By Val Rhead
BIG HANDS PART THREE – ASKING FOR ACES
In a previous column, we discussed the situation where you and your partner see the possibility of a slam. One method of determining whether or not a slam is doable is to ask for Aces using either the Blackwood or the Gerber Conventions. However, if you have a void or a worthless doubleton in your hand, you do not ask for Aces. Using these two Conventions may not give you all the information that you need, such as where those Aces are located.
If the contract is going to be in a suit, and you do not have a void or a useless doubleton, players should use the Blackwood Convention to ask for Aces. Using Blackwood, one player bids Four No-Trump to ask for Aces. Partner will respond Five Clubs with zero or four Aces, Five Diamonds with one Ace, Five Hearts with two Aces, or Five Spades with three Aces. Only bid Five No-Trump to ask for Kings if you have all the Aces.
If either partner opens One No-Trump or Two No-Trump, or if the responder’s first bid is No-Trump, the Gerber Convention will be used to discover the number of Aces held by the partnership. In this case, the sequence is started by one of the players jumping to a bid of Four Clubs. The partner will respond with a bid of Four Diamonds to indicate zero or four Aces, Four Hearts to show one Ace, Four Spades to show two Aces, and Four No Trump to show three Aces. A bid of Five Clubs asks for Kings. Again, players should ask for Kings only if they have all four Aces.
I know some players like to ask for Aces, by playing Gerber anytime. They prefer Gerber because it keeps the bidding lower. The problem is that this Convention is designed to be used when bidding slams in No-Trump. It is not advisable to use it when you are bidding a slam in a suit. Sometimes you have a good Club suit, or you have bid Clubs during the auction, and your slam bidding will become confused.
I witnessed a prime example of this confusion recently at an unsanctioned Duplicate game. The opponent, East, on my right opened a pre-emptive Three-Heart bid. I was void in Hearts and had three good suits. I made a Take-Out Double. My left-hand opponent, in West, passed. My partner in North answered my double with a Four-Club bid. This was great because I had five good Clubs. We bid and made Five Clubs giving us a score of 400.
I felt that this would be a good board for us, that is until we opened the travelling score card. A pair in the North-South direction (the same direction as we were playing), at another table made a score of 800. We were sure that a mistake had been made and the wrong score was recorded.
The score was correct. The opener in East had opened with the pre-emptive Three Heart bid. The South player in my position had made a Take-Out Double. The West opponent had good Heart support, and thinking that a slam might be possible, had bid Four Clubs asking for Aces. He had no Clubs, in fact the entire partnership only had two Clubs between them. He intended his bid as a Gerber Four-Club bid asking for Aces. His partner, who was an experienced player and would never use Gerber in a suit contract, assumed her partner must have a good Club suit. She passed. They went down eight vulnerable tricks giving their opponents, North-South, the colossal score of 800.
As the saying goes, Bridge is a game of mistakes. Usually, it is the players who make the fewest mistakes who are the winners. It is fortunate though that we do learn from our mistakes. I can assure you that over the years I have done a lot of learning. One practice I have learned to avoid massive mistakes, is not to use Gerber in a suit contract to ask for Aces
Next week we will discuss Cue Bids, the preferred method for discovering controls (Aces and voids) particularly when you are investigating a possible slam with a worthless doubleton or void in your hand.
If you wish to promote an activity in your bridge group or ask a bridge question, send the information to vrhead23@gmail.com and I will try to include it in this column.
CFUW MUSKOKA BRIDGE FOR BURSARIES FUNDRAISER
SPRING LUNCH AND BRIDGE/CARD/GAMES PARTY, ALL WELCOME
12 NOON FOR LUNCH Friday, April 12, 2019 $25 per person
South Muskoka Curling and Golf Club, 10 Golf Course Road, Bracebridge
A great opportunity for all to enjoy companionship and to support young women in Muskoka for college or university. Arrange your foursome and bring supplies for your table of four. To register, please provide four names to: Mary [email protected] or Carol Wilson 705-646-2567
NEW SOCIAL BRIDGE GAME IN HUNTSVILLE
Games are at the Active Living Centre on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the multi-purpose room on the 2nd floor (elevator) at the back entrance of the Canada Summit Centre. Just come – with or without a partner. For information, please contact Donna or Peter Tikuisis at 647 471 1774 or [email protected].
For now, this game will be played following Chicago Rules (allowing both fast and slow games). You will keep your same partner for the entire evening. Cost is $1.50 per person. Parking is outside the North Entrance opposite Heritage Village Railway Station.
PORT CARLING SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB
Games for the Port Carling Social Bridge Club are Monday afternoon 1pm at the Port Carling Community Centre, 3 Bailey Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time.
For information, contact Andree or Scott 705-764-3827 [email protected]
Monday, April 1, 2019 Winners 1. Els Vandenberg & Peter Rhead 4,210 points; 2. Louise Kirbyson & Joan Frost 3,320 points
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games are now EVENING PLAY until January, Tuesday 7pm Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time. For partners and information call Liz Graham (705) 789-7187 or email at [email protected]
HUNTSVILLE CLUB, PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE: 7pm Also, the game has moved to the gym – no steps!
The following winners are for Tuesday, Apr 2, 2019 with 9 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Vern Foell and Rod Dixon; 2. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 3/4. Liz Graham and Dorothy Russell; 3/4. Fay MacDonald and Yvonne Cox; 5. Susan Marshall and Jan Roberts
MUSKOKA DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB (Bracebridge)
Games for the Bracebridge Club are Mondays 7pm, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Taylor Road. Please arrive with your partner 10 minutes before game time.
The following winners are from Monday, Apr 1, 2019 with 12 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 2. Kel Andresen and Jim Smith; 3. Liz Barnes and David Bryce; 4. Susan Maddocks and Isabel Hellberg; 5. Yvonne Cox and Helen Pearson; 6. Art Insley and Don Evans
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