Exclusion

Today’s post is not a new topic to Andre’s blog: exclusion blackwood. Yes, it is something that is not too frequent; however, how many times have you held a hand but didn’t bid exclusion because you weren’t sure if your partner would be on the same page? Or you don’t know what the responses would be? This is a fairly common problem with exclusion.

My personal least favorite thing about exclusion is just how high it is, especially if I am void in hearts. I always feel like I don’t bid exclusion because almost no matter what my partner has I am committing us to slam. On the bright side this problem can easily be solved! Andre and I have started to play a new way of exclusion that is still at the 4 level. When you splinter you have a hand that might have mild slam interest but not enough points to take another bid over partner’s presumed signoff bid – with a stronger hand we would start with Jacoby. So if we splinter and then bid 4NT over partner’s signoff it is exclusion in the suit we splintered in: 1♠-4♥; 4♠-4NT would be exclusion in hearts. I really prefer this method of exclusion because you are not taking away a bid that was previously defined; I assume most people would take this as standard RKC, but that isn’t really a necessary bid in this auction – why splinter if you were going to keycard over a signoff anyway? It also keeps me at the standard blackwood level.

Over this 4NT Andre and I use 1430 as our responses, but I also want to mention another way of answering. This way loses some of its value if you are playing 4NT as exclusion, but for anyone who may not be convinced enough to switch it is a good thing to think about. The responses are 0 key cards, 1 KC without the Q of trump, 1 KC with the Q of trump, 2KC w/o, 2KC w/, 3 key cards – abbreviated 011223. This seems a little strange at first, but since you are void in a suit there are fewer key cards to be concerned about. Plus, the Q of trump is often a more valuable card that you don’t have room to ask for nor do most people have agreements about. Many people use this response structure over preempts but it may be worth considering over exclusion.

Take the auction: 1♠-2♣; 2♠-3♠; 5♦. Opener has a very strong hand with hearts and a diamond void while responder has a game force with clubs and some heart support. Responder is not very likely to have 2 key cards when opener has this powerhouse, but he could have something like ♠Qx ♥KQ ♦Kxxx ♣Axxxx. Playing standard 3014 responses the auction would continue 1♠…5♦-5♠. Opener has no knowledge of the ♠Q which could easily be the card that would sway the odds in favor of 6. With 011223 responses you would respond 5NT and you could investigate grand if you want to. These responses can get you higher than you are expecting which means you can only bid exclusion if you are willing to go to slam with 1KC and the Q usually, but I think the benefit of knowing about the Q is well worth while.

Anyway I’m writing this on my flight to Louisville for the Nationals where Andre and I will be playing the IMP pairs. This is one of my favorite events and although Andre does love his matchpoints I do think he is fond of IMP pairs as well. Should be a good long weekend before headed back to school!

Is it Exclusion, a Splinter, or Something Else?

One of the main issues a lot of people have with Exclusion Blackwood that they are afraid they will not recognize it when partner bids it. I suppose this is a legitimate concern unless you take some time to think about it. As a general rule, Exclusion Key Card Blackwood applies when you jump to one above a splinter. If 4D would be a splinter, then 5D is exclusion. If 3S would be a splinter, then 4S is exclusion. Since I started using it a few years ago, it has come up a lot more frequently that I expected. Twice this week, in fact, my partners had a chance to use it but didn't, and once last night, I could have used it but opted for just a jump to slam.

Holding AKx, void, KT9, AKQJxxx, you open 2C, partner says 2D, artificial and game forcing, you bid 3C and partner bids 3D natural. 4H would be a splinter, right? So 5H would be exclusion. Chances are slim that partner has AQxxxx of diamonds but if so, you want to be in 7 and should feel good about 6D anyway. Suppose partner responds 5NT showing 1 key card, then you can bid 6C to ask about the Q of trumps. Partner signs off in 6D without the Q, making 6 when he finesses the wrong way for the missing Q. It's not 100% clear that that is what those bids would/should mean, but that's how I see it.

On this other one, you hold something like: AKx, void, Qxxx, AKQxxx. This was with Sean, playing canape: he opened a Polish 1C, I bid 1H (8+ unbalanced, 4+ H), he bid 1S (17+ hcp, 3+S, not 4H), I bid 2D (longer diamonds than hearts). 3D here is surely natural and forcing, 4D is Key Card for diamonds, 2H is 3 card support, 5D ought to be a signoff, so 3H should be a splinter, and therefore 4H exclusion. Sounds reasonable to me. This would have been a nice grand on 28 hcp but it was just at a partnership bidding table anyway.

A standard auction surely would have started 1C-1D. Now what? How does one make a forcing diamond raise? You could fake a jump shift by bidding 2S and then support diamonds later. Since 2H is a strong jump shift, 3H must be a splinter, and 4H exclusion. Even if partner has a 6 count with no key cards, 5D should be a good contract, and if he has a key card, 6 stands a good chance, and with 2 key cards, 7 is nearly cold. But in standard, responder could have only 4 diamonds, so being cautious is a little more reasonable.

This last one is actually rather amusing to me. I was playing with Shaz last night and she opened a slightly different kind of canape 1H, promising 10-15 hcp and exactly 4H. RHO bids 1S and I have: void, AQ, Axxxx, Jxxxxx. Clearly I make a negative double and LHO raises to 2S. Shaz bids 3C! Would 4S now be exclusion? Or a splinter? Probably a splinter as 3S is basically a western cue. 5S as exclusion is a bit ambitious. Or is it? AK of clubs and heart K and a stiff diamond is all partner needs to the grand to be cold. I just bid 6C for win 11.47 as no one else bid a slam.

Flannery, Exclusion Blackwood

Yesterday in the Swiss teams at the Macon sectional, Sean and I had the following auction:

1C*-(2C)-2D; 2H-3C; 3H-3S; 5D
* any 16+hcp
2C overcall was natural
2D was natural game-forcing.
What does 5D mean?

Sean intended for it to exclusion keycard blackwood for spades. I’m not sure if I agree or not. I mean, if anything, I think it should be exclusion for hearts because bidding 2H and then 3H should set trumps. It doesn’t make sense for it to be to play 5D because he would have supported diamonds earlier or bid 4D, which certainly would be keycard for diamonds. Actually, I don’t think you should be bidding exclusion to exclude partner’s first suit. 7 of my 10 points were in diamonds. His hand: AQJx, AKQJxx, -, Qxx. At the table I passed 5D thinking that he’s now decided to play diamonds since we have no major suit fit and no club stopper. My LHO rescued us to 5H, which went down 1, for lose 12. In one sense, it’s fortunate that 5H didn’t make or the exclusion misunderstanding would have potentially cost 12 imps (-650 at the other table compared to +650 or -400 at our table) instead of only 2 imps (-620 compared with -100 or -400). It's amazing how much exclusion blackwood has come up or potentially come up lately.

Friday night, playing with Bob Pearson, he picked up: AKxx, KQTxx, xx, Kx and I had: Jxx, x, AKxxx, Qxxx. What contract would you like to be in? How do you suggest getting there, with Bob to bid first? It’s hard to stay out of 3NT, which looks like you might scrape up 8 tricks if you’re lucky. We actually play Flannery, a convention I am normally not fond of, but it worked here, until Bob decided to bid again over my 2S signoff. This here is the very reason why people do like Flannery. After 1H-1NT forcing, there are major flaws with any rebid you make, but I guess 2C is the lesser of evils. 2H emphasizes the heart suit too much, the hand isn't strong enough for 2S or 2NT, 2C could be passed in a 4-2 fit, pass could miss game and/or a heart fit. And responder would likely bid 2NT, getting you too high. A few non forcing NT people got to play in 1NT making 1 or 2 but we were with the rest of the field at -100 but probably the only one in spades.

Another Post on Slam Bidding

Axx
JTxxx
KJxx
x

void
AKQxx
A
QJTxxxx

How do you confidently bid to 5H after the auction starts 1C-1S-2H-2S? Mainly, how does south find out if north has 2nd round club control? Is 4S here exclusion? If so, is it that right bid to make. I bid it with a first time partner, then asked about kings, we were on the same wavelength. I didn't learn anything useful after the 0 or 3 response and bid the slam anyway. Would you bid 2H with the north hand or make a negative double?

Another Possible Exclusion Example

I didn't play this hand and I don't know if I would have come up with a good way to bid this but you hold:
void, A, KQJxxxxx, KQxx.

Partner opens 1C. What's your plan?

Basically you want to be in 7NT if partner has 3 aces, 7D (or 7C) if partner has both minor suit aces aces, 6 of a minor if partner has one minor suit ace, 6NT if partner has a minor suit ace and AK, K in the majors. This also would be a good hand for strong jump shifts. The partner of the person that told me this hand but 1D to start with, which makes it very awkward to keep making forcing bids later and eventually get to bid any kind of blackwood. I liked the idea of starting with an inverted 2C. After opener's rebid, try 4S, which should be exclusion keycard blackwood for clubs. I think that would be true even if opener rebid 3NT. In the actual hand, opener would rebid 2S on Axxx, Jxx, A, AJxxx. Now you might interpret 4S as a possible attempt to play 4S, but that doesn't make sense either because responder would have bid 1S initially with 4, and opener is only promising a stopper in spades with the 2S rebid. Anyway, after a 5D response to exclusion (2 w/o the queen), responder can confidently bid 7D. Opener now, can infer that we have 5 running clubs, 7+ running diamonds, and the ace of hearts, so opener can correct to 7NT with the ace of spades.

Exclusion Blackwood

Last week at the Warner Robins club I had a chance to use exclusion keycard Blackwood for the first time in a very long time. And my partner actually recognized it. Exclusion Blackwood is typically a jump to 5 of a suit to ask about aces of keycards no counting the ace of the suit bid, presumably because the one asking is void in the suit. Normally you would have agreed on a trump suit prior to making this bid. Responses are the same as key card blackwood - 1st step 0 or 3, 2nd step 1 or 4, 3rd step 2 without the Q of trump, and 4th step 2 with the Q of tump. I held:
♠JTxx
♥-
♦AKTxxx
♣AKQ
My partner opened 1♠, I responded 2NT, Jacoby, partner said 3♦ (shortness), and I bid 5♥, exclusion keycard for spades. He responded 6♦ showing 2 keycards with the Q and I could confidently bid 7♠. It's virtually cold even if he only those 9 high card points but he had the singleton Q of diamonds to go along with it.

I'm wondering whether 1♠-2NT; 4♠-5♥ would be exclusion keycard or just first round control of hearts. The 5♥ bid wouldn't be a jump, which is generally part of Exclusion Blackwood. Also, would 1♠-5♥ be exclusion keycard blackwood or exclusion regular blackwood. My partner at the time seemed to think it would not be keycard, which I tend to disagree with, but I don't know.