Lesson 43 Slam Bidding 2 Asking with Blackwood

Lesson 43 Slam Bidding (2) Asking with Blackwood

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 4 NT 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 cuebid in suit auctions – In due course you may use Gerber in NT auctions

Blackwood, a new convention • Blackwood gives a special meaning to the bid of 4 NT • After a suit has been agreed, you bid 4 NT – 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 5 0 aces, or 4 aces 1 ace 2 aces 3 aces • Each suit up from 4 NT shows an additional ace – and you should never be in doubt about 0 or 4 aces when the response is 5

Asking for Kings • After you have asked for aces, you can ask for kings by bidding 5 NT. – 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

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

K 2 AKQJ 963 AKQ 6 West 2 4 NT 6 A 82 KQJ 1064 AQ 3 5 West 1 4 NT 7 NT N W E S AQ 1076 52 1082 KJ 8 East 2 5 Pass N W E S KQJ 1043 A 2 765 A 3 East 2 5 Pass

1980 Olympiad Final Dlr South EW Vul J 876 85 872 K 954 AKQ 1093 Q 762 A 9 2 N W E S AKJ 103 K 1054 AQ 86 542 94 QJ 63 J 1073 west pass • • • north 2 3 5 Trump suit agreed! Now south uses Blackwood – • south 1 3 4 NT 7 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 – • east pass North shows two aces Now north simply (!) bids the grand slam

A health warning QJ A 9876 K 3 AJ 54 West 1 4 NT 6 N W E S 103 KQ 1054 A 876 92 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

Advance notice of Lesson 51 • Over a 1 NT/2 NT opening bid 4 NT is “quantitative” – a slam try which invites partner to pass if he is minimum, and bid 6 NT 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 4 NT = 3 aces

1) KQ 943 KQ 105 72 A 6 2) 5 K 96 AKQ 1072 A 83 West East 1 1 3 ? ? ? West East 1 2 ? ? ? 4 (no Blackwood with a small doubleton) 3 (set the trump suit first)

3) KJ 82 103 A 7 AQJ 54 West East 1 1 1 3 ? ? ? 4) Suggest an auction for these two hands: North-South pass throughout, and the dealer is West AKJ 10962 Q 87 5 AQ 1064 AK 1084 KQJ 96 4 (not enough for slam) West 2 2 4 NT 6 East 2 3 5 Pass