Roman Key Card Blackwood
and
the Grand Slam Force
Roman Key Card Blackwood
Roman Key Card Blackwood ("RKCB" or "RKC") is a method of showing one's Aces and trump honours in response to a 4NT bid. The responses come in two forms: "0314" and "1403".
The name "RKCB" derives from the
fact that any Ace and the King of the agreed trump suit are called "Key Cards".
With 4 Aces and the Trump King, there are five "Key Cards".
The responses to RKCB depend on which version of Roman Key Card Blackwood you choose to play.
Without discussion, assume "O314 RKCB":
| Responding Partner | Explanation |
5
| 0 or 3 Key Cards |
5
| 1 or 4 Key Cards |
5
| 2 or all 5 Key Cards without the trump Queen |
5
| 2 or all 5 Key Cards with the trump Queen |
After explicit agreement, some play "1403 RKCB":
| Responding Partner | Explanation |
| 5
| 1 or 4 Key Cards |
| 5
| 0 or 3 Key Cards |
| 5
| 2 or all 5 Key Cards without the trump Queen |
| 5
| 2 or all 5 Key Cards with the trump Queen |
As you see, the 5 and 5 responses are the same, regardless of
whether you play the "0314" or the "1403" version; only the order of the first
two responses is switched.
Of these two methods, "0314" is the
standard.
"How do I find out about the trump Queen, if partner doesn't have 2 (or 5) Key Cards ?"
Often you can't. But if there is a non-trump "in-between" suit you can bid it, to ask for the trump Queen.
| Opener | Responder | Explanation |
| 1
| 3
| Limit raise. 10-12 points, 3+ Hearts. |
| 4NT | 5
| 0 or 3 Key Cards. |
| 5
| --- | "Do you have the ♥Q ?" |
5 now denies the ♥Q,
while 5NT and higher rebids
show the ♥Q.
"But if a suit has not been explicitly raised, how do we know what trump is, so that we can discern which King is a Key Card ?"
Good question. Often we can't raise Partner for fear that Partner may pass. In such a case, there are two philosophies. One school allows trump agreement "by implication". These pairs simply agree that whatever suit was last bid naturally is the trump suit.
| Opener | Responder | Explanation |
| 1
| 4NT | Roman Key Card Blackwood with Clubs as trumps. |
If Responder wanted another suit to be trumps, s/he should have bid that other suit.
| Opener | Responder | Explanation |
| 1
| 3
| Jump shift, 16+ HCPs, 5+ Hearts. |
| 3
| 4NT | Roman Key Card Blackwood with Spades as trumps. |
The latter auction (1:3:3♠:4NT) is the raison d'être for a second school of
thought, which does NOT permit trump agreement by implication.
After all, what if Responder has semi-solid or solid Hearts and a stiff Spade ? Responder wants
to hear about Aces, not the ♠K !
These pairs play RKCB only when trumps are explicitly raised, and revert to
normal (Aces only) Blackwood, if trumps have not been firmly
established.
To these pairs, both 4NT bids
above would ask for Aces, not Key Cards.
Of these two approaches, the former is the more common. Most pairs do allow trump agreement by implication.<
| 1 | 4NT |
| 5 | 5
|
| 5NT |
| ||||||
|
1♣:4NT:5♣:5♦:5NT:6♣, then, asks Opener to bid 7♣, if Opener holds the trump Queen.
"What do I do with a void, when Partner bids 4NT ?"
First, it should be a "useful" void, and not a void
in Partner's suit.
While there is no standard agreement on how to show a void,
here is the most popular method:
| Responding Partner | Explanation |
| 5NT | 0, 2 or 4 Key Cards. |
| 6
| Club void, 1 or 3 Key Cards. |
| 6
| Diamond void, 1 or 3 Key Cards. |
| 6
| Heart void, 1 or 3 Key Cards. |
| 6 of our agreed trump suit | Void in a higher ranked suit, 1 or 3 Key Cards. |
Remember: you Never bypass the agreed trump suit
at the 6-level to show your void with 1 or 3 Key Cards.
| Opener | Responder | Explanation |
| 1
| 4NT | Roman Key Card Blackwood with Diamonds trump. |
| 6
| --- | 1 or 3 Key Cards, void in a major. |
"How do I know if Partner has 0 as opposed to 3 Key Cards ?"
The simple answer is that sometimes you don't.
If Clubs are trump and you are playing "0314", you must
guess: 1♣:4NT:5♣.
If Diamonds are trump and you chose to play "1403", you must also guess: 1♦:4NT:5♦.
If any higher ranked suit is trump, though,
4NT bidder can stop in the agreed trump
suit, after which Partner must bid on with 3 Key Cards.
If
4NT bidder stops in 5 of our trump suit
and we do have 3 Key Cards, we will cuebid a King directly or
bid 5NT to show the Queen of trumps en
route to a slam.
| Opener | Responder | Explanation |
| 1
| 4NT | Roman Key Card Blackwood with Hearts as trump. |
| 5
| 5
| "Stop here if you have zero Key Cards, Pard." |
| 5NT | --- | 3 Key Cards and the ♥Q. |
In the above auction, 6♥ would deny the ♥Queen or any non-trump King, while showing 3 Key Cards.
If you are going to play
Roman Key Card Blackwood with a new partner, ask these two questions:
(2) Trumps established by implication, or only when bid and raised ?"
In the absence of such agreement, assume "0314" and that trumps can be established by implication.
The Grand Slam Force ("GSF") is a bid of 5NT after a suit bid by Partner; the 5NT bid must not preceded by
Blackwood 4NT.
1♦:5NT is an example.
The GSF asks Partner to bid a Grand Slam in the agreed trump suit
with two of the top three trump honours (i.e., KQ, AQ or
AK).
"If a suit is not bid and raised, what is the 'agreed trump suit' ?"
The last bid suit is to be considered the agreed trump suit.
1♦:5NT, then,
agrees Diamonds as trumps, and asks for the
♦KQ , ♦AQ or ♦AK for 7♦.
Lacking two such honours, Partner will stop in
6-of-the-agreed-trump suit.