Monday, September 18, 2006 5:16 AM

KCB Rights - Minors

PITBULLS:

Minor suit KCB or Kickback only works if we follow the rules of the game. There are three main criteria for KCB to come into effect with a minor fit. There must be a forcing to game auction . This is obvious, because you may want to play in 4 of a minor. The 2^nd less obvious criteria is the small limited hand does not have KCB rights. The big hand is allowed to ask the little hand about Aces but not vice versa. If it were otherwise , chaos would result. With two unlimited hands there is captaincy involved. If one hand announces a huge hand by a jump shift , the other hand becomes subservient and does not have KCB rights with a minor implied as trump.

Here is a hand from the Vanderbilt . ♠Ax ♥J1098x ♦AK ♣AK10x This hand opened one heart and partner bids a spade with ♠KJxxxx ♥ void ♦ xx ♣QJxxx . The big hand makes a jump shift to 3♣. This is the multi so this forces a relay to 3♦ . Opener now bids 3NT which describes a flat real jump shift in clubs. Partner now bids 4♣. This is not KCB but just suggesting a club slam. The big hand is the captain of this auction. 4♦ is Kickback and with a no Ace response , opener takes a shot at 6♣ as responder showed a lot of black cards on the auction.

In a 2/1 auction , both hands are unlimited. This means minor suit KCB can occur from either side. In a forcing 1NT auction and you find a minor fit with a strong jump shift, only the big hand has KCB rights. 1♠-P-1NT-P 3♦-P-4♦-P of course 4♦ is just the agreement and not the ask so 4♥ is Kickback by the big hand. What about the multi-3♣ auctions ?

1♠-P-1NT-P

3♣-P-3♦-P

3NT-P-4♣-P 4♣ is just a slam suggestion as it is by the little hand so 4♦ by the big hand is KCB

With reverses there can be two unlimited hands. If responder has not limited her hand , she has KCB rights. 1♦-P-1♠-P

2♥-P-3♦-P

3♠/3NT-P-4♦ Responder is unlimited so this is KCB .

These agreements are a small price to pay to avoid using 4NT as KCB with a minor fit.

When your side is the overcalling side and you find a minor fit , minor suit KCB does not exist. In these auctions if you must bid KCB , you most use the archaic 4NT. Jumps to the 4 level in a minor is a pre-emptive bid rather than KCB !!