Friday, April
25, 2003 4:34 AM
Hand
Evaluation - KCB ( NT Hands )
PITBULLS:
Latest from Kantar site on NT & KCB . You may not agree with all of this but it should get
you thinking …
WHEN NO TRUMP REARS ITS UGLY HEAD.
Notrump bids are limit bids and
the partner of the notrump bidder is usually the one
who makes the keycard ask. However, if the partner invites
SLAM, or the notrump bidder has an incredible fitting
hand facing a known two-suiter,
the notrump bidder can
break rank and ask for keycards.
In addition, after notrump has been
bid and a MINOR suit fit uncovered in a slam headed auction, 4NT is not
used to ask for keycards. It is considered natural.
Either a lower ask or a cuebidding sequence must
develop.
A. After a 1NT opening bid.
It is not the scope of this book to present methods for
responding to a 1NT or 2NT opening bid. However, if the responder has
some way to show the minors and the opener
agrees a minor at the three level, responder should be able to ask for
keycards. If the partnership is in a game forcing auction
the raise of the agreed suit is RKB. If the partnership is not
in a game-forcing auction, a leap to 4D over 3C or a leap to 4H over
3D is keycard for the agreed minor.
WHEN TWO ARE MISSING
Opener
Responder
S. KQx
S. x
H.
Q10x
H. x
D. AJxx
D. KQ10xx
C. Kxx
C. AQJxxx
Opener
Responder
1NT
2S (1)
3D
(2)
?
(1) Minors (not everybody plays this way).
(2) Four or five diamonds.
Say the responder wishes to ask for keycards. If the sequence
is considered game forcing, 4D is RKB. If the sequence is not considered game
forcing, then 4H is RKB. Whichever ask is used, responder shows two keycards
(including the CK) and responder signs off in 5D knowing two keycards are missing.
WHEN OPENER HAS AN END OF THE WORLD
FIT
Opener
Responder
S. AJx
S. x
H. AQx
H. xx
D. Q10xxx D. Kxxxx
C.
Ax
C. KQJxx
Opener
Responder
1NT
2S (1)
3D (2)
3S (3)
4D
(4)
4H (5)
6D
(1) Minors
(2) The agreement
(3)
Singleton
(4)
RKB
(5)
1
When the opener has a phenomenal hand for one of the minors, he does best to agree the suit and find out more
about partner's hand (singleton?) before launching into RKB which is the four
level of the agreed suit. Here, one keycard is missing, so
opener bids 6D after the ask.
AGREEMENT MAKES THE
WORLD GO ROUND, THE WORLD GO ROUND.
Opener
Responder
S. Kx
S. AQxxx
H. AQxx
H. x
D. xxxx
D. A
C. AKxx
C. J10xxxx
Opener
Responder
1NT
2H (1)
2S
3C (2)
4C
(3)
4D (4)
4S
(5)
7C (6)
All Pass
(1) Transfer
(2) Natural and forcing
(3) The agreement, not the ask
(4) RKB. After 4 level club agreement, 4D is the
RKB ask. After 4 level diamond agreement, 4H is the RKB ask unless
responder's other long suit is hearts. In that case 4S is the ask.
(5) 4- (0314) The SK is counted as a keycard
(6) Knowing partner has the AKxx of clubs makes the grand odds on.
Turning the tables, opener is also allowed to
ask for keycards after responder shows a major-minor two suiter
via a transfer sequence. But the opener,
limited, needs an unusual hand to do this.
2.OPENER JUMPS TO 2NT AND RECEIVES
GAME-FORCING THREE LEVEL PREFERENCE TO HIS FIRST BID MINOR
Opener
Responder
1D
1S
2NT
3D (game force)
?
?
In this sequence 4D by either player
is RKB. Opener is limited, but has a very strong hand that may have improved
considerably. Nevertheless, it is rare for opener to take charge at this point.
Had responder wished to relinquish control, he
could have bid 4D over 2NT, a jump preference slam try.
PLAYING IT COOL
Opener
Responder
S. Kx
S. AQxxx
H.
AKQ
H. xxx
D. AK10
xx D. Qxxx
C.
xxx C.
x
Opener
Responder
1D
1S
2NT
3D
3H
(1)
4C (1)
4D
(2)
4H (3)
4S
(4)
5D (5)
6D
In this sequence, if responder wishes
to ask for keycards in diamonds, he must agree the suit at the three level (a
game force) and then rebid the suit at the four level
A PLANNED SEQUENCE
Opener
Responder
S. AKx
S. x
H.
xx
H. AQxxx
D. AQxxx
D. J10xx
C. KQx
C. A10x
Opener
Responder
1D
1H
2NT
3D (1)
3S
(2)
4D (3)
5C
(4)
6D
All Pass
(1) Game-force
(2) Not sure what responder has in mind, but it can't hurt to
show where you live.
(3) RKB (0314) Responder had
to plan this auction and decide which way to go. A direct
jump to 4D, a jump preference, would be a slam try, not the
ask. If responder wants to take control (use RKB), he bids
3D and then 4D. If responder wants to cede control, he jumps
to 4D directly.
(4) 2 with
3.OPENER REBIDS 1NT OR 2NT AND
RESPONDER WISHES TO ASK FOR KEYCARDS, HIS OWN SUIT AGREED, HELLO KEYCARD
GERBER.
KEYCARD GERBER IN ACTION
Opener
Responder
S. Qxx
S. Axx
H. AQxxx
H. x
D. xx
D. AKQJxxx
C. KQx
C.
xx
Opener
Responder
1H
1S, 2C, or 2D
1NT or
2NT 4C?
After a 1NT or 2NT rebid by the opener, a second round leap to 4C by responder,
regardless of what suit responder has bid, is Keycard Gerber, RESPONDER'S suit
agreed. In the above sequence, 4C is keycard for whatever suit responder
has bid. Note: Gerber sequences presume a long suit in the asker's hand.
Responses to Keycard Gerber, (responder has bid a suit before leaping to
4C after a notrump rebid, are
1430 if the opener has rebid 1NT or 2NT after a two level response. However, if opener has jumped to 2NT, 0314 responses.
The responses to Keycard Gerber (KCG) playing 1430 are:
4D= 1 or 4 4H= 0 or 3 4S= 2
without 4NT= 2 with
The first two responses are inverted playing 0314.
WHEN NO SUIT HAS BEEN BID PRECEDING A LEAP TO 4C
It is difficult to agree a minor suit after a 1NT or 2NT opening bid and
then ask for keycards. (In the majors you can transfer to the four level of
your major and then bid 4NT).
The simple solution, but not necessarily the best, with a mile long minor is to jump to 4C directly over the 1NT or 2NT opening
bid. When there is no agreed suit, the response just asks for aces. The asker can't
pinpoint the king or queen of his long suit. Hopefully the asker will
have those cards and be content to discover out
how many aces partner has like in the good old days.
Opener
Responder
1NT or 2NT 4C
(Gerber, no agreed suit) 0314
responses.
These are the responses:
4D
0 or 3
4H
1 or 4
4S
2 with a minimum
4NT 2 with a
maximum
4. OPENER MAKES A NON-JUMP REBID OF 2NT, SHOWING A MINIMUM, AND RESPONDER HAS SLAM ON THE BRAIN IN OPENER'S MINOR.
Opener
Responder (you)
1D
2C
2NT
?
Say responder has: x Axx KQxx
AKJxx
To be consistent with similar sequences, 3D, a game force, followed by 4D is
RKB for diamonds;
RESPONDING TO A 2NT OPENING BID WITH BOTH MINORS, A KEYCARD ASK IN THE
AIR
It's easy enough to agree a minor when
partner's response has shown both minors in response to a 2NT opening bid.
If you use a response of 3S to show the minors, you could have sequences like this:
Opener
Responder
2NT
3S (1)
4C/4D (2) 4H
(3) 4S (4)
(1) Minors, game forcing
(2) Agrees the minor
(3) RKB clubs
(4) RKB diamonds
After opener agrees a minor (2),
responder may wish to ask for keycards. After 4C, 4D is RKB clubs, 4H and
4S show shortness and 4NT is a natural balanced slam try.
After four level diamond agreement,
4H is the ask, 4S shows shortness and 4NT shows a
balanced hand. You lose your 4H shortness cuebid. You
can't have everything. No method is perfect, or haven't you
noticed?
WHAT A FIND!
Opener
Responder
S. AKx
S. x
H. Qxx
H. x
D. KJx
D. AQxxx
C. AKxx
C. Qxxxxx
Opener
Responder
2NT
3S (1)
4C
(2)
4D (3)
4S (4)
6C
(1) Minors
(2) The agreement
(3) The ask RKB (0314)
(4) 4 including the DK
WHEN FOUR LEVEL
AGREEMENT COMES AFTER A 3NT BID.
When four level minor suit agreement
comes directly after a 3NT bid, it is KCB.
Again, consistency in the meaning of the rebids by the 3NT
bidder is imperative.
Let's look at some sequences:
Opener
Responder (you)
1H
2C
2D
3NT
4C (KCB)
5. AFTER A MINOR SUIT OPENING AND A 2NT RESPONSE
Opener
Responder
Opener Responder
1C
2NT
1D
2NT
4C
4C
In both of these sequences it makes sense (and saves room) to play the
jump to 4C as RKB, opener's suit agreed
(1430).
GET A LOAD OF THIS
Opener
Responder
S.
x
S. Axx
H. AJxx
H. KQx
D. AKQJxxx D. xxx
C. x C. AJxx
Opener Responder
1D
2NT (1)
4C
(2)
4S (3)
5H
(4)
6H (5)
7NT (6)
(1) 12+ to15-) Some play 11-12
(2) RKB,
diamonds agreed (1430) opener unlimited.
(3) 2
without
(4) SSA
(5) The KQ
(6) Can
count 13 top tricks