Comments on: Responding to Blackwood http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/ Contract Bridge Themes with a Midwest Accent! Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:30:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.9 by: Bill Wickham http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-12 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:42:29 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-12 Partner chose to bid 4NT instead of 4S immediately (or inventing a minor followed by a 4S Q over 4H or a retreat to 5H over a minor raise) so we must assume that was the best approach. In that context I feel that you should show the trump queen even though it might cause a later review of your bidding in the bar. Are you trying to win the event or the post game discussion? OK, so you chose not to show the queen. I accept that decision as reasonable. When partner bid 5NT confirming all the key cards (and issuing permission to you to bid a grand slam) you can visualize the three missing Aces, the trump Q and a second round club control. You would have cheerfully opened with Qxx KJxxx Kxx Ax so your hand has a bit more potential than you've shown since you "concealed your trump queen". Why mess around with a 6D bid? The worst case scenario (at the table) is going to be a club finesse if you bid 7H and your dinner break is going to be ruined if you bid 7H after your partner signs off in 6H. So I've been too high before. sigh! Bid the grand. Partner chose to bid 4NT instead of 4S immediately (or inventing a minor followed by a 4S Q over 4H or a retreat to 5H over a minor raise) so we must assume that was the best approach. In that context I feel that you should show the trump queen even though it might cause a later review of your bidding in the bar. Are you trying to win the event or the post game discussion?

OK, so you chose not to show the queen. I accept that decision as reasonable. When partner bid 5NT confirming all the key cards (and issuing permission to you to bid a grand slam) you can visualize the three missing Aces, the trump Q and a second round club control. You would have cheerfully opened with Qxx KJxxx Kxx Ax so your hand has a bit more potential than you’ve shown since you “concealed your trump queen”. Why mess around with a 6D bid? The worst case scenario (at the table) is going to be a club finesse if you bid 7H and your dinner break is going to be ruined if you bid 7H after your partner signs off in 6H. So I’ve been too high before. sigh! Bid the grand.

]]> by: Phil Warden http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-11 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:41:58 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-11 I would not show the Q. Partner may have only 3 hearts. When a partner takes control of a hand when his partner is unlimited, he must indicate whether or not a loser has been found. Therefore, 5NT does not promise anything extra. On this hand it can be inferred that partner has trump Q, 2nd round club control, and his diamonds are not AQ(J)xx. It would seem that the grand is at worst on a club finesse and it might be reasonable to bid it. (If partner had the KQ of clubs he would still only be able to count 11 tricks.) I would not show the Q. Partner may have only 3 hearts.
When a partner takes control of a hand when his partner is unlimited, he must indicate whether or not a loser has been found. Therefore, 5NT does not promise anything extra.

On this hand it can be inferred that partner has trump Q, 2nd round club control, and his diamonds are not AQ(J)xx. It would seem that the grand is at worst on a club finesse and it might be reasonable to bid it. (If partner had the KQ of clubs he would still only be able to count 11 tricks.)

]]> by: Josh Sher http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-10 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:41:35 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-10 I would not show the Queen. Although I do enjoy finding the trump Q in grand slams. :) Over 6H I would pass. I have a sixth heart which is good, but there is nothing else attractive about my hand, and we likely have a club loser. Also in standard bidding, partner might have stretched for 4N and then had to bid 5N to confirm all the keycards in case I actually had a good hand. I like the treatment where after keycards are shown 1 under the trump suit at the 6 level says: "I have no grand slam interest, but we do have all the keycards, so feel free to overrule me." And 5N is a real GS try. I would not show the Queen. Although I do enjoy finding the trump Q in grand slams. :)

Over 6H I would pass. I have a sixth heart which is good, but there is nothing else attractive about my hand, and we likely have a club loser. Also in standard bidding, partner might have stretched for 4N and then had to bid 5N to confirm all the keycards in case I actually had a good hand. I like the treatment where after keycards are shown 1 under the trump suit at the 6 level says: “I have no grand slam interest, but we do have all the keycards, so feel free to overrule me.” And 5N is a real GS try.

]]> by: Tom Wuyts http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-9 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:41:12 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-9 If partner promisses always 4-card trumph with 4NT I would show the queen, if he can bid 4NT with 3-card fit (and I think he can, certainly in this sequence where he's under presure) no. Why would I bid 7 hearts? Partner is telling me he doesn't have enough with DK, he possibly wanted me to have CK instead or 2 kings. After looking at my cards again, I still don't see a second king. So I pass 6H. If partner promisses always 4-card trumph with 4NT I would show the queen, if he can bid 4NT with 3-card fit (and I think he can, certainly in this sequence where he’s under presure) no.

Why would I bid 7 hearts? Partner is telling me he doesn’t have enough with DK, he possibly wanted me to have CK instead or 2 kings. After looking at my cards again, I still don’t see a second king. So I pass 6H.

]]> by: bernie miller http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-8 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 19:40:44 +0000 http://oldprofbridge.com/2006/02/26/responding-to-blackwood/#comment-8 i am ambivalent about showing the hq. i would pass 6h. if my having the dk didn't enable partner to bid 7, i can't go on . I need pard to have aqxxx of dia. to make 7. pard had to let me know we had all the "keys" just in case i could bid 7. ax, aqxx, axxx, kxx i am ambivalent about showing the hq. i would pass 6h. if my having the dk didn’t enable partner to bid 7, i can’t go on . I need pard to have aqxxx of dia. to make 7. pard had to let me know we had all the “keys” just in case i could bid 7. ax, aqxx, axxx, kxx

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