Friday, August 19, 2005 10:14 PM

Hand Evaluation - Exclusion Blackwood ( Duality )

 

PITBULLS:

 

            Exclusion Blackwood is a new tool for us. Whenever you are thinking about Q bidding a void , think Exclusion Blackwood instead. The trouble with Q 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 JxxAK10x  , 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. 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 AxxxAJxx , 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 KxKQxx  are the magical cards where 13 tricks are a possibility. Anyway partner decided to Q bid 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 KQxKQxx . 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 Q bid the void. You hold ♠void xx AxxxAQJ10xx , partner opens a heart. You bid 2♣ , partner raises to 3♣ . Do not even think of Q 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 ♦AxxxKxx , partner opens 1. I respond a spade , partner bids 2. 4 to play is an impossible bid as you have a million other bids to show spades and hearts. 4is 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♣-P-3♣-P   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 two clubs , a jump to the 5 level is an obvious Exclusion Blackwood bid.

 

2♣-P-2-P  

2-P-3-P

5♣-P-?

 

            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♣-P-1-P   4 as Exclusion Blackwood is too risky so will put the heart contract in jeopardy at the 5 level when severe duplication of value in spades in responder’s hand.

 

           

 

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