Sunday, April 08, 2007 5:24 AM

Hand Evaluation - Minor Suit Kickback

PITBULLS:

Minor suit KCB should be used in conjunction with Kickback. 4NT is too handy in minor auctions to be Wasted for Ace asking purposes. 4NT is mostly to play or as a quantitative slam try. When you just have found your minor agreement at the 4 level , Kickback must be used. When you pull 3NT to a minor that is a slam try & not minor suit KCB. Minor suit KCB is only defined for forcing to game auctions & can only be used by the unlimited hand. The limited hand is only allowed to confirm the minor suit fit. If you are a limited hand ( like a forcing NT) ,you do not have minor suit KCB rights.

What if you have not bought into the useful space principle ( i.e. Kickback ) ? Now you must have fancy footwork. Pulling 3NT to 4♣ ( general ) or your agreed minor is minor suit KCB. If you just found your minor suit fit at the 4 level , 4NT is minor suit KCB. If NT has been bid , 4NT is quantitative & a jump to 4♣ is KCB but responder is allowed to get out in 4NT. In other words , 4NT is not a KCB step. 4NT by responder just says I am getting out of here.

Non exponents of Kickback do not want to lose the 4♦ or 4♥ Q bid. The price they must pay is that 4NT is KCB where it would be better used as quantitative or as an aborted slam try. For the stubborn , old fashioned types , 4NT is quite often minor suit KCB. With Kickback advocates, 4NT is never minor suit KCB. Either style allows jumps to 4 of the agreed minor as minor suit KCB. If the minor suit agreement is made or implied below the 4 level , bidding 4 of the agreed minor by an unlimited hand is KCB. That does not change playing Kickback. Kickback has a silly name but all it means is use useful bidding space. The cheapest next suit is minor suit KCB because it conserves maximum bidding space. This is not rocket science.

Discuss minor suit KCB with your partner , as you must be on the same page. Minor suit KCB either follows the Kickback route or the 4NT & 4 of a minor route . The two concepts cannot co-exist so you must choose one or the other.