When should you not use Blackwood?

Don't use Blackwood if your hand has: 1. Void suits 2. A suit without first or second round control, or 3.

What is the difference between Gerber and Blackwood?

The Gerber convention is a 4 response to a no-trumps bid. Like Blackwood, it is a slam investigation bid that asks partner how many aces he holds. The difference from Blackwood is that Gerber is only used for no-trumps. This is because 1NT-4NT is natural, inviting partner to bid 6NT.

What is exclusion Blackwood?

Exclusion Blackwood (aka Voidwood) is a variation of Roman Keycard Blackwood. It may arise when a player wants to ask for key cards while holding a void. The convention was created by the late American world champion Bobby Goldman.

How do you answer a 4NT in bridge?

Where standard Blackwood 4NT is in force, a four notrump bid (4NT) asks partner to disclose the number of aces in his hand. With no aces or four, partner replies 5♣; with one, two, or three aces, 5♦, 5♥, or 5♠, respectively.

What does a 2 club response to 1NT mean?

It is one of the oldest and most widely used conventions in the world, since a major suit contract is often preferable to no-trumps. A 2 response to 1NT normally shows at least a game-invitational hand with one or both majors.

When is 4NT Not Blackwood

How many points do you need to overcall a 1NT bid?

To bid 1NT as an overcall, you should have 15-18 (or 19) points, balanced with a stopper in the suit opened.

What are key cards in Blackwood?

Roman Key Card Blackwood (Key Card, RKC, RKCB, 0314, 1430) is a variation of the Blackwood convention. It is used when the partnership has agreed to a trump suit and is interested in slam. A 4NT bid asks partner how many "key cards" he holds. A key card is any ace or the trump suit king.

What is Roman Blackwood?

Roman Key Card Blackwood, which evolved from the ace asking mechanisms of the great Italian teams of the 1960's, is a refinement of ordinary Blackwood, and is based on aces, and the king of trumps. In addition, it enables the presence of the trump queen to be investigated for exploring the possibility of a grand slam.

Who invented Roman Key Card Blackwood?

This example is just one of many cases where not only is the number of aces held by the partnership a key to making a slam, but also the quality of the trumps. Enter Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB). This approach is “Roman” because it's a variation of an ace- asking scheme developed by the Italian Blue Team.

What does a 4NT bid mean?

Edit. Four notrump (4NT) is a bid in bridge which specifies a contract for the partnership to take 10 tricks without a trump suit. It is a game contract in duplicate bridge.

How do I respond to Jacoby transfer?

Opener can super-accept the transfer by bidding three of the major with a maximum hand containing at least four cards in that major.

What does 5 No trump mean in bridge?

Five notrump (5NT) is a bid in bridge which specifies a contract for the partnership to take 11 tricks without a trump suit. It is a game contract in duplicate bridge.

How do you show a void in Blackwood?

But if partner uses Blackwood and you have a void, there is a simple way to show it IF you have one or two Aces AND there is an agreed trump suit. 1. With one Ace bid SIX of the void suit IF it ranks below the trump suit. If it is of higher rank:, bid SIX of the trump suit.

What does 4NT response to 1NT mean?

4NT over 1NT is not asking for aces but about the value of the whole hand. With a balanced hand, however strong, responder will expect to play in no trumps. But with a strong suit, responder may want to look for slam in a suit. It's easy to picture hands where 6♦ could be making, but we don't.

How do you respond to Jacoby 2NT?

The 2NT response is forcing to at least game in opener's major suit. If the partnership also plays splinter bids, the Jacoby 2NT response tends to deny the shape for a splinter (i.e., no singleton or void).

How do you respond to 1NT?

In response to a 1NT opening bid, responder with a 5 card or longer major suit, bids the suit ranking immediately below the one he holds. Opener is obliged to bid the next suit up which is responder's actual suit.

What does Gerber mean in bridge?

Gerber - A slam convention using the bid of 4 Clubs to ask partner to disclose the Aces held. Also see Super Gerber, which requires a Club jump to initiate Gerber. The most common usage of Gerber to investigate Ace "controls" is when the partnership has not found a suit fit and have bid Notrump.

What is 1430 bridge convention?

Fourteen Thirty (1430): A form of the Roman Key Card Blackwood slam convention, considering the Aces, trump King, Queen, and other attributes. This convention is identical to Roman Keycard Blackwood excepting the first two responses are reversed (03 - 14 as opposed to 14 - 30).

How do you respond to a splinter bid in bridge?

If we are playing splinter bids, we respond 3♠ to show the singleton spade. It will now be up to opener to decide whether to stop in 4♥or look for slam. We can use 3♠ as a splinter bid because we have other ways to show spades. With four or more spades, we can simply respond 1♠ since a new suit response is forcing.

When can I ask for aces in bridge?

When to ask: When partnership has 30+ points. You can then expect to be safe at the 5 level, so there is no risk in asking how many aces partner holds.

When should you not use a Stayman?

RULE: Do not use Stayman when you have a 4-3-3-3 hand. We are programmed to always want to play a hand in a major when we have an 8 card fit. We can draw trump and still have one trump left in declarer's hand and one in dummy.

Can you use Stayman after a 1NT overcall?

Stayman is a bidding convention in the card game contract bridge. It is used by a partnership to find a 4-4 or 5-3 trump fit in a major suit after making a one notrump (1NT) opening bid and it has been adapted for use after a 2NT opening, a 1NT overcall, and many other natural notrump bids.

Can you double a 1NT opening?

The Double of 1NT and how to get out of it What do we need to double? To double a 1NT opening bid we need to have more points than the 1NT bidder. The double of 1NT is intended as primarily a penalty double and partner is usually expected to leave it and not take-out.