Sunday, February 27, 2005 5:33 AM

Re-Stayman & Blackwood

PITBULLS:

After you have made a re-Stayman 3♣ bid when partner has opened a 1NT bidding the agreed suit is always KCB .

1NT-P-2♣-P

2♦-P-3♣-P

3♦/♥/♠ all show minor hands so if responder bids a minor at the four level it is KCB for that minor. 3NT is of course is the death response.

It is not so easy after a 2NT opener though. Need some partnership understandings so that Blackwood can be bid by either side. 4NT is always the death response so other methods are needed. You hold Axxx x QJxx Axxx and partner opens 2NT. You bid Stayman and partner rebids 3♦. You re-Stayman with 4♣ and you hit gold when partner responds 4♥ showing a 5 card club suit or 4♠ showing a 5 card diamond suit. Over 4♥ , a 4♠ bid can be KCB for clubs and 4NT has to be reserved for the death response so no way to ask when diamonds are agreed. What if partner bids 4♦ which shows 4-4 in the minors ? We need to use the majors for KCB. 4♥ is KCB for clubs and 4♠ must be KCB for diamonds.

OK that takes care of the 3♦ response after Stayman . What about a major response and Re-Stayman. We have decreed that diamonds are always natural after a 4♣ Re-Stayman bid ( easy on memory ). Therefore a 4♥ kickback bid can always be Blackwood.

2NT-P-3♣-P

3♥-P-4♣-P

4♦-P-4♥ KCB

A 4♠ bid response after Re-Stayman shows hearts & clubs so 4NT must be to play. We must just bid the club slam I guess.

If the 2NT opener responds spades to Stayman and partner Re-Staymans , 4♦ is always natural. 4♥ can be KCB for diamonds in these sequences. The other major shows clubs so that leaves the door open for spades to be KCB for clubs.

Lets bid the hand given above . Kx Axx AKx KQxxx due to your 5^th club you open 2NT and partner bids Stayman. You respond 3♦ and partner bids 4♣ which you respond 4♥ showing a 5 card club suit. Partner bids 4♠ which is KCB for clubs . You bid 5♣ showing 0 or 3 and partner bids 5♦. You bid 5♠ showing the trump queen and the spade king. Partner now bids 6♦ and you bid 7♣ with your diamond king.

Partner has Axxx x QJxx Axxx and 7♣ is cold !! Comments ?

These understandings above allow responder to use KCB. When we use the relay tool to show minors and partner shows interest this is one of the rare times where 4NT is always Blackwood.

2NT-P-3♠-P

3NT-P-4♦-P

4♠-P-4NT 4♠ is a Q bid liking diamonds so 4NT is KCB for diamonds

What if the strong hand wants to take control in these auctions. I think we should reserve the next higher ranking suit for Kickback KCB and not a Q bid. Say the 2NT opener had Kx Kxx AKQJx AJx and partner bid 3♠. We relay to 3NT and partner bids 4♣. 4♦ should be “kickback” for clubs. If partner bid diamonds then 4♥ should be “Kickback” for diamonds .

Bidding minor slams after 2NT needs science – lots of science.