By Peter Rhead
Roman Key-Card Blackwood
Last week we reviewed how to use Blackwood to ask for Aces in a suit contract when your partnership is looking for a slam. The convention “Roman Key-Card Blackwood” is a more sophisticated version that we will investigate today.
The Key-Card being referred to is the King of trump. The trump suit is the suit that you and your partner have agreed on. If no suit has been agreed upon, the trump suit would be the last-bid suit.
Many players consider the King of trump to be equivalent to an Ace. By extension then, there are five Aces and three Kings in the deck of a suit contract.
So how do you ask for Aces using Key-Card Blackwood? You must have a partner who agrees to play Key-Card or you will get into real trouble. You realize that your partnership may have enough points to investigate the possibility of a slam? Again, thirty-three is the traditional partnership point-count number to look for when considering bidding a slam. This number of points has been chosen as the opponents could not have two Aces which might sink a slam. Often though, with distributional hands, a slam can be reached with fewer points. Long suits can be very useful.
Once one partner has limited their hand, the other partner knows the combined assets of the partnership and must take charge; he becomes the Captain.
Key-Card Blackwood applies only to a suit contract. In a suit contract, the method to ask for Aces by the Captain is still to bid Four No-Trump, the Blackwood Convention. The response to Blackwood Four No-Trump is what is different. That is where Key-Card takes over.
A response of Five Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, or Five Spades shows respectively one or four Aces, three or zero Aces, two or five Aces without the Queen of trump, and two or five Aces with the Queen of trump in their hand. This is known as Key-Card 1430 (one or four, three or zero).
Once the Captain knows the partnership has five Aces, he can ask for Kings by bidding Five No-Trump and the response sequence is normal Blackwood: Six Clubs-zero, Diamonds-one, Hearts-two or Spades-three. (Remember, the King of trump is an Ace). The Captain also might go right to slam.
For additional information, read Roman Key-Card Blackwood in Barbara Seagram’s 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know, page 153.
Next Week: Exclusion Blackwood
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.
SOCIAL BRIDGE GAME IN HUNTSVILLE
AT THE SUMMIT CENTRE FOR ACTIVE LIVING, THURSDAYS 7PM
In the multi-purpose room 2nd floor (elevator) (back entrance of Summit Centre)
Just come – with or without a partner. Please arrive 10 minutes before game time. For information, contact Donna or Peter Tikuisis at 647 471 1774 or [email protected].
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 for the Winter 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]
There was no game Monday, March 9, 2020 due to a variety of circumstances.
Results for Monday, March 2, 2020 1. Scott Staples & Gary Irving 3950 points; 2. Ted & Susan Daglish 3500 points; 3. Joan & Len Frost 2780 points
HUNTSVILLE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB
Games are Tuesday 1pm Trinity United Church 33 Main Street. Please arrive with your partner at least 10 minutes before game time. For partnerships and information call Jan Roberts 705 635-2522 or email [email protected]
The following winners are for Tuesday, Mar 10, 2020 with 6 pairs playing a Howell Movement. 1. Gerry VanLierop and Ron Groulx; 2. Liz Graham and Dorothy Russell; 3/4. Susan Marshall and Jan Roberts; 3/4. Vern Foell and Rod Dixon
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. For information contact Brian at 705-645-5340 [email protected]
The following winners are from Monday, Mar 9, 2020 with 9 pairs playing a Howell movement. 1. Mary Luke and Donna McIntosh; 2. David Bryce and Gail Lederer; 3. Susan Maddocks and Isabel Hellberg; 4. Kathy Kent and David Kent; 5. Lynda Mochrie and Wayne Mochrie
Looking for more bridge tips? You’ll find them here.
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