1. Slam Bidding (2) Asking with Blackwood
Lesson 43
Slam Bidding (2)
Asking with Blackwood

2. Aims To introduce the idea of Asking for Aces using Blackwood
Although cue-bidding is a better tool, Blackwood is simple and straightforward
It is designed to avoid bad slams rather than find good ones
It uses 4NT as an asking bid
You may have heard of Gerber, but try to forget it
It uses 4 as an asking bid, but we need as a natural bid or a cue-bid in suit auctions
In due course you may use Gerber in NT auctions

3. Blackwood, a new convention
Blackwood gives a special meaning to the bid of 4NT
After a suit has been agreed, you bid 4NT
It’s not a natural bid, it is a conventional bid
It asks partner to say how many aces there are in partner’s hand
Partner shows how many aces by responding as follows:
5 0 aces, or 4 aces
5 1 ace
5 2 aces
5 3 aces
Each suit up from 4NT shows an additional ace
and you should never be in doubt about 0 or 4 aces when the response is 5

4. Asking for Kings
After you have asked for aces, you can ask for kings by bidding 5NT.
The responses are exactly the same at one level higher
6 0 kings, or 4
6 1 king
6 2 kings
6 3 kings
There are many more developed variations
Roman Blackwood
Roman Keycard Blackwood.
For the time being we will stick with the simplest form, as it is a very effective convention

5. Take care not to go too high!
Blackwood is an easy convention
but also a dangerous one.
You must be prepared for all the possible responses so that you do not find yourself too high
You can ask for aces safely only when you are fairly sure that you have a slam on, often after cue bidding
Blackwood is a device for keeping out of bad slams.
You should have clearly agreed a trump suit
You should know that you have the values for at least a small slam

6. K2 AKQJ963 AKQ 6 N W E S AQ1076 52 1082 KJ8 A82 KQJ1064 AQ3
West 2
4NT 6
East 2 5
Pass
A82
KQJ1064
AQ3 5 N
W E S
KQJ1043
A2
765
A3
West 1
4NT
7NT
East 2 5
Pass

7. 1980 Olympiad Final west north east south - - - 1  pass 2  pass 3 
pass 2  pass 3 
pass 3  pass 4NT
pass 5  pass 7 
Dlr South
EW Vul
AKQ1093
Q762
A9 2
J876
85
872
K954 N
W E S
542
94
QJ63
J1073
 -
AKJ103
K1054
AQ86
North’s jump shift shows 6+ spades with at least two top honours
After south’s rebid, north knows that south has 5+ hearts
North now shows heart support
Trump suit agreed!
Now south uses Blackwood
North shows two aces
Now north simply (!) bids the grand slam

8. A health warning QJ A9876 K3 AJ54 N W E S 103 KQ1054 A876 92
West 1
4NT 6
East 4 5
Pass
Declarer lost 2 spades and 1 club for two down
East had enough for 4 hearts as she could add another 3 points for heart length and spade and club shortage
West had no obvious source of tricks and he should have passed
Use cue bidding as a means of investigating controls
Use Blackwood only when a small slam is virtually certain
Known controls
Obvious source of tricks

9. Advance notice of Lesson 51
Over a 1NT/2NT opening bid 4NT is “quantitative”
a slam try which invites partner to pass if he is minimum, and bid 6NT if he is maximum
In NT auctions (and only in NT auctions) you might ask for aces with 4
This is known as Gerber
The responses are also in steps:
4 = 0 or 4 aces
4 = 1 ace
4 = 2 aces
4NT = 3 aces

10. 1)  KQ943 West East  KQ105 1  72 1 3  A6 ??? 2)  5 West East
  3
 A6 ??? 4
(no Blackwood with a small doubleton) 2)
 5 West East
 K  2
 AKQ ???
 A83 3
(set the trump
suit first)

11. 3)  KJ82 West East  103 1 1  A7 1 3  AQJ54 ??? 4)
  1
 A  3
 AQJ54 ??? 4
(not enough for slam) 4)
Suggest an auction for these two hands: North-South pass throughout, and the dealer is West
 AKJ  Q87
 5  AQ1064
 AK  1084
 KQJ  96
West East
2 2
2 3
4NT 5
6 Pass