Saturday,
November 25, 2006 6:15 AM
Minor Suit KCB III
PITBULLS:
One
of the basic understandings of minor suit
KCB is that a limited
hand can not use the bid ( Kantar ) . In order to use minor suit KCB or Kickback , you must be unlimited with a 2/1 or have shown a
strong hand with a jump shift , 2♣ opener , 4th suit forcing or
reverse. This of course , implies a game forcing auction. If you have limited
your hand with a forcing NT ( 13 HCP max) or some other limited bid , your bids
are interpreted as Q bids or
waiting bids but never Kickback or minor suit Blackwood.
There
are Kickback understandings also . If the suit has already been bid naturally ,
avoid using that suit as Kickback. Resort to 4NT or another unbid suit if the
auction dictates that it makes no sense that the bid can be interpreted as a Q
bid. Here is a superb auction from a Spingold using Kickback . The opener held
♠AKQxxx ♥x ♦x ♣KQJ109 and opened 1♠. Partner responded 1NT
with ♠x ♥KQxx
♦AKxx
♣xxxx .
Partner
now makes a strong jump shift to 3♣. Since this is the multi 3♣ jump shift you
take the relay to 3♦.
Partner now bids 4♣ which shows the distributional spade/club strong jump shift
( 3NT shows 4♣) . Partner now bids 4♦. Is this Kickback ? No , because the limited hand is making the bid but it is a
Q bid confirming clubs. Opener now
bids 4♥
so what does that mean ? It can not be a Q bid as all the suits have been bid.
4♦
has been taken already obviously.
This bid is made by the strong hand , so it is Kickback
for clubs. Partner bids 4♠ and partner can pass or
bid 5♣ to end this auction. Note that 4NT is unambiguous but no Aces gets you
too high. Partners 4♦ Q
bid does not have to be an Ace.
Minors
and 4NT KCB have never been a good mix but Kickback can be confusing at times.
Try to keep it as simple as possible and if 4NT can not be mistaken as natural
, use it. Returning to the trump suit at the 4 level by an unlimited or strong
hand is KCB. Returning to the trump suit at the 4 level by a limited hand or a strong NT is a waiting bid.