red@ukma.UUCP (Red Varth) (03/06/85)
I am not as good a bridge player as my regular partner is, but it's my opinion that RKCB is much superior to regular Blackwood. In RKCB, 4NT asks for Aces, just like regular except that the KING of the agreed-on trump suit counts as an ace also. Therefore there are 5 aces in the deck. Responses: 5C 0 or 3 aces 5D 1 or 4 aces 5H 2 without the trump QUEEN 5S 2 with the trump queen This allows you to get some idea of the quality of your trump suit before you go trotting off to slam. All the outside winners in the world won't do you any good if you're off the top trumps (lucky splits aside, that is). The worst problem with this system is deciding what the trump-suit is. What we decided on was that any major suit bid and raised was the trump suit in question. When we have a minor suit fit, we try to look for NT games or slams. In the event that we don't have a suit stopped in NT, any minor suit bid past 3NT is the key suit. In addition, no artificial bid can be the trump suit. Comments anyone? And, partner, since I know you're out there, please don't get nasty about errors in public, ok? Red
plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) (03/06/85)
As a followup to the rules on "what is the key suit?" let me suggest:
1) If a minor suit has been bid and raised, it is the key suit even if
you expect to play slam in NT. It is unlikely that you will find
sufficient winners without establishing the minor suit.
2) If responder jump shifts, then immediately Blackwoods, his suit is the
assumed key suit, regardless of opener's rebid. Responder can use this
technique with a one-suited monster where the K or Q of his suit will be
important.
3) Similiarly, a player who opens a strong or intermediate two-bid and who
proceeds to Blackwood immediately after naming his suit is asking about
his own suit.
4) In most other cases where no suit has obviously been agreed, the last
suit bid by the partnership can be assumed. For this purpose, IGNORE
ARTIFICIAL BIDS, e.g., Stayman, 2D negative over 2C, cue-bids, etc.
Also, with any kind of transfer bid, consider the suit INDICATED (e.g.,
if 4D is used to indicate a strong 4S opener, 4D-P-4NT would ask about
SPADES, not diamonds. )
Paul Hightower
University of Kentucky