 2 v10 wQ 10 5 4

The bidding has proceeded:

NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST

1x 2w ?

What action do you take?

A. When you have just enough for a response to partner’s opening bid, see what you can do to suggest that you don’t have much by planning only one bid. The only action here that qualifies is a raise to two spades with your weak fragment.

Q. Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

xA K Q 9 3 u8 vA 10 9 4 wJ 6 4

The bidding has proceeded:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1x Pass 2u Pass

What do you bid now?

A. Rebid two spades.

Q. Both vulnerable, as South you hold:

xK 7 3 uQ J 9 5 v9 6 3 w7 4 3

Partner opens the bidding with one spade. What action do you take?

A. If you play one-no-trump forcing, by all means make that bid prior to signing off in spades, to show a dead minimum response. If you do not, it is a virtual toss-up between a pass and a raise to two spades. Despite the flat hand, the honor in spades and the heart sequence, as well as the pre-emptive value, tilt matters in favor of the raise.

Q. As South, vulnerable, you hold:

xQ 7 6 uK Q 5 3 v10 wK Q 9 8 7

The bidding has proceeded:

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1wPass 1xPass

What do you bid now?

A. You can rule out one no trump because of your singleton diamond and you are not strong enough to reverse with two hearts, so your choice lies between rebidding your five-card minor or raising partner’s spades. You should not rebid a five-card minor if there is any reasonable alternative, so the raise to two spades is automatic.

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