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Tip No. 8

 

Roman Keycard Blackwood

 

If you don’t use Roman Keycard Blackwood, it is worth the effort to learn it. Your slam bidding will improve a lot. There are several aspects of this convention in addition to the basic responses that are important.

1) Use 1430 (5C shows 1 or 4 key cards) instead of 3014 (5C shows 0 or 3 key cards). This allows finding out about the trump queen, when hearts is trump and partner has one key card, without bypassing 5H.

2) In responding to a Queen Ask, show the Queen even though you don’t have it if you are sure the partnership has at least 10 cards in the trump suit.

3) Bid a small slam whenever you have 4 key cards and the trump Queen or 5 key cards missing the trump Queen (Don’t forget that a 10 card trump suit counts as having the Queen).

4) Bidding slam missing one key card and the trump Queen is bad bridge, especially at match points.

5) In responding to a 5NT (King ask), bid 6 in the lowest ranking suit where you hold a King. This is better than showing the number of Kings.

6) If the response to 4NT shows that you have all 5 key cards and the trump Queen, bid 5NT even if you were not thinking of bidding a grand slam. Partner could have a source of tricks (a solid running suit, for example) you don’t know about which may enable him to count 13 tricks. He should then bid the grand slam and not respond with his cheapest King.

7) Be careful about using any form of Blackwood when a disappointing response by partner commits you to slam anyway. This usually is more common if the trump suit is a minor suit.

 

 

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