Improvers Bridge Lesson 8 Review of Blackwood

Blackwood  There are 2 versions:  Standard Blackwood  Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB)  Make sure you know which version your partnership is using!!!

Blackwood Convention  When partner bids 4NT  Although a Conventional Bid do NOT alert  No alerts above 3NT (except first round artificial bid)  The 4NT bid says:  How many top cards have you?

Standard Blackwood  Top cards are the 4 Aces  With 0 or 4 Aces bid 5  With 0 or 4 Aces bid 5   With 1 Ace bid 5  With 1 Ace bid 5   With 2 Aces bid 5  With 2 Aces bid 5  With 3 Aces bid 5  With 3 Aces bid 5   These bids say nothing about the suit bid  They reply to partner’s request

Standard Blackwood  Partner knows how many Aces you hold  And whether to bid a slam (12 tricks)  Or look for a Grand Slam (13 tricks)  Partner can bid 5NT to ask for Kings  If a Grand Slam is likely  But only do this with all Aces present  You are committed to at least a small slam  5NT promises that all suits are safe

Standard Blackwood  Partner asks for Kings by bidding 5NT  Responses are:  With 0 Kings bid 6  With 0 Kings bid 6   With 1 King bid 6  With 1 King bid 6   With 2 Kings bid 6  With 2 Kings bid 6  With 3 Kings bid 6  With 3 Kings bid 6   With 4 Kings bid 6NT

Roman Key Card Blackwood  King of trumps is counted as a top card  So 5 Key Cards  4NT asks how many of these do you have  Partner then responds:  With 3 or 0 Key Cards bid 5  With 3 or 0 Key Cards bid 5   With 4 or 1 Key Cards bid 5  With 4 or 1 Key Cards bid 5   With 5 or 2 Key Cards, no Q trumps bid 5  With 5 or 2 Key Cards, no Q trumps bid 5  With 5 or 2 Key Cards, + Q trumps bid 5  With 5 or 2 Key Cards, + Q trumps bid 5   Remember the sequence 30, 41, 52

RKCB  Partner asks for Kings by bidding 5NT  But not including the trump King  Responses are:  With 0 Kings bid 6  With 0 Kings bid 6   With 1 King bid 6  With 1 King bid 6   With 2 Kings bid 6  With 2 Kings bid 6  With 3 Kings bid 6  With 3 Kings bid 6 

Blackwood – Example 1 QQ 9 8 AA 55 55 5 TT 77 Partner opens 1 Partner opens 1 Your bid? 2 2 Partner bids 4NT What is your response Ordinary Blackwood? With 1 Ace 5 With 1 Ace 5 RKCB? With 1 Key Card 5 With 1 Key Card 5  44 44 4 44

Blackwood – Example 2 JJ K 8 AA 55 55 5 TT 77 Partner opens 1 Partner opens 1 Your bid? 2 2 Partner bids 4NT What is your response Ordinary Blackwood? With 1 Ace 5 With 1 Ace 5 RKCB? With 2 Key Cards and not Q trumps 5 With 2 Key Cards and not Q trumps 5 44 44 4 44

Blackwood – Example 3 33 K Q AA 55 55 8 TT 77 Partner opens 2 Partner opens 2  Your bid? 2positive 8+ HCP 2 positive 8+ HCP Partner bids 4NT Agreeing your suit Ordinary Blackwood? With 1 Ace 5 With 1 Ace 5 RKCB? With 2 Key Cards plus Q trumps 5 With 2 Key Cards plus Q trumps 5  44 44 5 44

Blackwood – Example 3 Blackwood – Example 3 (cont) 33 K Q AA 55 55 8 TT 77 44 44 5 44 Now partner bids 5NT Asking about Kings Ordinary Blackwood? With 1 King 6 With 1 King 6 RKCB? With No Kings to count 6 With No Kings to count 6 

Blackwood – Example 4 K 8 55 55 5 TT 77 The Bidding Goes Partner opens 2 Partner opens 2  2 2  4NT 4NT Ordinary Blackwood? With no Aces 5 With no Aces 5 RKCB? With 1 Key Card 5 With 1 Key Card 5  44 44 4 44 Q JJ 2222 3 3 ?

Blackwood – Example 5 8 55 55 5 QQ 77 The Bidding Goes Partner opens 1 Partner opens 1  3 3 4NT 4NT Ordinary Blackwood? With no Aces 5 With no Aces 5 RKCB? With no Key Cards 5 With no Key Cards 5  44 44 4 44 Q QQ 1NT 4 4 ? QQ

Blackwood – Example 6 8 55 55 5 AA 77 The Bidding Goes Partner opens 2 Partner opens 2 4NT 4NT Ordinary Blackwood? With 2 Aces 5 With 2 Aces 5 RKCB? With 2 Key Cards plus Q trumps 5 With 2 Key Cards plus Q trumps 5  44 44 4 44 Q 33 3 3 ? AA

Blackwood – Example 7 J 99 KK 5 KK JJ The Bidding Goes Partner opens 2 Partner opens 2  5 5  What can you respond? Bid Blackwood You know NT is the place No suit has been agreed Partner must show aces If partner has all 4 Aces Ask for Kings with 5NT QQ 88 44 99 K 33 4NT5NT QQ

When do You Bid the Slam?  If you have all Aces or all Key cards present bid the slam  And think about asking for Kings  Missing 1 Ace or 1 Key card  Bid it with good suit(s) to run  Using RKCB bid it if you hold the trump Q  Missing 2 Aces or Key cards  Stop at the 5 level

Stopping at the right level  You think a slam is on  But not in partner’s suit  So you bid 4NT  Expecting to get to 6NT  But you are missing 2 aces  How do you stop in 5NT?  When 5NT asks for Kings!

Stopping in 5NT Q 88 KK 55 AA KK QQ 33 44 TT K 33 KK Partner opens 1 Partner opens 1  We have 20HCP! Bid 2 We have 20HCP! Bid 2  Partner bids 2 Partner bids 2  Shows minimum opener Bid 4NT Partner bids 5 Partner bids 5 RKCB Missing 2 aces Must stop at the 5 level Bid next suit up Partner bids 5NT

Stopping in 5NT Q 88 KK 55 AA KK QQ 33 44 TT K 33 KK Partner opens 1 Partner opens 1 We have 20HCP! Bid 2 Bid 2  Partner bids 2 Partner bids 2 (min opener) We bid 4NT 5 Partner bids 5 RKCB Missing 2 aces Must stop at the 5 level Bid suit above partners (5 Bid suit above partners (5  ) Partner bids 5NT

Stopping at the 5 level  If partner initiates Blackwood  You respond  Then partner bids a different unexpected suit  You MUST bale out in 5NT  Partner’s suit bid is not a natural bid  So do NOT leave it in!!!

Blackwood or RKCB  Blackwood is slightly easier  Blackwood is universal  RKCB gives you more information  Making judgement on bidding the slam more accurate  If you play RKCB all the time it becomes the norm  RKCB can give you an edge

Summary  You MUST use one or other version  I strongly advise RKCB  Don’t panic when partner bids 4NT  All you have to do is make the correct response  Partner has the difficult job to decide where to stop  Bidding and making slams gives tremendous satisfaction!!!