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.

A keycard is the 4 aces plus the king of the asking suit

Playing 1430 keycard, 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 Blackwood bidder bids the cheapest step (5 over a 5 response, 5 over 5). If the Blackwood bidder 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 Blackwood bidder 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 Blackwood bidder 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 Blackwood bidder 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. There are now 6 keycards. The four aces and two kings.

In Double Agreement Keycard 4NT is always the keycard ask.

Voids are not shown in Double Agreement Keycard and because you can end up too high do not use Double Agreement Keycard without 3 keycards yourself. If your Double Agreement Keycard 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.

1	Pass	2	Pass
3	Pass	3	Pass
4NT

• 5 = 1 or 4 key cards with no mention of either queen.
• 5 = 0 or 3 key cards with no mention of either queen.
• 5 = 2 keycards with neither Queen
• 5 = 2 keycards with the lower ranking Queen
• 5NT = 2 keycards with the higher ranking Queen
• 6 = 2 keycards with both Queens

After a 5 response playing 1430, 5 is the (multiple) queen-ask, with these step responses:

• 5 = Neither queen
• 5 = Lower ranking queen only
5NT = Higher ranking queen only
• 6 = Both queens

A 5 response showing 0 or 3 playing 1430, is handled like this with inferences on how many controls taken from the previous bidding:

After a 5 zero response HEARTS agreed, 5 is to play and 5 is the queen-ask. If the 5 response shows 3, 5 is the queen-ask with the similar four step responses:

• 5NT = Neither queen
• 6 = Lower ranking queen only
• 6= Higher ranking queen only
• 6 = Both queens

After a 5 response showing 0 or 3, SPADES agreed, 5 is the queen-ask and 5 is to play.