Exclusion Blackwood
(Courtesy of Bob Crosby)
Exclusion Blackwood - 4 level
Exclusion Blackwood is an excellent bidding tool. When splinters were first invented, the idea was that a jump to the 3 level shows a singleton and at the 4 level a void. Exclusion Blackwood has made the void showing splinter extinct in my opinion. Why tell partner and the opponents you have a void when you have a tool that ignores her duplication of value in that suit? When you are showing a void its for slam purposes anyway, so taking control via Exclusion Blackwood makes a lot more sense to me.
Established partnerships should play that all void showing jumps either at the 5 level or lower is Exclusion Blackwood. Tom and I had an auction last Thursday night. I held:
AKJxxxx 
xx 
void 
A109x
I opened a spade and Tom surprised me by bidding 2. A 3 bid by me is close but it shows a solid or semi solid suit. I chose to bid 4 which is an obvious void in diamonds. Tom took it as Exclusion Blackwood and he ignored his AK of diamonds in his response. Although he had 19 HCP we stayed out of 7 as we were off the king of clubs. Tom had a singleton spade so we were missing 5 spades to the queen which makes a grand in spades not very likely. 6 won us 7 IMPS.
I think direct 4 level splinters should be extinct in favor of Exclusion Blackwood. If it is clear that partner is showing a void, it is Exclusion Blackwood.
Partner opens a diamond and you have this hand.
void AKJxxx Axxx Kxx
You respond a heart and hear partner rebids her diamonds. Exclusion Blackwood is not 5 but 4. Three spades is a singleton and 4 spades is a void so why waste a level? You are past 3NT and having partner bid 4NT over your 4 void showing bid seems kind of weak. Have your void showing bid always be Exclusion Blackwood and you save a level. If the auction is complicated, jumping to the 5 level certainly is Exclusion Blackwood and cannot be misinterpreted. With minors as trump, jumps at the 4 level in a major is Exclusion Blackwood.
Scientists might want to have all 3 bids available. 1 - 3/4/5 being a singleton, a void and then Exclusion Blackwood. The 4 bid would invite slam only if partner has no duplication of value in diamonds. I do not buy into that treatment. The first two steps in Exclusion Blackwood could still keep you under game and why broadcast a void if you do not have Serious slam interests? If you are that weak, treat your void as a singleton and just splinter at the 3 level. You might be able to cuebid later to indicate a void. A splinter would be defined as a singleton or void at the 3 level, if you do not have Serious slam aspirations. 1/ - P - 4/ is Exclusion Blackwood so there is no need to go to the 5 level.
Your partner opens 1 and you hold x x xx KQJ109xxxx. You can now leap to 5 and it is not Exclusion Blackwood but a plethora of clubs. 4 would be Exclusion Blackwood in support of spades if you do not play flower bids. If you chose to bid 1NT with this freak and partner bids 3, 4 is a cuebid and 5 is not Exclusion Blackwood as you did not bid 4 going in - ergo you must have clubs.
Exclusion KCB - Suit Asks
Knowing when and how to use Exclusion KCB is only half the battle. You should have understandings how to proceed after you have received your information for grand slam purposes. BJ and I had an auction tonight that brings this home. BJ opened 1NT (15-17) and I held Qxxx Q987x void AKQx. I bid Stayman and partner responded 2. I just need 14 HCP? for a grand slam but they must be specifically the AK of spades and hearts. How do I find this out? Exclusion KCB is a good start so I bid 5. BJ replied 5 which in our system is just straight 1430 KCB. He shows 3 Aces outside the diamond suit. So I know he has the spade Ace and the AK of hearts.
In Exclusion auctions, there are only two outside kings so having a king asking bid is a waste. You usually have one outside king so it's a matter of finding the missing one king. You can obtain the same information from suit asking bids. You already know the location of the Aces so the key cards in suit asks are the queen and king. The death response for a suit asking bid is returning to the trump suit. The first step is the queen, the 2nd is the king and leaping to 7 is both the KQ. I have the club King so how do I ask about spades? 5NT would ask for the queen of trump and partner would have to reply kings if she has one but I have the heart queen so that does not work. 6 would be a suit asking bid in clubs so 6 (Exclusion suit) must be a suit asking bid in spades! Voila you have found out if partner has the spade king. The death response of 6 says I do not have that card. Whenever you only have one step before the trump suit you are specifically asking for a king with these suit asking bids as showing the queen gets you past your 6 contract.
Assume hearts trump again but this time you made an Exclusion bid of 5 and partner bids 5. You still have room to ask in diamonds and this time 6 would be the suit ask for spades. The Exclusion suit put to a good use. With spades as trump you have room after the response for suit asks. It gets hairy if you have made an Exclusion bid of 5 and partner responds at the 6 level. Use the Exclusion suit (hearts) to ask for diamonds if partner has bid 6. If partner has bid 6 you have 6 available so 6 should be suit asking in clubs.
Exclusion in spades is always at the 4 level. Void Q987x Qxxx AKQx and partner opens 1NT again and bids 3 in reply to your transfer. You bid 4 Exclusion KCB and partner bids 5 showing 3 controls. You have room to bid 5 but if you wanted to ask in clubs, 5 saves going to the 6 level.
Exclusion Blackwood with a minor implied fit is normally done at the 4 level with a major.
| 1 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 4 |
So you have room for suit asks before 6 is reached. If clubs are trump and you make an Exclusion bid of 5 you are in trouble for suit asks. With clubs trump, your Exclusion bid must be a grand slam try as you are forced to slam.
4 level Exclusion
Most of the Bridge players in the world play their splinters at the 4 level. This is why Exclusion Blackwood was invented as a jump to the 5 level. In Alberta, our splinters are at the 3 level so we have the advantage of playing Exclusion at the 4 level. 1/ - 4/ is Exclusion KCB. We traditionalists still like a jump to game in a major as natural so 1 - P - 4 is natural as is 1 - P - 4.
So what is 1 - P - 3? We play 1 - P - 3 as a splinter in spades (other major) and 1 - P - 2 as natural so why not make that sequence Exclusion Blackwood for spades?
1 - P - 3 shows a void or singleton heart. 3 always shows a splinter in the other major). If the responder now bids 4 it is Exclusion Blackwood with a heart void so we have all the bases covered. The beauty of Exclusion is that it is KCB so suit asking bids are built into the structure. Here is a hand from the Vanderbilt where you must get to 7 to push the board in two matches.
Q108x KJ109 AJ10xx void and partner opens 1.
You bid 4 and partner shows 3 controls by bidding 4 (0314). So you bid 5 which is a suit ask in diamonds. Partner bids 7 with AKJ9xx Ax x xxxx.
Believe it or not, you must get to your 23 HCP grand for a push!
The Kantar scheme for suit ask is back to the trump suit for the death response. 1st step shows queen or doubleton, next step Kxx, next Kx. KQ (x) is shown by bidding the asking suit and a singleton is shown by a leap to 7 in the trump suit. Memorize this as it is a standard part of KCB, minor suit KCB and Exclusion Blackwood.
If you do not have elaborate KCB tools, grand slams will almost be impossible to bid.
Time for a review of Exclusion Blackwood over the majors and the minors. We have discussed Exclusion Blackwood before. With the minors, EKB has replaced the void showing splinter. In addition with minors, if one hand is very strong then it is useless splintering to the weak hand. In these cases, the splinter is EKB. (see Kantar's examples with the minors below) I am getting this stuff from Kantar's web site and he also plays SSA (specific suit asks). Susan and Kiz have a good idea playing Exclusion. They assume there will never be more than 2 controls outside the void suit (good assumption) so they play the same responses as over pre-empts and weak 2’s: 0-0 or 0-1, 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-2. I like this treatment so 3 - P - 4 and 2 - P - 4 are Exclusion and all have the same responses. Tom and I just reverse KCB (0413). Kantar just goes up the line but queen asks get messy.
Exclusion Blackwood after Major Suit Agreement
Slam hands with void suits are notoriously hard to handle. Using Blackwood seldom works unless the Blackwood bidder has three aces or partner has cuebid an ace. If you use RKB holding two aces plus a void suit, and partner shows one ace, you may have to guess which it is.
There are several ways to go with void suits. The most common is cue-bidding which may lead to a Blackwood sequence. However, it is dangerous to cuebid a void; partner may think that the king or king-queen of your void suit is golden and go ballistic.
A better way to resolve this dilemma is to use Exclusion Keycard Blackwood (EKB) whereby you ask partner for keycards OUTSIDE of the void suit. EKB is a jump over game in an unbid suit or in a suit bid by the opponents, usually after agreement. Partner does NOT count the ace of the jump suit in the response. The responses to EKB are simple.
- 1st step = 0
- 2nd step =1
- 3rd step =2
- 4th step =3
An example before we get to some sticky stuff:
AKQxxx void Kx AKQxx
xxxx Kxxx Axxx x
| 2 |
Pass | 2* |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 4** |
Pass |
| 5*** |
Pass | 5NT**** | Pass |
| 7 |
** Splinter
*** Exclusion
**** 1 Keycard outside of hearts, must be the DA
Exclusion responses are rarely lower than five of the agreed suit. They will usually be higher, though the five level of the agreed suit may be the response.
Note: In an uncontested auction a leap over game after partner's response is EKB agreeing partner's suit.
AKxxxx AJxx void KQx
void Qxxxx AKQxx Jxx
| 1 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 5* |
Pass | 5** |
Pass |
| Pass*** |
** 0 (DA doesn't count)
*** Pass (2 keycards missing)
When An Exclusion Ask Is Doubled (They'll Be Sorry)
AKxxxx KQx void KQJx
QJxx Ax Qxxxx xx
| 1 |
Pass | 3* |
Pass |
| 5** |
Dbl | ? |
** Exclusion
When an EKB ask is doubled, thank the doubler. You now have TWO extra bids available, pass and redouble. It works like this:
- Pass = 0
- RDbl = 1
- 1st step = 2
- If a 2nd step response doesn't bypass the trump suit, it shows 2 with.
- With 3, use the 3rd step but expect to make 9!
In the example sequence redouble to show "1" and opener bids 6. Had you 0 you would have passed and opener would sign off at 5.
Exclusion Key Card Blackwood (EKB) After Minor Suit Agreement
One runs into a little snag when the EKB ask comes after minor suit agreement. Many jump bids after minor suit agreement are splinter jumps, not EKB jumps. The recognition problem can be solved by considering the level at which the jump takes place and the strength of the hand making the bid.
EKB after 2 Level Minor Suit Agreement
AQJx void KJ9xxx KQx
xx KJx Axxxx Axx
| 1 |
Pass | 2 (1) |
Pass |
| 4 (2) |
Pass | 5 (3) |
Pass |
| 5 (4) |
Pass | 5NT (5) | Pass |
| 6 (6) |
(1) Inverted. Some play "crossover". Using this method, the single raise is a game force and the jump shift to the other minor, 3 in this case, is considered a limit raise. The jump to the three level of opener's minor is preemptive.
(2) EKB. A jump to 3 would be a splinter and a jump one level higher than a splinter in minor suit auctions is RKB.
(3) 2 keycards. An inverted raise is presumed to show five cards so the queen is not shown when holding five card support even though partner is known to have five trump in this sequence. There will be other EKB sequences where partner may have only four trump so to avoid confusion, no queen showing with five card support after making an inverted raise or a splinter jump in response to a minor suit opening which also guarantees at least five card support.
(4) SSA in spades
(5) A first step response showing third round control which must be a doubleton as opener is looking at the queen; a direct return to the trump suit (6) would be the weakest response denying third round control (xxx, xxxx).
(6) Bidding a grand on a finesse is a losing proposition unless you "need the points".
Things don't always work out according to plan, of course.
void KQJx AKx KQxxxx
AKJ xx QJx Jxxxx
| 1 |
2* |
||
| 4** |
4NT*** | ||
| ? |
**EKB 3
is a splinter***4NT (0 keycards)
You know you are off two aces and partner has at most 4 points between clubs and diamonds. Partner must have strong spades. Playing matchpoints you should pass 4NT in a heartbeat.
EKB after 3 level minor suit agreement by the strong hand.
When one hand has overpowering strength, such as an opener who has jump shifted or reversed or a responder who has jump shifted, chances are that hand does NOT want to make a splinter jump after three level agreement. The strong hand is more interested in asking for information, as opposed to giving it. Therefore in the example sequences that follow, a jump to the FOUR level of an unbid suit after three level agreement is EKB, not a splinter.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 3* |
Pass |
| 4** |
* A game force, ** EKB, 4 would be RKB.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 3* |
Pass |
| 4** |
* game force, **EKB, 4 would be RKB
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 3* |
Pass |
| 4** |
Pass | Pass |
* game force, ** EKB, 4 would be RKB
Exclusion Blackwood (Duality)
Exclusion Blackwood is a new tool for us. Whenever you are thinking about cue-bidding a void, think Exclusion Blackwood instead. The trouble with cue-bidding a void is that partner thinks it is a king or an Ace, so he does not discount terrible duplication of value so continues to make encouraging noises.
My partner held this hand void Q10987x Jxx AK10x, I opened 1NT. Partner transferred to hearts followed by bidding 3. I bid 3 confirming hearts as the trump suit. If I have nothing in spades, a grand slam in hearts is possible xxxx AKx AK Qxxx. If I have horrible duplication of value in spades, 6 would be very iffy. A void showing bid is Exclusion Blackwood by definition, so 4 asks for Aces outside the spade suit. Partner with AKQx Kxx Axxx xx shows two outside the spade suit (5) so you sign off in 5. With the other hand, you get a 5 response so 6 is a baby bid.
My partner had a hand that Exclusion would have kept us out of a bad slam.
He held AQ10xx void Axxx AJxx.
He opened 1 getting a 1NT response from me. He bid a quiet 2 (what else ?) but I showed a limit raise in spades by bidding 3. Given the parameter of the forcing NT where my maximum is in the 12 HCP range we are in the 26 HCP range. Having said that, if there is no duplication of value in hearts, a Grand Slam is possible! Kxx xxxx Kx KQxx are the magical cards where 13 tricks are a possibility. Anyway partner decided to cuebid 4 to test the waters so I replied 4 which obviously says I like my hand on the auction. What next? 5. Exclusion by partner is a two way bid. It asks me to show controls omitting the heart Ace but it obviously tells me that he is void in hearts. I held the wrong hand for him as I held the heart Ace instead of the spade king making slam a bad contract. I respond no Aces so he now realizes that we are in the 26 HCP range with possible duplication. Accordingly he passes my 5 response (zero aces). My hand was Jxx Axxx Kx K10xx but what if my hand was Jxx xxxx KQx KQxx. In light of his non forcing 2 bid and his slam aspirations, I would just bid 6! There is no hand that he could hold that he bids 2 with a void in hearts that slam cannot make. He needs around 16 HCP outside the heart suit so filling in the blanks 6 must be cold! Exclusion Blackwood is a two way bid on some auctions!
2/1 auctions with a minor fit when showing a void in the majors is defined to be Exclusion Blackwood. So you do not cuebid the void. You hold void xx Axxx AQJ10xx, partner opens a heart. You bid 2, partner raises to 3. Do not even think of cue-bidding your spade void. Jump to 4 which is Exclusion Blackwood for clubs! With minors agreed, you can get away with Exclusion Blackwood at the 4 level in the major. Here is another auction. I held AKxxxx void Axxx Kxx, partner opens 1. I respond 1, partner bids 2. 4 to play is an impossible bid as you have a million other bids to show spades and hearts. 4 is Exclusion KCB with diamonds as the agreed suit.
Opening 2 is where Exclusion Blackwood could be a very frequent bid. If you have found a minor fit early, jump to 4 of a major is Exclusion Blackwood.
| 2 |
Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 4* |
* 4 is not splintering to the weak hand. Clubs are agreed and we have a void in diamonds with Exclusion KCB . With a major fit after 2, a jump to the 5 level is an obvious Exclusion Blackwood bid.
| 2 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 5 |
OK what about the sequences where Exclusion KCB does not apply? What about the strong distribution 6-5 hands?
x AKJxx AQJ10xx x.
You open 1 and partner bid 1. Do not be a kangaroo and jump to 4. That is Exclusion Blackwood with spade support! Bid 2 as a quiet reverse or 3 as a jump shift reverse when you are weaker.
What about the strong two suiters with the spade suit? Here is where I think Exclusion Blackwood is silly. Exclusion Blackwood forcing the auction to the 5 level when there is a threat of serious duplication of value is bad Bridge. A leap to the 4 level in spades is natural so not Exclusion Blackwood.
AKQxx x x AKxxxx
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 4 |
4 as Exclusion Blackwood is too risky, and will put the heart contract in jeopardy at the 5 level with severe duplication of value in spades in responder's hand.
4 Exclusion KCB (hearts)
Most expert pairs have adopted the Italian style of cue-bidding. Using this philosophy, going to the 5 level or forcing the contract to the 5 level by a cuebid is a systemic no-no. Last train slam tries were invented to prevent going to the 5 level with a cue-bidding auction. Last train slam tries are especially handy in splinter auctions to the 4 level. Kickback KCB was also invented to keep the auction at the lowest possible level while doing your query.
One aspect of Kickback, I have never liked is having 4 as Ace asking with hearts agreed as the trump suit. 4NT means KCB to me whenever we have a major fit. Since a 4 cuebid forces you beyond the 4 game level, I suggest that such a bid be defined as Exclusion KCB. This treatment is close to being Kickback but a lot more useful as 4NT will still functions quite well as KCB, thank you. With hearts agreed, bidding 4 as a cuebid is usually ludicrous.
Here is an auction from a Spingold. Partner opens 1, you have void AKQxxx Kxx QJxx. You respond 1 and partner rebids 1NT. Your partnership has a number of forcing bids you can use, but I like the “recovering the strong jump shift bid” of 3. This brings a 4 bid by partner so you bid 4. Partner now bids 4 so in these auctions if you have a spade control and are in slam mode, you would bid 4NT. With your void, you bid exclusion KCB instead. Partner bids 5 showing two Aces outside spades. I like repeating Exclusion as specific king asking so you bid 5. Partner bids 6 showing the king. Since you have already shown the diamond king as a cuebid, you now bid 6. This can only be interpreted as a suit ask for the queen. Partner bids 7 with Jxx xxx AQx AKxx.
If you do not use 4 as KCB with hearts agreed, use the bid as Exclusion. Also with hearts agreed a direct jump to 4 is Exclusion KCB.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 4* |
* Exclusion KCB
Even with a minor agreed, a leap to 4 should be Exclusion KCB as long as the jump was two levels. If the jump was one level, a splinter is identified.
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 4* |
* Exclusion KCB
A jump shift reverse by responder is undefined so that should be Exclusion in support of diamonds.
| 1 |
Pass | 2 |
Pass |
| 2 |
Pass | 4* |
* Exclusion KCB
This auction should not be natural as there was a 2 bid available.
5 level cuebids
Fred Gittleman feels that cue-bidding at the 5 level is a failure. A sign of something gone wrong in an auction because you have gone past Blackwood. I feel that this stance is a little too general. I advocate that after a fit or an implied fit the first new suit bid at the 5 level is not a cuebid but Exclusion Blackwood. Why would you be starting a cue-bidding auction at the 5 level when you had Blackwood at your disposal unless you had a void? If you have a void, define the 5 level bid as Exclusion Blackwood! Exclusion Blackwood is a powerful bid and it should make the 5 level cuebid extinct if introduced at that level.
Laura Farrer in 4th seat had this hand at a Calgary Sectional KQJxxx x AKQJxx void and it went
| 1 |
Pass | Pass | 2 |
| Pass | 2NT | Pass | 3 |
| Pass | 4 |
Pass | 5 |
5 has to be Exclusion on this auction. Partner has the inference that she bypassed Blackwood and why initiate a cue-bidding auction at the 5 level when Exclusion Blackwood would work better an any case? Partner had the spade Ace and 6 spades can be confidently bid.
Dave Smith and Doran Flock had this hand in Red Deer. AKxx void xxx AKQJxx. I opened 2 and Doran overcalled 2 vulnerable. My partner bid 4 and Dave Smith had a decision to make. 4NT with a void does not work but he bid it anyway. Doran showed an Ace and Dave assumed it was the diamond Ace on the auction and bid 7 spades. Wrong as we cashed the ace of diamonds! Why not use the sanctity of the 5 level as a non cuebid and bid 5 Exclusion Blackwood? Why would you ever want to initiate a cue-bidding auction at the 5 level when you have Exclusion Blackwood as a tool? You then arrive at your sane +1430.
You hold QJ10xxx KQxx Ax A and you open 1 and partner bids 2NT. RHO comes in with a 5 bid. Now what? Has the opponent shut you out of your Ace asking bid? No, Exclusion Blackwood to the rescue. You make a phony Exclusion Blackwood bid of 5! Partner shows 3 Aces and you ask for a specific Kings. Partner shows the diamond King and you bid 7. Try getting there any other way? Think about it. 5 as a cuebid is silly as you will never have enough room to cuebid your way to 7.
Here are Fred Gittleman's thoughts on the subject from an article on his Web site.
It is almost never necessary to cue-bid at the five level. In case you haven't noticed, cue-bidding at the five level is usually a sign of desperation - you don't know what to do so you cue-bid at the five level to transfer the decision to your partner.
Whenever a major suit is agreed, a bid of five of any other suit is "Exclusion RKCB". This means that you have a void in the bid suit and you want to know how many Keycards your partner has, not counting the ace of your void. Before you make this sort of bid, make sure none of the possible responses will get you too high if you are off two keycards.
Always remember WE NEVER CUE-BID AT THE FIVE LEVEL.
Fred Gittleman says all cuebids of the opponents suit that commence at the 5 level should be defined as Exclusion Blackwood. What does a cuebid of their suit at the 5 level really mean? Partner says he is supposed to like or dislike his hand without having a clue what the other hand consists of. In other words, a blind guess. Why not do as Gittleman suggests and use the bid as Exclusion Blackwood?
A hand at the Red Deer tournament really shows the need for the Exclusion Blackwood convention. The characters involved are the Butcher/Flock combo vs yours truly and Vish. First seat not vulnerable against vulnerable I held x 10987xx AQxx xx and decided it was time for a non-vulnerable vs vulnerable weak 2 in hearts. Mr. Flock made a vulnerable overcall 2. Vish jumped to 4 and Butcher held the following:
AKxx void xxx AKQJxx
Opposite a vulnerable 2 overcall there has to be a good chance for a vulnerable grand. Butcher with his void in hearts trotted out Blackwood. I thought it was time to help partner out on lead so I backed in 5. Doran responded with 1 Ace and Butcher went into a huddle. Surely with the opponents bidding hearts they have the Ace of hearts. What is Crosby’s bid of 5? Is it a lead directing void or the Ace of diamonds and partner has the heart Ace? Butcher puts the 7 card on the table and all pass. Vish leads a diamond and I cash the Ace for +100.
I think a cuebid at the 5 level should be Exclusion Blackwood by partnership agreement. Cuebids at the 5 level are ambiguous enough so having it be defined as Exclusion Blackwood is a logical treatment.
With this auction, should we heap all the blame for the result on Butcher? Can my 5 bid be a psyche to keep them out of 7? Do you believe the opponents? I think the problem with Butcher's bidding is that he has to blast if he wants a chance at 7. Bidding 7 from the shoulder keeps me from bidding 5. I will double 7 telling partner not to lead a heart but Vish only has a 50-50 chance of finding the diamond lead. Hence we have a 50% grand. The way Butcher bid it, I feel it is a zero % grand slam.
Tom Gandolfo held this hand AKxx void Jxx KQ1098x and LHO opened a weak 2 and I overcalled 2 with QJ109x Axx Q1098 A. Tom’s RHO jammed to 4 so Tom bid 5. I feared duplication of value in hearts so I signed off in 5. Tom took a guess at 6 and they failed to cash their AK so I made the contract. What if I held the same HCP and same shape but trade the red Aces. Tom through Exclusion Blackwood could find that out and even ask for the trump queen. He can count 13 tricks and claim before the lead. In the era of Exclusion Blackwood, cue-bidding their suit at the 5 level is archaic.