Roman Key-Card Blackwood (RKCB)

RKCB is used after you and partner have agreed on a trump suit. Your auction must have confirmed support for a suit . If no suit has been agreed then 4NT is RKC for last bid suit.

The meanings of responses to 4NT are:

• 5 -- 1 or 4 key cards
• 5 -- 0 or 3 key cards
• 5 -- 2 key cards, but no queen of trumps
• 5 -- 2 key cards WITH the queen of trumps
• 5NT-- 2 or 4 key cards AND a useful void
• 6 of a non-trump suit -- 1 or 3 key cards and a void in that suit (this is only used if the void suit can be shown below 6 of your trump suit)
• 6 of the agreed trump suit --1 or 3 key cards and a void in a higher-ranking suit

Finding the trump queen

If responder has 2 key cards, his bid of 5 or 5 will also tell you if he holds the trump queen. You can also get this information after a 5 or 5 response. To do this, the Blackwooder bids the cheapest step (5 over a 5 response, 5 over 5). If the Blackwooder uses this step to ask and you do not have the trump queen, you retreat to 5 of your agreed suit. Remember that if Hearts is your agreed suit and Blackwood bidder bids 5 after your 5 response to Blackwood then it still is the Queen ask but only if you have 3 keycards. With 0 keycards you pass 5. If you do have the queen, you bid the cheapest suit where you have a king.

After you bid your cheapest king, if the Blackwooder has room (and is interested in a grand slam), he can still make a specific suit ask. If Blackwood bidder bypasses the next available bid (Queen ask )then he is making a Specific Suit Ask. If the suit he wants to make Specific Suit Ask is the same suit as would be the Queen ask then he must bid that suit at the 6 level

Finding outside kings

After a 5, 5, 5 or 5 response, the Blackwooder can bid 5NT to ask about the specific kings you hold. Since you've already shown (or denied) the trump king, you show your next biddable king.If you have 2 bid the lower.If after you show a king, partner bids another suit he is making a Specific Suit Ask If the Blackwooder uses the 5NT king-ask, he guarantees that your side has all five key cards and he promises interest in a grand slam. If you have significant extra strength or an undisclosed source of tricks (a solid side suit, for example), you can accept the grand-slam try immediately (without answering number of kings) by jumping to 7 of your suit.

Roman Keycard 1430 when 2 suits have been agreed.

When you you support partner`s suit and he immediately supports yours you are in a double agreement.4NT becomes keycard for both suits with both Queens involved in the responses.

Example: 1-2-3-3-4NT

• 1st step 1 or 4
• 2nd step 0 or 3
• 3rd step 2 with neither Queen
• 4th step 2 with lower ranking Queen
• 5th step 2 with higher ranking Queen
• 6th step 2 with both Queens

Voids are not shown in Double Agreement Keycard and because you can end up too high do not use DAK without 3 keycards yourself. If your DAK response says nothing about Queens then the next available bid is the Queen ask unless the next available bid is one of your suits.Then it is to play unless your keycard response was 4 or 3 then it is the Queen ask. If your response was 1 or 0 then you pass.

Responses to the Queen ask are:

• 1st step neither Queen
• 2nd step lower ranking Queen
• 3rd step higher ranking Queen
• 4th step both Queens