The Game Of Bridge

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 30, 3 August 1940, Page 17

The Game Of Bridge

The Blackwood convention, introduced by Mr. Easley Blackwood, has found favour with many bridge players. Since its introduction Mr. Blackwood has received many letters concerning this convention, asking questions which show the need for clarification of some points. As a result, Mr. Blackwood has answered the questions most frequently -asked by his correspondents. The questions and the essential points of the answers detailed by Mr. Blackwood follow: —

(1) "What action should you take when you hold all the aces and want to ask your partner how many Kings he holds?"

You should first bid four no-trumps, though you already know that the reply must be five clubs, but your four no-trump bid paves the way for asking your partner how many Kings he holds. (The four no-trump bid being the basis of the Blackwood convention, it must be made even when holding all four aces, otherwise it would be impossible to ask about Kings.)

(2) "Is the person who bids four notrumps the captain of the hand?" Generally speaking, if the four notrump bidder, after his partner's response, does not then bid five notrumps, he becomes captain of the hand, and the decision as to the final contract must be left to him. There are, however, some exceptions. The Blackwood convention is of little value in a hand with a void suit. In order to avoid duplication of values, the response to a four no-trump bid does not count a void as an Ace. For this reason, the responder may hold values which he cannot show by a conventional response. In this case, he should recognise that the slam convention is of no value when holding such a hand [and should reserve the right to veto his partner's decision, if his partner, as the result of what appears to be a discouraging reponse, should decide not to proceed to a slam. As an illustration of this point, the bidding has gone—

South should not chance bidding five i diamonds and having his partner pass, jHe should jump to six diamonds and North should recognise the situation as being that South holds only one Ace, but is void in a suit and is afraid that a five diamond bid (showing one Ace) might be passed. Another illustration — The bidding has gone—

On this hand South should give the conventional response of five diamonds.

Specially Written for "The Post" by "Approach Bid." THE BLACKWOOD FOUR NO-TRUMP CONVENTION

Hearts are obviously the agreed suit and there is no danger that a fivediamond response will be passed. South should give the conventional response of five diamonds, as it is always possible that North may hold the other three Aces and may bid five no-trumps in an effort to reach a grand slam. If North bids five hearts over the fivediamond response, South should veto this decision and bid six hearts.

Except when holding a void suit, you should allow your partner to make the final decision, as it is he and he alone who knows how many are in the combined partnership holding.

(3) "Should you ever bid-.five notrumps if there is one Ace missing?"

In rubber bridge you should never use a five no-trump conventional bid. unless your partner holds all the Aces which you do not hold. (The response to your four no-trump bid will have told you how many Aces your partner holds.) A bid of five no-trumps automatically commits you to a small slam, so information a* to the number of Kings held by your partner will not help you in deciding whether to proceed to a small slam. For this reason, at rubber bridge, a conventional five no-trump bid is used only as a try for a grand slam, as it guarantees the holding of all the Aces by the partnership, while at the same time it asks about the number of Kings held by the partner. The five no-trump, in contrast to the four no-trump bid, is a co-operative bid, after which either partner may be justified in bidding for a grand slam. The five no-trump bidder knows how many Kings are held, but his partner may know something about the particular Kings held, solidarity of suits, etc., and he, with | the further knowledge, that ;his part- { ncr holds the missing Aces, may well be in the position to bid for a grand' I slam. As an example, the bidding has gone—

North can now bid seven spades. Souths bidding suggests that he is willing to consider a grand slam if North holds enough Kings. Souths five no-trump bid was made, hoping that his partner's response would enable him to account for: all the missing Kings, and thus locate the King of trumps, without which the grand slam should not be bid. North, holding the King and knowing from his partner's five no-trump bid that he holds the two missing Aces, should bid the grand slam.

When your partner's response to your four no-trump bid accounts for all the Aces, you should always give some thought to the possibility of bidding five no-trumps, even when, on your holding, a grand slam contract might not be justified. It may be that the information that you hold the outstanding Aces will be all that is required to enable your partner to bid a grand slam.

(The Blackwood four no-trump convention will be further discussed in next week's notes.)