Wednesday, July 02, 2003 7:04 AM
KCB - Specific Suit Asks
PITBULLS:
The
more I think about it , the more I agree with Kantar that suit asking bids can easily fit into the KCB structure . It is the next step after
the queen ask or instead of the
queen ask . Just follow his rules
that it is 1) always thru 4NT first and just with majors agreed 2) A suit bid
that is not the Queen ask
is the SSA 3) You forego specific kings if you go this route 4) the death response to the SSA is returning to
the trump suit . 5) Aces are taken out of the equation so steps
are defined around the King and Queen 6) 1st step response shows the
queen , 2nd Kxx , 3rd Kx and raise of the suit shows
both . 7) if the King has been denied ( via queen ask ), the
responses are defined around the queen and the jack can be thrown in , 1st
shows the queen and raising the suit shows the QJ of the suit . 8) specific suit ask also follows the queen ask.
This
hand came up Thurs nite AJ109xx AKJ10x x x . Partner opens 1NT and you
transfer to 2♠
. You leap to KCB and partner bids 5♦ showing 3 Aces . You bid 5♥ which is the queen ask and partner bids 5NT saying
she has the spade queen but no kings. You bid 6♥ which is the SSA in hearts and partner bids 6NT
showing the queen or xx . You now
bid 7♠ as you
can count 13 tricks.
The
suit ask can also be used with Exclusion
Blackwood ( same rules ) . AKJxx
A1098xx xx void and partner opens 1NT . You find the spade fit so
you jump to 5♣ exclusion . Partner shows an Ace so you ask for the trump queen
. Partner shows this by bidding her lower ranking King ( diamonds) . The next
step in the KCB sequence is a suit asking
bid. You now bid hearts and partner bids 7♠ with the Kx of hearts.
There
is some memorization involved but once you get the rules down it is quite a
handy tool to have in your arsenal .
The Specific Suit Ask (SSA)
(Majors)
After an RKB response, 5NT asks for specific
kings. However the RKB bidder may not be interested in
specific kings, he may be interested in what the responder has in a specific
suit. The asker may have losers in only one
suit. That suit may be headed by the
AKx(x)(x). If so, the ask is looking for third round control,
a doubleton or the queen, to play in a grand slam.
The asker may have Axxx(x) looking to play in a grand facing a singleton,
Kx or KQ(x). The asker may have Kxxx (x) looking to play in a
grand facing Ax, or AQ(x).
In order to ask partner about a specific suit, called the specific suit ask
(SSA), you must first go through 4NT.
After the response, a new suit by you that is NOT the queen-ask is
the SSA. In other words, you have decided to forego the 5NT
specific king ask to make a SSA. A SSA promises at
least the ace or king of the ask suit, frequently both. It also confirms joint possession of the four
aces as well as the KQ of the
agreed suit. The
SSA cannot substitute for the queen-ask, the queen-ask takes
precedence.
Consider this
sequence:
Opener
Responder
1H
1S
3C
4H
4NT
(1)
5C (2)
5D
(3)
5S (4)
6D (5)
(1) RKB
(2) 1
(3) Queen-ask
(4) Yes, with SK
(5) SSA (5NT would ask for another king)
Responses to the SSA are listed below. To facilitate memory
problems, the return to the trump suit is the death response. It
denies 2nd or 3rd round control in the ask suit and shows (xxx, xxxx, xxxxx).
RESPONSES
TO THE SSA IN WHICH THE KING OF THE ASK SUIT HAS NOT BEEN DENIED.
A return to trump suit, as ever, denies 2nd or 3rd round control. it is the
weakest response and does not count as a step.
1st step= 3rd round control (the queen or doubleton)
2nd step= 2nd round control (specifically Kxx or longer)
3rd step= Kx
Raise of the ask suit =KQ (x)(x).
Jump in the trump suit = singleton
Say the SSA is 6D, hearts agreed, and responder has D Qxx, 3rd
round control. The proper response is 6S, a 1st step response
(excluding the trump suit, the denial response). Yes, the
response bypasses the six level of the agreed suit, but the SSA bidder is
supposedly prepared for that. He should have the Ace and King of
diamonds to make the ask.
LOOKING FOR GOLD AND
FINDING DUST
West
East
S.
AQxxxx
S.
KJxx
H.
A
H.
xx
D.
AKxxx
D.
xxx
C.
x
C.
AK10x
West
North
East
South
1S
4H
4S
Pass
4NT (1)
Pass 5H
(2)
Pass
6D (3)
Pass
6S (4) Pass
(1) RKB
(2) 2 without
(3) SSA in diamonds
(4) Denies 2nd or 3rd round diamond control
NOT WHAT YOU WANTED,
BUT NO SO BAD EITHER
Opener
Responder
(you)
S
AJx
S.
Kx
H.
Kxx
H.
AQJ10xx
D.
AJx
D.
x
C.
QJxx C. Axxx
Opener
Responder
1NT
4D
(1)
4H
4NT
(2)
5C
(3) 6C (4)
6D
(5) 6H (6)
Pass
(1) Transfer
(2) RKB (0314 responses- weak asking strong)
(3) 3
(4) SSA in clubs
(5) 1st step response showing the queen or a doubleton
(6) No grand today
Change opener's hand a bit: Say opener has: AJx
Kxx AJx
Kxxx. The response to 6C is 6H, a 2nd step response
showing Kxx(x) of clubs. Opener, appraised of a club loser, settles
for 6H.
Now give opener: Axxx Kxx
AJxx Kx. Now a 3rd step response of
6NT shows the Kx leading to a grand in hearts. Of course you
may have to ruff two clubs in dummy. In my book I gave the
opener the K9x of hearts to make things happier for the paying
customers. Here, since you are getting a freebie, realism has
set in and opener doesn't have the H9.
IF THE RESPONDER TO THE
SSA HAS ALREADY DENIED THE KING OF THE ASK SUIT (AFTER A QUEEN ASK AND A KING
SHOWING RESPONSE) THESE ARE THE RESPONSES:
A return to trump suit denies 3rd round control.
1st step response shows the queen or a doubleton.
A raise shows the queen-jack.
A NEAT FIND!
Opener
Responder
(you)
S.
QJx
S.
AKxxx
H.
QJ
H.
AKxx
D.
AKJx D. x
C.
xxxx C. AKx
Opener
Responder
1D
1S
2S
(1) 3H
3S
4NT
(2)
5C
(3) 5D (4)
6D
(5)
6H(6)
7H
(7)
7NT
(8)
Pass (9)
(1) Some would rebid 1NT
(2) RKB 1430 responses-strong hand asking weak-opener limited by the
single raise
(3) 1
(4) Queen-ask
(5) Yes with DK, but no HK (would have bid 5H over 5D).
(6) 3rd round heart control? (I know you don't have the king).
(7) The QJ
(8) Wait till we tell them about this one
(9) You tell them, I'm too exhausted
NOT
AS EASY
Returning to the previous hand, If we exchange the queen and king of spades, we
have this:
Opener
Responder
(you)
S.
KJx
S.
AQxxx
H.
QJ
H.
AKxx
D.
AKxx
D. x
C.
xxxx
C.
AKx
Opener
Responder
1D
1S
2S
3H
4S(1)
4NT
(2)
5H
(3)
?
(1) Too much hand to rebid 3S
(2) RKB
(3) 2 without
At this point you have to decide whether it is more important to look for
the DK via 5NT or 3rd round heart control via 6H. There
is not room to do both.
If you bid 5NT and get a 6D response, a follow up bid of 6H asks for the HK as
it has not been denied. YOU CANNOT USE THE SSA ONCE YOU BID 5NT ASKING FOR
SPECIFIC KINGS.
If you bid
6H over 5H, the SSA, you will get a 7H response showing the QJ. So partner
has the DA, the SK and the H QJ, 10 HCP and 12 tricks. If you
want to gamble that partner has the DK or the CQ (HIGHLY likely) bid
7NT.
If you want to
play it closer to the belt, bid 7S. Perhaps partner has a
doubleton club and a club ruff in dummy will be trick 13. At tournament bridge
in a strong field, chance 7NT; otherwise 7S.
AN
SSA CAN ALSO BE MADE IN A PREVIOUSLY BID SUIT
The responses are the same except responder cannot have shortness.
Return to trump suit denies 2nd or 3rd round control.
1st step= The queen
2nd step= The king
A raise of the ask suit= the KQ(x)
LOOK WHAT I FOUND!
Opener
Responder
(you)
S.
Qxxx
S.
Ax
H.
Axxx
H.
KQxxx
D.
A
D.
xxx
C.
AQxx
C.
KJx
Opener
Responder
1C
1H
3D
(1)
4NT
(2)
5C(3)
6C
(4)
6D
(5)
7H
(1) Nobody likes to splinter with a singleton ace, but that's what they dealt
you. If you want to treat this as a balanced hand, jump to
4H.
(2) RKB (0314) weak asks strong
(3) 3
(4) You don't have room to ask for the SK and the CQ. Since finding
the SK won't ensure a grand, but finding the CQ will, you trot out
6C. (If you had any desire to play in clubs, you should have bid 4C over
3D.) More on asks in previously bid suits in chapter XXI (Second Suit
Options).
(5) 1st step response showing the queen. (Opener must have at
least four clubs so a spade can go off on a club).
Another SSA to keep in practice:
I NEED A NEW PARTNER!
West
East
S.
x
S.
Ax
H.
AQxxx
H.
Kxxx
D.
Ax
D.
KQJ
C.
AKxxx
C.
xxxx
West
North
East South
1H
Pass
2NT(1)
Pass
4NT (2)
Pass
5H (3)
Pass
6C (4)
Pass
6H (5) Pass
Pass Pass
1) Jacoby
(2) RKB
(3) 2 without
(4) SSA
(5) Zilch
Hate to end with a signoff response but
look at how many slams you have already bid and made!